Journal de cytologie et d'histologie

The Role of Pectin Phase Separation in Plant Cell Wall Assembly and Growth

Abstract

Alexis Wightman*

A growing body of literature suggests that phase separation within polymer mixtures drives many biological processes. The formation of membraneless organelles by liquid-liquid phase separation is thought to play a variety of roles in cell metabolism, gene regulation, and signalling. One of the characteristics of these systems is that they are poised at phase transition boundaries, which makes them perfectly suited to elicit robust cellular responses to often very small changes in the cell's "environment". Recent findings suggest that phase separation not only plays a role in wall patterning, hydration, and stress relaxation during growth, but may also be a driving force for cell wall expansion in the semisolid environment of plant cell walls.