Plant cell wall integrity in plant development

Traditionally, the plant cell wall has been considered to be merely a cell product, mostly composed of polysaccharides deposited outside the plasma membranes. Although its physical and chemical properties serve various important physiological functions, including cell shape regulation, intercellular adhesion, mechanical support and hydraulic functioning, the cell wall has conventionally not been regarded as a major player in plant regulatory systems. However, recent genetic, biochemical and cell biological research has revealed that the plant cell wall is a key contributor to signal molecule production and modulation of cell-cell signaling in plant development and defense responses. Furthermore, it has been show that, following the perception of these signals in the cell wall space, autonomous responses can occur outside of the plasma membrane without nuclear transcriptional control.

The functional integrity of the cell wall is vital for many cell wall-mediated plant developmental processes over a plant’s lifetime. Therefore, the higher-order functional cell wall structures must be maintained and renewed by cell biological processes including transcriptome changes, cytoskeletal regulation and membrane trafficking. Molecular dissection of the mechanisms that preserve cell wall integrity is the focus of ongoing multidisciplinary research in plant developmental biology. This research topic aims to bring together the latest progress of investigations into the role of cell wall integrity in plant cell differentiation and organogenesis, and the regulation of these processes in response to both abiotic and biotic factors. We would particularly like to encourage contributions from young researchers committed to advancing the molecular and cellular understanding of plant cell wall integrity.