title: Plant cellulose synthesis: CESA proteins crossing kingdoms.
abstract: Cellulose is a biopolymer of considerable economic importance. It is synthesised by the cellulose synthase complex (CSC) in species ranging from bacteria to higher plants. Enormous progress in our understanding of bacterial cellulose synthesis has come with the recent publication of both the crystal structure and biochemical characterisation of a purified complex able to synthesis cellulose in vitro. A model structure of a plant CESA protein suggests considerable similarity between the bacterial and plant cellulose synthesis. In this review article we will cover current knowledge of how plant CESA proteins synthesise cellulose. In particular the focus will be on the lessons learned from the recent work on the catalytic mechanism and the implications that new data on cellulose structure has for the assembly of CESA proteins into the large complex that synthesis plant cellulose microfibrils.
authors.affiliation: University of Manchester, Faculty of Life Science, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
authors.forename: Manoj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: University of Manchester, Faculty of Life Science, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. Electronic address: simon.turner@manchester.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D002482:Cellulose / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021381:Protein Transport
chemical_list: D002482:Cellulose; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C478648:cellulose synthase
keywords: BcsA structure; CESA proteins model; Catalytic subunit; Cellulose biosynthesis; Cellulose microfibril