title: Evidence for 'silicon' within the cell walls of suspension-cultured rice cells.
abstract: Despite the ubiquity and beneficial role of silicon (Si) in plant biology, structural and chemical mechanisms operating at the single-cell level have not been extensively studied. To obtain insights regarding the effect of Si on individual cells, we cultivated suspended rice (Oryza sativa) cells in the absence and presence of Si and analyzed single cells using a combination of physical techniques including atomic force microscopy (AFM). Si is naturally present as a constituent of the cell walls, where it is firmly bound to the cell wall matrix rather than occurring within intra- or extracellular silica deposition, as determined by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This species of Si, linked with the cell wall matrix, improves the structural stability of cell walls during their expansion and subsequent cell division. Maintaining cell shape is thereby enhanced, which may be crucial for the function and survival of cells. This study provides further evidence that organosilicon is present in plant cell walls, which broadens our understanding of the chemical nature of 'anomalous Si' in plant biology.
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Congwu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Xiuli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Yongjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.|National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Fangsen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D012275:Oryza / Q000378:metabolism*; D059828:Plant Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D012825:Silicon / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012825:Silicon
keywords: Si-polysaccharide complex; cell wall; organosilicon; rice (Oryza sativa); silicon (Si); suspension cell