Plant toughness: Key to cracking biofuels?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - 19:30
in Biology & Nature
Along with photosynthesis, the plant cell wall is one of the features that most set plants apart from animals. A structural molecule called cellulose is necessary for the manufacture of these walls. Cellulose is synthesized in a semi-crystalline state that is essential for its function in the cell wall function, but the mechanisms controlling its crystallinity are poorly understood. New research reveals key information about this process.