Characterisation of the Arabidopsis Xylan Synthase Complex

Plants have strong cell walls that give them structure and strength. An important component of these walls is xylan, a sugar-based molecule found in materials such as wood and grasses. Xylan plays a major role in how plants grow, develop and build strong cell walls. However, we do not fully understand how plants make xylan, in particular how the proteins responsible for its production work together in a part of the cell called the Golgi apparatus. In this research, we will study three key proteins from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana - AtIRX9, AtIRX10 and AtIRX14 - that help make xylan. By tagging these proteins with fluorescent markers and observing their behaviour in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) plants, we have already discovered that these three proteins must be expressed together to localise in the Golgi apparatus. Our preliminary experiments have also shown that the proteins probably form a protein complex to efficiently produce xylan. The project aims to find out how these proteins interact, where exactly in the Golgi they work and how their teamwork affects xylan production. The team will use advanced imaging tools, plant genetics and sugar analysis to answer these questions. The findings could reveal new ways to control how plants build their cell walls and how biosynthetic enzymes work together to produce xylan. This information could help scientists optimise xylan production in plants.