The relationship between molecular organization and mechanical properties in the leaf cell wall with a focus on infection

The plant cell wall plays a critical role in mechanically resisting turgor, defining morphology and as a barrier against microbial attack. However, the precise molecular architecture of the cell wall is still poorly understood. We have recently shown that there is considerable variation in mechanical properties within the walls of individual cells, between different cell types, and after microbial attack, linked to local variations in chemical composition; but the details of how chemistry and molecular organisation leads to function remain elusive. This project aims to use and develop cutting edge biophysical imaging techniques, in particular atomic force microscopy (AFM) and super-resolution (SR) optical microscopy, to elucidate the molecular organization of the cell wall in unprecedented detail. Once this basis of new information has been obtained, we will use it to explore the role played by the glucan-polymer callose in reshaping and reinforcing the cell wall following fungal attack, which in future may inform the development of novel anti-fungal agents. The project will build on internationally leading developments in the application of AFM to cell wall systems, and in the use of SR optical microscopy to follow cell wall growth in plants.