Tailoring Cellulose properties by manipulating cellulose synthase

Cellulose from plants is nature s most abundant polymer and a vital raw material for fibre, polymer and biomass industries. It invariably comprises long chains of identically linked glucose residues but how those chains associate to form sub-microscopic fibres subtly varies between species and in different parts of a single plant. This causes differences in important properties such as strength and solubility. We know many of the proteins plants use to make cellulose but not how they make celluloses with different properties. We will investigate those mechanisms and generate plants producing a range of different celluloses to learn the genetic basis for their production, the first step to tailoring properties for different applications.