Plant cell wall evolution

We are interested in how the highly complex and carbohydrate-rich cell walls that characterise plants have evolved. One aspect of this research involves the wide scale mapping of cell wall diversity of across the plant kingdom. To do this we are using the Comprehensive Microarray Polymer Profiling technique that enables a large number of cell wall samples to be rapidly analyzed. We also have a particular interest in the charophycean green algae (CGA) that are thought to be the closet living relatives of the land plants. We have undertaken a detailed study of the cell walls of several CGA species and in a parallel project are also engaged in obtaining information about their transciptomes and genomes.

 

Image coutesy of David Domozych, Skidmore College, USA

 

Selected publications

Domozych, D.S., Sørensen, I. and Willats, W.G.T. (2009) The distribution of cell wall polymers during antheridium development and spermatogenesis in the Charophycean green alga, Chara corallina. Annals of Botany, 104(6), 1045-1056.

 

Sørensen, I., Pettolino, F.A., Wilson, S.M., Doblin, M.S.,  Johansen, B., Bacic, A., and Willats, W.G.T. (2008) Mixed linkage (1→3),(1→4)-β-D-glucan is not unique to the Poales and is an abundant component of Equisetum arvense cell walls. The Plant Journal 54(3): 510-521.

 

Sørensen, I. and Willats, W.G.T. (2008) Plant cell walls: new insights from a ancient species. Plant Signaling & Behavior, in press