The cellulose synthase complex of the Arabidopsis primary cell wall

The biosphere makes more cellulose than any other polymer with fibre industries depending on its physical properties and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels depending on its stability as a carbon sink. Mutants which change individual genes and so inactivate the corresponding protein have identified many of the proteins needed to make cellulose but less is known about how the different proteins come together to build the machinery for synthesis. We will target that protein organization by focusing on one class of essential proteins that we can purify together with the other proteins bound to them. The results will provide important insights into how cellulose is made, an important issue for Australia s cotton and wood fibre industries.