The Persson lab – Cellulose synthesis

The Persson lab aims at understanding how plants produce their cell walls, with a particular focus on the prominent cell wall polymer cellulose. This is the major contributor to the biomass of a typical plant and consists of glucan chains that are hydrogen-bonded into microfibrils, which also provide the major strength to the cell wall. Consequently, cellulose is a major determinant for directed plant growth and provides stature to plants. Cellulose is produced at the plasma membrane by large multimeric cellulose synthase (CESA) complexes. These complexes move forward through the membrane during synthesis because the cellulose microfibrils are entangled in the cell wall and further synthesis therefore pushes the complex forward through the plasma membrane. The direction of the movement is typically directed by cortical microtubules via the protein Cellulose Synthase Interacting1/POM2. A major goal of the group is to understand how the CESA complex is regulated, what the components involved in making cellulose are, how the microtubules impact on cellulose synthesis and the means that the cell wall uses to communicate with the interior of the cell.

Representative publications (last five years)

Live-cell imaging of the cytoskeleton in elongating cotton fibres (2019) Yu Y, Wu S, Nowak J, Wang G, Han L, Feng Z, Mendrinna A, Ma Y, Wang H, Zhang X, Tian J, Dong L, Nikoloski Z, Persson S*, Kong Z*. Nature Plants *Co-senior authors https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-019-0418-8

The Companion of Cellulose Synthase 1 confers salt tolerance through a Tau-like mechanism in plants (2019) Kesten C, Wallmann A, Schneider R, McFarlane HE, Diehl A, Khan GA, van Rossum BJ, Lampugnani ER, Szymanski WG, Cremer N, Schmieder P, Ford KL, Seiter F, Heazlewood JL, Sanchez-Rodriguez C, Oschkinat H, Persson S. Nature Comm https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08780-3

Cellulose Synthase Complexes Display Distinct Dynamic Behaviors During Xylem Trans-Differentiation (2018) Watanabe Y, Schneider R, Barkwill S, Gonzales-Vigil E, Hill JL, Samuels AL*, Persson S*, Mansfield SD*. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A *Co-senior authors http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/06/04/1802113115

Highlighted in PNAS: http://www.pnas.org.ezp.lib.unimelb.edu.au/content/early/2018/06/15/1808423115

Two complementary mechanisms underpin cell wall patterning during xylem vessel development (2017) Schneider R, Tang L, Lampugnani ER, Barkwill S, Lathe R, Zhang Y, McFarlane HE, Pesquet E, Niittyla T, Mansfield SD, Zhou Y, Persson S. Plant Cell http://www.plantcell.org/content/early/2017/09/25/tpc.17.00309

Highlighted in Plant Cell: http://www.plantcell.org/content/29/10/2307

Revisiting ancestral polyploidy in plants (2017) Ruprecht C*, Lohaus R*, Vanneste K, Mutwil M, Nikoloski Z, Van de Peer Y*, Persson S*. Science Adv http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1603195.full

BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE2 Negatively Regulates Cellulose Synthesis in Arabidopsis by Phosphorylating Cellulose Synthase1 (2017) Sanchez-Rodriguez C, Ketelaar KJ, Schneider R, Somerville CR, Persson S*, Wallace IS*. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A *Co-senior and corresponding authors http://www.pnas.org/content/114/13/3533.long

Cellulose-Microtubule Uncoupling proteins prevent lateral displacement of microtubules during cellulose synthesis in Arabidopsis (2016) Liu Z, Schneider R, Kesten C, Zhang Y, Somssich M, Zhang Y, Fernie AR, Persson S. Developmental Cell 38:305; http://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/fulltext/S1534-5807%2816%2930435-X

Golgi-localized STELLO proteins regulate the assembly and trafficking of cellulose synthase complexes in Arabidopsis (2016) Zhang Y, Nikolovski N, Sorieul M, Vellosillo T, McFarlane HE, Dupree R, Kesten C, Schneider R, Driemeier C, Lathe R, Lampugnani E, Yu X, Ivakov A, Doblin MS, Mortimer JC, Brown SP, Persson S*, Dupree P*. Nature Comm 7:11656; *Co-senior and corresponding authors, http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160609/ncomms11656/full/ncomms11656.html

Another brick in the wall (2015) Schneider R, Persson S. Science 350: 156-7; http://science.sciencemag.org/content/350/6257/156.long

A Mechanism for Sustained Cellulose Synthesis during Salt Stress (2015) Endler A, Kesten C, Schneider R, Zhang Y, Ivakov A, Froehlich A, Funke N, Persson S. Cell. 162: 1353-64; http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674%2815%2901042-9?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867415010429%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

V-ATPase-activity in the TGN/EE is required for exocytosis and recycling in Arabidopsis (2015) Luo Y, Doering A, Scholl S, Zhang Y, Irani NG, Di Rubbo S, Neumetzler L, Krishnamoorthy P, Van Houtte I, Mylle E, Bischoff V, Vernhettes S, Winne J, Friml J, Stierhof YD, Schumacher K*, Persson S*, Russinova E*. Nature Plants. 1: 7; *Co-senior and corresponding authors, http://www.nature.com/articles/nplants201594

Plant cytokinesis is orchestrated by the sequential action of the TRAPPII and exocyst tethering complexes (2014) Rybak K, Steiner A, Synek L, Klaeger S, Kulich I, Facher E, Wanner G, Kuster B, Zarsky V, Persson S, Assaad FF. Developmental Cell. 29: 607-20; http://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/abstract/S1534-5807%2814%2900276-7?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1534580714002767%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

Transcriptional control of ROS homeostasis by KUODA1 regulates cell expansion during leaf development (2014) Lu D, Wang T, Persson S, Mueller-Roeber B, Schippers JHM. Nature Comm. 5: 3767; http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140507/ncomms4767/full/ncomms4767.html

The TPLATE Adaptor Complex Drives Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in Plants. (2014) Gadeyne A, Sánchez-Rodríguez C, Vanneste S, Di Rubbo S, Zauber H, Vanneste K, Van Leene J, De Winne N, Eeckhout D, Persiau G, Van De Slijke E, Cannoot B, Vercruysse L, Mayers JR, Adamowski M, Kania U, Ehrlich M, Schweighofer A, Ketelaar T, Maere S, Bednarek SY, Friml J, Gevaert K, Witters E, Russinova E, Persson S*, De Jaeger G*, Van Damme D*. Cell. 156: 691-704; *Co-senior and corresponding authors, http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674%2814%2900091-9?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867414000919%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

The Cell Biology of Cellulose Synthesis. (2014) McFarlane HE, Döring A, Persson S. Annu Rev Plant Biol. 65: 69-94; http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-arplant-050213-040240?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed