Cellulose is an abundant biopolymer (生物高聚物) and a prominent constituent of plant cell walls. Cellulose is also a central component to plant morphogenesis and contributes the bulk (大部分) of a plant's biomass. While cellulose synthase (CesA) genes were identified over two decades ago, genetic manipulation of this family to enhance cellulose production has remained difficult. In this study, we show that increasing the expression levels of the three primary cell wall AtCesA6-like genes (AtCesA2, AtCesA5, AtCesA6), but not AtCesA3, AtCesA9 or secondary cell wall AtCesA7, can promote the expression of major primary wall CesA genes to accelerate primary wall CesA complex (cellulose synthase complexes, CSCs) particle (微粒) movement for acquiring long microfibrils (微纤丝) and consequently increasing cellulose production in Arabidopsis transgenic lines, as compared with wild-type. The overexpression transgenic lines displayed changes in expression of genes related to cell growth and proliferation, perhaps explaining the enhanced growth of the transgenic seedlings. Notably, overexpression of the three AtCesA6-like genes also enhanced secondary cell wall deposition that led to improved mechanical strength and higher biomass production in transgenic mature plants. Hence, we propose that overexpression of certain AtCesA genes can provide a biotechnological approach to increase cellulose synthesis and biomass accumulation in transgenic plants.

研究方向：植物纤维素生物合成，植物细胞壁合成代谢，生物质产量与碳源分配，生物质降解与生物能源转化，转基因技术与作物遗传育种等。此外，利用现代生物技术和分子育种途径，选育抗逆性强、生物产量高和品质优良的高效生物能源作物和能源植物，以及设计优质能源作物生物质乙醇和副产品（饲料、造纸、化工产品）加工工艺与大规模生产工艺流程。

First Published data: October 23, 2017.