CRISPR/dCas9干扰bcsD基因表达调控细菌纤维素结构

木葡糖酸醋杆菌(Gluconacetobacter xylinus)是细菌纤维素的主要生产菌株。在该菌中,BcsD是纤维素合酶的亚基之一,参与细菌纤维素的组装过程。利用CRISPR/dCas9系统调控bcsD基因的表达量,获得了一系列bcsD基因表达量不同的木葡糖酸醋杆菌。通过分析细菌纤维素的结构特征发现,细菌纤维素的结晶度和孔隙率随着木葡糖酸醋杆菌中bcsD表达量的变化而发生改变。其中孔隙率的变化范围在59.95%–84.05%之间,结晶度的变化范围在74.26%–93.75%之间,而细菌纤维素的产量并未因bcsD的表达量变化而发生显著下降。结果表明,bcsD的表达量低于55.34%后,细菌纤维素的孔隙率显著上升,并且细菌纤维素的结晶度与bcsD的表达量呈正相关。最终,通过干扰bcsD基因的表达,实现了一步发酵木葡糖酸醋杆菌获得了产量稳定且结构不同的细菌纤维素。     

Viability and cellulose synthesizing ability of Gluconacetobacter xylinus cells under high-hydrostatic pressure

The effect of pressure on viability and the synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC) by Gluconacetobacter xylinus ATCC53582 were investigated. G. xylinus was statically cultivated in a pressurized vessel under 0.1, 30, 60, and 100 MPa at 25°C for 6 days. G. xylinus cells remained viable and retained cellulose producing ability under all the conditions tested, though the production of cellulose decreased with increasing the pressure. The BCs produced at each pressure condition were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR). FE-SEM revealed that the widths of BC fibers produced under high pressure decreased as compared with those produced under the atmospheric pressure. By FT-IR, all the BCs were found to be of Cellulose type I, as the same as typical native cellulose. Our findings evidently showed that G. xylinus possessed a piezotolerant (barotolerant) feature adapting to 100 MPa without losing its BC producing ability. This was the first attempt in synthesizing BC with G. xylinus under elevated pressure of 100 MPa, which corresponded to the deep sea at 10,000 m.     

Über cellulosefreie Mutanten von Acetobacter xylinus

Zusammenfassung Acetobacter xylinus wurde unter verschiedenen Kulturbedingungen gezüchtet. Es konnten dabei Unterschiede im Ausmaß der Cellulosebildung festgestellt werden. Wie sich beim Ausplatten zeigte, waren verschieden gezüchtete Populationen auch in bezug auf die Kolonieform heterogen und je nach Züchtungsart verschieden zusammengesetzt. Ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Kolonieform und dem Cellulosebildungsvermögen einzelner Klone konnte bestätigt werden.Die Fluktuation der Anzahl cellulosefreier Zellen in einer Reihe von Kulturgefäßen, die mit cellulosebildenden Zellen beimpft worden waren, deutet darauf hin, daß die Veränderung cellulosebildend-cellulosefrei auf eine Mutation zurückzuführen ist. Neben vielen labilen cellulosefreien Mutanten mit hoher Rückmutationsrate konnte auch eine stabile cellulosefreie Mutante von Ab. xylinus isoliert werden. Für einen Fall der Rückmutation einer labilen cellulosefreien Mutante wurde die Mutationsrate mit 1.1·10^-8 bestimmt. Die Rückmutationsrate der meisten labilen cellulosefreien Mutanten scheint jedoch wesentlich über diesem Wert zu liegen.Für das Aufkommen von Mutanten in einer Population sind Selektionsvorgänge verantwortlich. In Schüttelkultur werden cellulosefreie Zellen begünstigt, in Standkultur cellulosebildende. Standkulturbedingungen wirken dabei stärker selektiv für cellulosebildende Zellen als Schüttelkulturbedingungen für cellulosefreie Zellen.

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Summary Acetobacter xylinus grown in shake-culture yields less cellulose than when grown in static liquid culture. Upon plating, xylinus populations grown under these two different cultural conditions were also shown to be different in respect to their colony types on agar-plates. A correlation between the colony type of a clone and its cellulose-synthesizing power was confirmed.The fluctuation of the number of cellulose-free cells in a series of flasks, inoculated with cellulose-synthesizing cells, demonstrates that the change of a population from cellulose-synthesizing to cellulose-free is caused by mutation. Besides many unstable cellulose-free mutants with high rates of back-mutation, there has been isolated a stable cellulose-free mutant of Ab. xylinus. In one case the rate of back-mutation of an unstable cellulose-free mutant was determined as 1.1×10^-8.A mechanism of selection is responsible for the overgrowth of mutants in a population. Under conditions of shake-culture, cellulose-free cells are favored. Static culture favors cellulose-synthesizing cells. Conditions of static culture are more selective for cellulose-synthesizing cells than are conditions of shake-culture for cellulose-free cells.The meaning of the system cellulose-synthesizing — cellulose-free for the variability observed among acetic-acid bacteria is discussed.

     

The surface structure of well-ordered native cellulose fibrils in contact with water

CP/MAS ¹³C NMR spectroscopy was used in combination with spectral fitting to examine the surface structure of hydrated cellulose I fibrils from Halocynthia and Gluconoacetobacter xylinus. To increase the spectral intensities and minimize signal overlap, G. xylinus celluloses site-specifically enriched in ¹³C either on C4 or on both C1 and C6 were examined. The experimental data showed multiple C4 and C6 signals for the water accessible fibril surfaces in the highly crystalline celluloses. These signal multiplicities were attributed to structural features in the surface layers induced by the fibril interior, and could not be extracted by spectral fitting in celluloses with a lower degree of crystallinity such as cellulose from cotton.     

Surface area and porosity of acid hydrolyzed cellulose nanowhiskers and cellulose produced by Gluconacetobacter xylinus

The physical parameters of cellulose such as surface area and porosity are important in the development of cellulose composites which may contain valuable additives which bind to cellulose. In this area, the use of acid hydrolyzed nano-dimensional cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs) has attracted significant interest, yet the surface area and porosity of these materials have not been explored experimentally. The objective of this work was to characterize the surface area and porosity of CNWs from different origins (plant cotton/bacterium Gluconacetobacter xylinus) and different acid treatments (H₂SO₄/HCl) by N₂ adsorption; as well as to compare surface area and porosity of bacterial cellulose synthesized by static and agitated cultures. Our results showed that CNWs produced from H₂SO₄/HCl exhibited significantly increased surface area and porosity relative to starting material cotton fiber CF11. Micropores were generated in HCl hydrolyzed CNWs but not in H₂SO₄ hydrolyzed CNWs. Bacterial CNWs exhibited larger surface area and porosity compared to plant CNWs. Cellulose synthesized by G. xylinus ATCC 700178 from agitated cultures also exhibited less surface area and porosity than those from static cultures.     

Cellulose microfibril assembly inErythrocladia subintegra Rosenv.: An ideal system for understanding the relationship between synthesizing complexes (TCs) and microfibril crystallization

Summary The marine red algaErythrocladia subintegra synthesizes cellulose microfibrils as determined by CBH I-gold labelling, X-ray and electron diffraction analyses. The cellulose microfibrils are quite thin, ribbon-like structures, 1–1.5 nm in thickness (constant), and 10–33 nm in width (variable). Several laterally associated minicrystal components contribute to the variation in microfibrillar width. Electron diffraction analysis suggested a uniplanar orientation of the microfibrils with their (101) lattice planes parallel to the plasma membrane surface of the cell. The linear particle arrays bound in the plasma membrane and associated with microfibril impressions recently demonstrated inErythrocladia have been shown in this study to be the cellulose-synthesizing terminal complexes (TCs). The TCs appear to be organized by a repetition of transverse rows consisting of four TC subunits, rather than by four rows of longitudinallyarranged TC subunits. The number of transverse rows varied between 8–26, corresponding with variation in the length of the TCs and the width of the microfibrils. The spacings between the neighboring transverse rows are almost constant being 10.5–11.5 nm. Based on the knowledge thatAcetobacter, Vaucheria, andErythrocladia synthesize similar thin, ribbon-like cellulose microfibrils, the structural characteristics common to the organization of distinctive TCs occurring in these three organisms has been discussed, so that the mode of cellulose microfibril assembly patterns may be deciphered.     

Transport of rosettes from the golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane in isolated mesophyll cells ofZinnia elegans during differentiation to tracheary elements in suspension culture

Summary Rosettes of six particles have been visualized by freeze-fracture in the protoplasmic fracture (PF) faces of: a) the plasma membrane, b) Golgi cisternae, and c) Golgi-derived vesicles in mesophyll cells ofZinnia elegans that had been induced to differentiate synchronously into tracheary elements in suspension culture. These rosettes have been observed previously in the PF face of the plasma membranes of a variety of cellulose-synthesizing cells and are thought to be important in cellulose synthesis. InZinnia tracheary elements, the rosettes are localized in the membrane over regions of secondary wall thickening and are absent between thickenings. The observation of rosettes in the Golgi cisternae and vesicles suggests that the Golgi apparatus is responsible for the selective transport and exocytosis of rosettes in higher plants, as has been previously indicated in the algaMicrasterias (Giddings et al. 1980). The data presented indicate that the Golgi apparatus has a critical role in the control of cell wall deposition because it is involved not only in the synthesis and export of matrix components but also in the export of an important component of the cellulose synthesizing apparatus. The rosettes are present in the plasma membrane and Golgi vesicles throughout the enlargement of the secondary thickening, suggesting that new rosettes must be continually inserted into the membrane to achieve complete cell wall thickening.Abbreviations EF Golgi vesicles, exoplasmic fracture; the plasma membrane, extracellular fracture - PF protoplasmic fracture     

Characterization of Cellulose Production by a Gluconacetobacter xylinus Strain from Kombucha

The aims of this work were to characterize and improve cellulose production by a Gluconoacetobacter xylinus strain isolated from Kombucha and determine the purity and some structural features of the cellulose from this strain. Cellulose yield in tea medium with both black tea and green tea and in Hestrin and Schramm (HS) medium under both static and agitated cultures was compared. In the tea medium, the highest cellulose yield was obtained with green tea (~0.20 g/L) rather than black tea (~0.14 g/L). Yield in HS was higher (~0.28 g/L) but did not differ between static and agitated incubation. ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy indicated that the cellulose is pure (free of acetan) and has high crystallinity, respectively. Cellulose yield was improved by changing the type and level of carbon and nitrogen source in the HS medium. A high yield of ~2.64 g/L was obtained with mannitol at 20 g/L and corn steep liquor at 40 g/L in combination. In the tea medium, tea at a level of 3 g/L gave the highest cellulose yield and the addition of 3 g/L of tea to the HS medium increased cellulose yield to 3.34 g/L. In conclusion, the G. xylinus strain from Kombucha had different cellulose-producing characteristics than previous strains isolated from fruit. Cellulose was produced in a pure form and showed high potential applicability. Our studies extensively characterized cellulose production from a G. xylinus strain from Kombucha for the first time, indicating both similarities and differences to strains from different sources.     

Formation of Highly Twisted Ribbons in a Carboxymethylcellulase Gene-Disrupted Strain of a Cellulose-Producing Bacterium

Cellulases are enzymes that normally digest cellulose; however, some are known to play essential roles in cellulose biosynthesis. Although some endogenous cellulases of plants and cellulose-producing bacteria are reportedly involved in cellulose production, their functions in cellulose production are unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that disruption of the cellulase (carboxymethylcellulase) gene causes irregular packing of de novo-synthesized fibrils in Gluconacetobacter xylinus, a cellulose-producing bacterium. Cellulose production was remarkably reduced and small amounts of particulate material were accumulated in the culture of a cmcax-disrupted G. xylinus strain (F2-2). The particulate material was shown to contain cellulose by both solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Electron microscopy revealed that the cellulose fibrils produced by the F2-2 cells were highly twisted compared with those produced by control cells. This hypertwisting of the fibrils may reduce cellulose synthesis in the F2-2 strains.     

On the polarity of cellulose in the cell wall of Valonia

The orientation of the triclinic phase of cellulose in the cell wall of Valonia ventricosa J. Agardh was investigated by X-ray- and electron-diffraction analysis. In addition to the well-documented uniplanar-axial organization of the cell wall which requires that the a ^* axis should be always perpendicular to the wall surface, the direction of this axis was also found to be pointing outward from the plasma membrane side of the wall. This unidirectionality was persistent throughout the various layers that constitute the cell wall and also for the three microfibrillar orientations that occur in Valonia cell walls. The unidirectionality of the a ^* axis indicates, in particular, that the Valonia cellulose microfibrils are not twisted along their axis. These observations are consistent with a cellulose biosynthetic scheme where a close association exists between terminal-complex orientations and those of the cellulose microfibrils. In this context, the unidirectionality of the a ^* axis of cellulose seems to be related to the restricted mobility of the terminal complexes which are able to slide in the plasma membrane but not to rotate along their long axis.Abbreviations TC terminal complex This work was initiated during a visit of J.F.R at Grenoble in the framework of a France-Québec exchange program. J.S. was recipient of a CNRS fellowship. The diagram in Fig. 8 was kindly drawn for us by Miss Yukie Saito from the Department of Forest Products, the University of Tokyo.     

Adsorption of major endoglucanase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermoascus aurantiacus</Emphasis> on cellulosic substrates

A thermostable endoglucanase (EndoI) was produced by the thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus when grown on cellulosic materials under submerged culture (SC) and solid-state fermentation (SSF). In both cultivation techniques a considerable amount of enzyme activity remained adsorbed onto solid particles, and this was taken into consideration when modeling enzyme production. The results were compatible with the assumption that, following its synthesis, an amount of EndoI was bound on substrate and gradually released into the liquid medium. Adsorption of the enzyme on crystalline cellulose was confirmed in vitro by experiments with purified endoglucanase, which was isolated by anion exchange chromatography. The Langmuir isotherm could efficiently describe the adsorption kinetics, and the estimated A _max and K _ad values compared with those obtained for cellulases bearing a binding domain. EndoI displayed high affinity for crystalline cellulose and low binding capacity, which could be beneficial in textile processing.     

High performance edible nanocomposite films containing bacterial cellulose nanocrystals

Bacterial cellulose obtained from Gluconacetobacter xylinus in the form of long fibers were acid hydrolyzed under controlled conditions to obtain cellulose nanocrystals. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed the formation of rod like cellulose nanocrystals having an average diameter and length of 20 ± 5 nm and 290 ± 130 nm respectively. These nanocrystals were used to prepare gelatin nanocomposite films and characterized for elucidating its performance. The formation of percolated networks of cellulose nanocrystals within gelatin matrix resulted in improving the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. The moisture sorption and water vapor permeability (WVP) studies revealed that the addition of cellulose nanocrystals reduced the moisture affinity of gelatin, which is very favorable for edible packaging applications. Results of this study demonstrated the use of bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNCs) in the fabrication of edible, biodegradable and high-performance nanocomposite films for food packaging applications at relatively low cost.     

Study of cellulases from a newly isolated thermophilic and cellulolytic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brevibacillus</Emphasis> sp. strain JXL

A potentially novel aerobic, thermophilic, and cellulolytic bacterium designated as Brevibacillus sp. strain JXL was isolated from swine waste. Strain JXL can utilize a broad range of carbohydrates including: cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), xylan, cellobiose, glucose, and xylose. In two different media supplemented with crystalline cellulose and CMC at 57°C under aeration, strain JXL produced a basal level of cellulases as FPU of 0.02 IU/ml in the crude culture supernatant. When glucose or cellobiose was used besides cellulose, cellulase activities were enhanced ten times during the first 24 h, but with no significant difference between these two simple sugars. After that time, however, culture with glucose demonstrated higher cellulase activities compared with that from cellobiose. Similar trend and effect on cellulase activities were also obtained when glucose or cellobiose served as a single substrate. The optimal doses of cellobiose and glucose for cellulase induction were 0.5 and 1%. These inducing effects were further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, which indicated the presence of extracellular protuberant structures. These cellulosome-resembling structures were most abundant in culture with glucose, followed by cellobiose and without sugar addition. With respect to cellulase activity assay, crude cellulases had an optimal temperature of 50°C and a broad optimal pH range of 6–8. These cellulases also had high thermotolerance as evidenced by retaining more than 50% activity at 100°C after 1 h. In summary, this is the first study to show that the genus Brevibacillus may have strains that can degrade cellulose.     

Cloning of a gene involved in cellulose biosynthesis in Acetobacter xylinum: Complementation of cellulose-negative mutants by the UDPG pyrophosphorylase structural gene

Summary Three cellulose-negative (Cel^-) mutants of Acetobacter xylinum strain ATCC 23768 were complemented by a cloned 2.8 kb DNA fragment from the wild type. Biochemical analysis of the mutants showed that they were deficient in the enzyme uridine 5-diphosphoglucose (UDPG) pyrophosphorylase. The analysis also showed that the mutants could synthesize (1-4)-glucan in vitro from UDPG, but not in vivo from glucose. This result was expected, since UDPG is known to be the precursor for cellulose synthesis in A. xylinum. In order to analyze the function of the cloned gene in more detail, its biological activity in Escherichia coli was studied. These experiments showed that the cloned fragment could be used to complement an E. coli mutant deficient in the structural gene for UDPG pyrophosphorylase. It is therefore clear that the cloned fragment must contain this gene from A. xylinum. This is to our knowledge the first example of the cloning of a gene with a known function in cellulose biosynthesis from any organism, and we suggest the gene be designated celA.     

Synthesis of highly ordered cellulose II in vitro using cellodextrin phosphorylase

Synthesis of cellulose in vitro is expected to afford tailor-made cellulosic materials with highly homogeneous structure compared to natural cellulosic materials. Here we report the enzymatic synthesis of cellulose II with high crystallinity from glucose and α-glucose 1-phosphate (αG1P) by cellodextrin phosphorylase (CDP). Although glucose had been believed not to act as a glucosyl acceptor of CDP, a significant amount of insoluble cellulose was precipitated without accumulation of soluble cello oligosaccharides when glucose was mixed with αG1P and CDP. This phenomenon can be explained in terms of the large difference in acceptor reactivity between glucose and cello oligosaccharides. ¹H NMR spectrometric analysis revealed that this insoluble cellulose had an average degree of polymerization (DP) of nine. TEM observation, together with electron and X-ray diffraction studies, indicated that the insoluble cellulose formed platelet-shaped single lamellar crystals of cellulose II, several μm in length and several hundred nm in width; this is large compared to reported cellulose crystals. The thickness of the lamellar crystal is 4.5 nm, which is equivalent to a chain length of a cello oligosaccharide with DP nine and is consistent with the ¹H NMR spectroscopic results. These results suggest that cello oligosaccharides having an average DP of nine are synthesized in vitro by CDP when glucose is used as an acceptor, and the product forms highly crystalline cellulose II when it precipitates.     

Genomic and metabolic analysis of Komagataeibacter xylinus DSM 2325 producing bacterial cellulose nanofiber

Bacterial cellulose nanofiber (CNF) is a polymer with a wide range of potential industrial applications. Several Komagataeibacter species, including Komagataeibacter xylinus as a model organism, produce CNF. However, the industrial application of CNF has been hampered by inefficient CNF production, necessitating metabolic engineering for the enhanced CNF production. Here, we present complete genome sequence and a genome-scale metabolic model KxyMBEL1810 of K. xylinus DSM 2325 for metabolic engineering applications. Genome analysis of this bacterium revealed that a set of genes associated with CNF biosynthesis and regulation were present in this bacterium, which were also conserved in another six representative Komagataeibacter species having complete genome information. To better understand the metabolic characteristics of K. xylinus DSM 2325, KxyMBEL1810 was reconstructed using genome annotation data, relevant computational resources and experimental growth data generated in this study. Random sampling and correlation analysis of the KxyMBEL1810 predicted pgi and gnd genes as novel overexpression targets for the enhanced CNF production. Among engineered K. xylinus strains individually overexpressing heterologous pgi and gnd genes, either from Escherichia coli or Corynebacterium glutamicum, batch fermentation of a strain overexpressing the E. coli pgi gene produced 3.15 g/L of CNF in a complex medium containing glucose, which was the best CNF concentration achieved in this study, and 115.8% higher than that (1.46 g/L) obtained from the control strain. Genome sequence data and KxyMBEL1810 generated in this study should be useful resources for metabolic engineering of K. xylinus for the enhanced CNF production.     

Increased production of bacterial cellulose as starting point for scaled-up applications

Bacterial cellulose is composed of an ultrafine nanofiber network and well-ordered structure; therefore, it offers several advantages when used as native polymer or in composite systems.

In this study, a pool of 34 acetic acid bacteria strains belonging to Komagataeibacter xylinus were screened for their ability to produce bacterial cellulose. Bacterial cellulose layers of different thickness were observed for all the culture strains. A high-producing strain, which secreted more than 23 g/L of bacterial cellulose on the isolation broth during 10 days of static cultivation, was selected and tested in optimized culture conditions. In static conditions, the increase of cellulose yield and the reduction of by-products such as gluconic acid were observed. Dried bacterial cellulose obtained in the optimized broth was characterized to determine its microstructural, thermal, and mechanical properties. All the findings of this study support the use of bacterial cellulose produced by the selected strain for biomedical and food applications.

     

Toward a biophysical theory of organogenesis: Birefringence observations on regenerating leaves in the succulent,Graptopetalum paraguayense E. Walther

Polarity shifts occur during organogenesis. The histological criterion for polarity is the direction of cell division. The biophysical criterion is the orientation of reinforcing cellulose microfibrils which lie normal to the organ axis and which determine the preferred growth direction. Using cell pattern to deduce cell lineage, and polarized light to study cellulose alignment, both aspects of polarity were examined in the epidermis of regenerating G. paraguayense. In this system new leaves and a stem arise from parallel cell files on a mature leaf. Large (90°) shifts in polarity occur in regions of the epidermis to give the new organs radial symmetry in the surface plane (files radiating from a pole). Study of the shifts in the epidermis showed that, during certain stages, shifts in the division direction are accompanied by shifts in the cellulose deposition direction, as expected. The new cellulose orientation is parallel to the new cross wall. During normal organ extension, however, shifts in division direction do not bring on changes in cellulose pattern. Thus the coupling between the two kinds of polarity is facultative. This variable relation is used in a biophysical model which can account for the reorganization of cell file pattern and cellulose reinforcement pattern into the radial symmetry of the new organ.     

Improving the thermostability and activity of Melanocarpus albomyces cellobiohydrolase Cel7B

Two different types of approach were taken to improve the hydrolytic activity towards crystalline cellulose at elevated temperatures of Melanocarpus albomyces Cel7B (Ma Cel7B), a single-module GH-7 family cellobiohydrolase. Structure-guided protein engineering was used to introduce an additional tenth disulphide bridge to the Ma Cel7B catalytic module. In addition, a fusion protein was constructed by linking a cellulose-binding module (CBM) and a linker from the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A to the C terminus of Ma Cel7B. Both approaches proved successful. The disulphide bridge mutation G4C/M70C located near the N terminus, close to the entrance of the active site tunnel of Ma Cel7B, led to improved thermostability (ΔT _m = 2.5°C). By adding the earlier found thermostability-increasing mutation S290T (ΔT _m = 1.5°C) together with the disulphide bridge mutation, the unfolding temperature was increased by 4°C (mutant G4C/M70C/S290T) compared to that of the wild-type enzyme, thus showing an additive effect on thermostability. Both disulphide mutants had increased activity towards microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) at 75°C, apparently solely because of their improved thermostability. The addition of a CBM also improved the thermostability (ΔT _m = 2.5°C) and caused a clear (sevenfold) increase in the hydrolysis activity of Ma Cel7B towards Avicel at 70°C.     

Cell suspension cultures of Populus tremula × P. tremuloides exhibit a high level of cellulose synthase gene expression that coincides with increased in vitro cellulose synthase activity

Summary. Compared to wood, cell suspension cultures provide convenient model systems to study many different cellular processes in plants. Here we have established cell suspension cultures of Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx. and characterized them by determining the enzymatic activities and/or mRNA expression levels of selected cell wall-specific proteins at the different stages of growth. While enzymes and proteins typically associated with primary cell wall synthesis and expansion were detected in the exponential growth phase of the cultures, the late stationary phase showed high expression of the secondary-cell-wall-associated cellulose synthase genes. Interestingly, detergent extracts of membranes from aging cell suspension cultures exhibited high levels of in vitro cellulose synthesis. The estimated ratio of cellulose to callose was as high as 50 : 50, as opposed to the ratio of 30 : 70 so far achieved with membrane preparations extracted from other systems. The increased cellulose synthase activity was also evidenced by higher levels of Calcofluor white binding in the cell material from the stationary-phase cultures. The ease of handling cell suspension cultures and the improved capacity for in vitro cellulose synthesis suggest that these cultures offer a new basis for studying the mechanism of cellulose biosynthesis. Correspondence and reprints: School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Centre, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Present address: Department of Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China