Chemical Composition Analysis of Surface Lipids During Growth Development of Tomato Fruit

Recently characterized endogenous plant enzymes, class C endo-β-1,4-glucanases, have recently been found to bind crystalline cellulose in vitro. The current study focused on understanding the role of three homologous class C endo-β-1,4-glucanases in modifying and regulating cellulose crystallinity. Birefringent retardation measurements of trichome epidermal cells were utilized to quantify variations in cellulose crystallinity between Arabidopsis thaliana mutant, overexpression, and wildtype lines. Through present and future work, it is sought to discover and produce a collection of endogenous plant hydrolases capable of providing biofuel crops with an optimal quantity and accessibility of cellulose for efficient biofuel processing.