title: Role of the plant cell wall in gravity resistance.
abstract: Gravity resistance, mechanical resistance to the gravitational force, is a principal graviresponse in plants, comparable to gravitropism. The cell wall is responsible for the final step of gravity resistance. The gravity signal increases the rigidity of the cell wall via the accumulation of its constituents, polymerization of certain matrix polysaccharides due to the suppression of breakdown, stimulation of cross-link formation, and modifications to the wall environment, in a wide range of situations from microgravity in space to hypergravity. Plants thus develop a tough body to resist the gravitational force via an increase in cell wall rigidity and the modification of growth anisotropy. The development of gravity resistance mechanisms has played an important role in the acquisition of responses to various mechanical stresses and the evolution of land plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan. Electronic address: hoson@sci.osaka-cu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D006112:Gravitation; D018471:Hypergravity; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism; D014893:Weightlessness
keywords: Cell wall; Cellulose; Evolution; Gravity resistance; Hypergravity; Matrix polysaccharides; Microgravity; Phenolics; Rigidity; Space experiments