About the Cover
COVER: Plant mechanical strength is mainly provided by cell walls, biosynthesis of which requires coordination of different types of proteins. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins are thought to play important roles in many physiological processes and might be involved in the biosynthesis of cell walls. The study by Li et al. (pages 2020-2031) reveals that the BRITTLE CULM1 (BC1) gene in rice encodes a putative GPI-anchored protein that is highly homologous to the Arabidopsis COBRA family members. Deficiency in BC1 causes altered biosynthesis of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, leading to a reduction in secondary cell wall thickness and mechanical strength of rice plants. The cover image shows that BC1 is mainly expressed in the cells of mechanical tissues including the vascular bundles and subepidemal regions, where sclerenchyma cells differentiate.
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Copyright © 2007 by the American Society of Plant Biologists
