Assimilation of Nitrogen in Mutants Lacking Enzymes of the Glutamate Synthase Cycle

¹⁵N labelling was used to investigate the pathway of nitrogenassimilation in photorespiratory mutants of barley (Hordeumvulgare cv. Maris Mink), in which the leaves have low levelsof glutamine synthetase (GS) or glutamate synthase, key enzymesof ammonia assimilation. These plants grew normally when maintainedin high CO₂, but the deletions were lethal when photorespirationwas initiated by transfer to air. Enzyme levels in roots weremuch less affected, compared to leaves, and assimilation oflabelled nitrate into amino acids of the root showed very littledifference between wild type and mutants. Organic nitrogen wasexported from roots in the xylem sap mainly as glutamine, levelsof which were somewhat reduced in the GS-deficient mutant andenhanced in the glutamate synthase deficient mutant. In theleaf, the major effect was seen in the glutamatesynthase mutant,which had an extremely limited capacity to utilize the importedglutamine and amino acid synthesis was greatlyrestricted. Thiswas confirmed by the supply of [¹⁵N]-glutamine directly to leaves.Leaves of the GS-deficient mutant assimilatedammonia at about75% the rate found for the wild type, and this was almost completelyeliminated by addition of the inhibitormethionine sulphoximine.Root enzymes, together with residual levels of the deleted enzymesin the leaves, have sufficient capacityfor ammonia assimilation,through the glutamate synthase cycle, to provide adequate inputof nitrogen for normal growth of themutants, if photorespiratoryammonia production is suppressed. Key words: Hordeum vulgare, ¹⁵N, glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, ammonia assimilation     

Assimilation of Ammonia by Gluconobacter suboxydans through Glutamine Synthetase/Glutamate Synthase Pathway

A gram negative bacterium isolated from soil was found to produce an endo-α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase in culture. The microorganism was identified as Alcaligenes sp. from various bacteriological characteristics. The enzyme was purified from the culture fluid by fractionation with ammonium sulfate, and column chromatographies on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and hydroxylapatite. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 160,000 by gel filtration and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH was found to be 4.5 and the stable pH range was 4.5 ~ 6.5. The Km values were 3.7 mm and 3.2 mm with asialofetuin and asialo κ-casein glycopeptide as substrates, respectively. The enzyme released the disaccharide, Galβ1→3GalNAc, from glycoproteins possessing serine or threonine O-glycosidic linkages. The enzyme production was highly induced by porcine gastric mucin added to the medium.     

Cadmium-Sensitive Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

A screening procedure for identifying Cd-sensitive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana is described. With this procedure, two Cd-sensitive mutants were isolated. These represent independent mutations in the same locus, referred to as CAD1. Genetic analysis has shown that the sensitive phenotype is recessive to the wild type and segregates as a single Mendelian locus. Crosses of the mutant to marker strains showed that the mutation is closely linked to the tt3 locus on chromosome 5. In addition to Cd, the mutants are also significantly more sensitive to mercuric ions and only slightly more sensitive to Cu and Zn, while being no more sensitive than the wild type to Mn, thus indicating a degree of specificity in the mechanism affected by the mutation. Undifferentiated callus tissue is also Cd sensitive, suggesting that the mutant phenotype is expressed at the cellular level. Both wild-type and mutant plants showed increased sensitivity to Cd in the presence of buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of the biosynthesis of the cadmium-binding (γ-glutamylcysteine)_n-glycine peptides, suggesting that the mutant is still able to synthesize these peptides. However, the effects of a cad1 mutation and buthionine sulfoximine together on cadmium sensitivity are essentially nonadditive, indicating that they may affect different aspects of the same detoxification mechanism. Assays of Cd uptake by intact plants indicate that the mutant is deficient in its ability to sequester Cd.     

Salmonella typhimurium Mutants with Altered Glutamate Dehydrogenase and Glutamate Synthase Activities

Although glutamate is a key compound in nitrogen metabolism, little is known about the function or regulation of its two biosynthetic enzymes, glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamate synthase. To begin the characterization of glutamate formation in Salmonella typhimurium, we isolated mutants having altered glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamate synthase activities. Mutants which failed to grow on media with glucose as the carbon source and less than 1 mM (NH₄)₂SO₄ as the nitrogen source (Asm⁻) had about one-fourth the normal glutamate synthase activity and one-half the glutamine synthetase activity. The asm mutations also prevented growth with alanine, arginine, or proline as nitrogen sources and conferred resistance to methionine sulfoximine. When a mutation (gdh-51) causing the loss of glutamate dehydrogenase activity was transferred into a strain with an asm-102 mutation, the resulting asm-102 gdh-51 mutant had a partial requirement for glutamate. A strain isolated as a complete glutamate auxotroph had a third mutation, in addition to the asm-102 gdh-51 lesions, that further decreased the glutamate synthase activities to 1/20 the normal level. Both the asm-102 and gdh-51 mutations were located on the S. typhimurium linkage map at sites distinct from those found for mutations causing similar phenotypes in Klebsiella aerogenes and Escherichia coli.     

Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with altered phototropism

Thirty five strains of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. have been identified with altered phototropic responses to 450-nm light. Four of these mutants have been more thoroughly characterized. Strain JK224 shows normal gravitropism and second positive phototropism. However, while the amplitude for first positive phototropism is the same as that in the wild-type, the threshold and fluence for the maximum response in first positive phototropism are shifted to higher fluence by a factor of 20–30. This mutant may represent an alteration in the photoreceptor pigment for phototropism. Strain JK218 exhibits no curvature to light at any fluence from 1 mol·m^-2 to 2700 mol·m^-2, but shows normal gravitropism. Strain JK345 shows no first positive phototropism, and reduced gravitropism and second positive phototropism. Strain JK229 shows no measurable first positive phototropism, but normal gravitropism and second positive phototropism. Based on these data, it is suggested that: 1. gravitropism and phototropism contain at least one common element; 2. first positive and second positive phototropism contain at least one common element; and 3. first positive phototropism can be substantially altered without any apparent alteration of second positive phototropism.Abbreviation WT wild-type     

拟南芥谷氨酸受体基因的亚细胞定位

为明确拟南芥谷氨酸受体1.3基因(AtGLR1.3)的亚细胞定位,该实验以拟南芥(Arabidopsis thalianaCo-lumbia ecotype)为材料,运用PCR方法从其基因组中扩增得到了AtGLR1.3的启动子和基因序列,将其连接到载体pBIsGFP上,构建成AtGLR1.3基因与绿色荧光蛋白基因融合的植物表达载体,通过农杆菌介导的花序浸润法将重组载体转化拟南芥野生型,转基因植株通过激光共聚焦扫描显微镜观察显示,GFP荧光信号存在于细胞质膜上,表明AtGLR1.3为细胞膜蛋白.该结果为进一步研究AtGLR1.3的作用机理奠定了基础.     

Saving Insertional Recessive Lethal Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

A group of 13 recessive lethal mutants was selected on the basis of the collection of Arabidopsis thaliana transgenic plants with insertions of T-DNA vector plasmid pLD3 or pPCVRN4, which was produced by agrobacterial transformation of germinating seeds. The use of media containing exogenous hormones made it possible to compensate the lethal effect, identify phenotypes, and characterize six lines of recessive lethal germlings using genetic and molecular-genetic methods.     

拟南芥叶片数目变化突变体对营养生长时相转变的影响

拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)的营养生长可以分为2个阶段: 幼龄期与成熟期。由幼龄期向成熟期的转变(VPC)与叶片的形态学特征、茎顶端分生组织(SAM)形状、远轴面表皮毛的出现以及SPL家族转录因子表达水平的变化相关。研究表明, 造成这种转变的信号来源于叶原基。该研究利用2种莲座叶数目改变了的突变体和对野生型切除叶片的方法, 分析了叶片数目对VPC的影响。结果表明, 莲座叶数目的减少推迟了VPC的发生; 而莲座叶数目增多突变体amp1-1并未使VPC的发生提前, 推测叶源信号的产生受到了光合作用的影响。     

Discovery and Characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamine Synthase

N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs) are lipids involved in several physiological processes in animal and plant cells. In brain, NAEs are ligands of endocannabinoid receptors, which modulate various signaling pathways. In plant, NAEs regulate seed germination and root development, and they are involved in plant defense against pathogen attack. This signaling activity is started by an enzyme called N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE) synthase. This catalyzes the N-acylation of phosphatidylethanolamine to form NAPE, which is most likely hydrolyzed by phospholipase D β/γ isoforms to generate NAE. This compound is further catabolized by fatty amide hydrolase. The genes encoding the enzymes involved in NAE metabolism are well characterized except for the NAPE synthase gene(s). By heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and overexpression in plants, we characterized an acyltransferase from Arabidopsis thaliana (At1g78690p) catalyzing the synthesis of lipids identified as NAPEs (two-dimensional TLC, phospholipase D hydrolysis assay, and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analyses). The ability of free fatty acid and acyl-CoA to be used as acyl donor was compared in vitro with E. coli membranes and purified enzyme (obtained by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography). In both cases, NAPE was synthesized only in the presence of acyl-CoA. β-Glucuronidase promoter experiments revealed a strong expression in roots and young tissues of plants. Using yellow fluorescent protein fusion, we showed that the NAPE synthase is located in the plasmalemma of plant cells.N-Acylethanolamines (NAEs)² are bioactive lipids composed of an ethanolamine headgroup amide-linked to an acyl chain varying in length and degree of saturation. In animals, NAEs are involved in different physiological processes, such as neuroprotective action (1), embryo development (2), cell proliferation (3), apoptosis (4), nociception, anxiety, inflammation, appetite/anorexia, learning, and memory (for review, see Ref. 5). Most studies carried out with animal cells/tissues have focused on N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide, NAE20:4), which is synthesized in brain neurons but also, under certain conditions, in macrophage cells (6). NAE20:4 binds CB1 cannabinoid receptors located in brain neurons (7) and also acts as ligand of vanilloid receptors for pain modulation (8). In addition, it has been shown that NAE20:4 also promotes food intake, whereas NAE18:0 and NAE18:1 exert anorexic effects by increasing satiety (9–11). NAE16:0 is accumulated during inflammation and has several anti-inflammatory effects (for a review, see Ref. 12).In plants, NAEs are thought to be involved in various physiological functions. For example, because NAE levels observed in various dry seeds decline rapidly after imbibition, a possible role of these compounds in the regulation of seed germination has been proposed (13). It was further observed that the addition of 25 μm NAE12:0 to growth medium of Arabidopsis thaliana leads to a decrease in the size of the main and lateral roots and in root hair formation. This reduction in growth was associated with a modification of cytoskeletal organization (14). NAE12:0 is also able to delay cut Dianthus caryophyllus (carnation) senescence by decreasing oxidative damage and enhancing antioxidant defense (15), whereas NAE14:0 inhibits the elicitor-induced medium alkalinization and activates phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene expression involved in plant defense against pathogen attack (16).Both in plant and animal cells (for a review, see Ref. 17), NAEs are formed by the hydrolysis (by PLDs) of N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine (NAPE). NAPE is an unusual derivative of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) with a third fatty acid linked to the amine position of the ethanolamine headgroup. In animals, the formation of NAEs is catalyzed by a PLD with a high specificity toward NAPE (NAPE-PLD). In plants, PLDβ and PLDγ isoforms, but not PLDα, hydrolyzed NAPE into NAE in vitro, and this is thought to operate in response to several biotic and abiotic stresses. Both in animals and in plants, NAEs signaling is terminated by the action of fatty acid amide hydrolases, which hydrolyze NAEs to free fatty acid and ethanolamine. FAAH has been identified and characterized in mammals and plants (for a review, see Ref. 17). In Arabidopsis, FAAH has been shown to modulate NAE content. Moreover, lines overexpressing FAAH displayed enhanced seedling growth as well as increased cell size (18) and were also more susceptible to bacterial pathogens (19).Although the role of NAEs and their catabolism have been extensively investigated, little is known about their precursors, the NAPEs. NAPEs represent a minor phospholipid class but are present in all tissues of plants and animals. The principal function of NAPEs is to serve as a precursor for the production of lipid mediator NAEs, but it has also been suggested that NAPEs could serve as a membrane stabilizer to maintain cellular compartmentalization during tissue damage (20). More recently, N-palmitoyl-PE was proposed to act as an inhibitor of macrophage phagocytosis through inhibition of the activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 (21).In the animal and plant kingdoms, therefore, the signaling events mediated by NAEs appear to be involved in many physiological processes that have been extensively studied. The genes encoding the enzymes involved in the synthesis (from NAPEs) and the degradation of NAEs have been cloned and characterized. By contrast, little is known about the physiological roles of NAPEs or about the first step of this lipid signaling pathway, namely the N-acylation of PE to form NAPEs. In animals, the synthesis of NAPEs is catalyzed by an N-acyltransferase, where the O-linked acyl unit from a phospholipid donor is transferred to the ethanolamine headgroup of PE (22). Recently, a rat LRAT-like protein 1 or RLP1 was shown to display such an activity, but according to the authors, RLP-1 can function as a PE N-acyltransferase, catalytically distinguishable from the known Ca²⁺-dependent N-acyltransferase (23). However, a different situation is observed in plants. NAPE synthase activity was shown to directly acylate PE with free fatty acids (24, 25), but a gene encoding a NAPE synthase activity remained unidentified until now. The present work shows that the A. thaliana acyltransferase At1g78690p catalyzes the synthesis of NAPEs from PE and acyl-CoAs in vitro as well as in vivo when this enzyme is expressed in E. coli and overexpressed in plants.     

Tryptophan Synthase and Production of l-Tryptophan in Regulatory Mutants

A 5-fluorotryptophan-resistant mutant of Brevibacterium flavum, No. 187, accumulated 2.6 g of indole 3-glycerol (InG) in addition to 8.0 g of l-tryptophan per liter in the culture medium. The addition of l-serine to the medium decreased the accumulation of InG and increased that of l-tryptophan up to a concentration of 10.3 g/liter, while the addition of l-tryptophan increased the InG accumulation, suggesting that InG was formed by hydrolysis of indole 3-glycerol phosphate (InGP), the substrate of tryptophan synthase (TS) which catalyzed the final step reaction of tryptophan biosynthesis. Then, in order to examine the mechanism of the InG accumulation, TS was purified from tryptophan auxotroph, TA-60. The reaction mechanism of TS was Ordered Bi Bi with Km’s of 0.63 and 0.038 mm for serine and InGP, respectively. Tryptophan, a product of the TS reaction, inhibited TS competitively with respect to serine and the Ki for tryptophan was estimated to be 2.0 mm. On the other hand, anthranilate synthase (AS), the first enzyme in the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway, was much less sensitive to the feedback inhibition by tryptophan in strain No. 187 than in the wild strain. The tryptophan concentration giving 50% inhibition of AS in strain No. 187 was estimated to be 2.4 mm, almost comparable to that of TS, 7.7 mm. From these results, it was concluded that the accumulation of InG in strain No. 187 would result from the product inhibition of TS by the tryptophan accumulated.     

6种拟南芥突变体热敏感性差异的比较分析

为了解拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）热敏感突变体的热敏感性,对6个常用的拟南芥热敏感突变体hot1、apx2、fes1a、hsfa7a、hop1-2-3和hsp70-15进行了比较分析。结果表明,6个突变体的热敏感性均高于野生型,但他们之间的热敏感性有显著差异,45℃极度高温下90 min,hot1的白化死亡率最高,处理105 min后,fes1a也出现高比率的白化死亡,处理135 min后,apx2、hsfa7a和hop1-2-3表现出几乎相同的损伤现象,热损伤均比hsp70-15严重。因此,6种突变体的热敏感性依次为hot1 > fes1a > apx2、hsfa7a、hop1-2-3 > hsp70-15。     

Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana Altered in Epicuticular Wax and Leaf Morphology

We report eight new mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana possessing altered leaf morphology and epicuticular wax. These were isolated from a T-DNA-mutagenized population using a visual screen for altered leaf reflectance, i.e. increased glaucousness or glossiness. The mutants were placed into three distinct classes based on alterations in overall plant morphology: knobhead (knb), bicentifolia (bcf), and wax. The four knb mutants formed callus-like growths in the axillary region of the rosette leaves and apical meristem, the two bcf mutants produced hundreds of narrow leaves, and the two wax mutants had leaves and stems that were more glossy than wild type and organs that fused during early development. Leaves of knb and bcf were more glaucous and abnormally shaped than wild type. Epicuticular wax crystals over knb and bcf leaf surfaces (where none were present on wild type) likely contributed to their more glaucous appearance. In contrast, the glossy appearance of the wax mutants was associated with a reduced epicuticular wax load on both leaves and stems. One representative from each phenotypic class was selected for detailed analyses of epicuticular wax chemistry. All three lines, knb1, bcf1, and wax1, had dramatic alterations in the total amounts and relative proportions of their leaf epicuticular wax constituents.     

Occurrence of Temperature-Sensitive Phenotypic Plasticity in Chlorophyll-Deficient Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

A collection of 75 putative mutants with alterations in leaf pigmentation was visually selected from Arabidopsis thaliana plants (M₂ generation) grown at 26°C from seeds treated with the mutagen ethylmethanesulfonate. Fifty-eight of the plants were found to have chlorophyll contents decreased by at least 10% from the parental Columbia ecotype. These plants were screened for chlorophyll content and the ratio of chlorophyll b/a after growth at 20 or 26°C. Relative to the parental type, a significant number of individuals in which the chlorophyll-deficient phenotype was exacerbated at one of the growth temperatures were identified. We conclude that temperature-sensitive phenotypic plasticity for chlorophyll content is relatively common in mutant populations of higher plants.     

拟南芥H_2O_2突变体的筛选及特性分析

通过化学诱变剂甲基磺酸乙酯(EMS)诱变模式植物拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)获得突变体筛选群体.在5 mmol/L H2O2胁迫下,以叶片温度差异为筛选指标,利用远红外成像技术进行突变体的筛选,获得了对H2O2不敏感突变体hpi1(hydrogen peroxide-insensitive1)和敏感突变体hps1(hydrogen peroxide-sensitive1).进一步研究发现,两种突变均为单基因隐性突变,气孔密度同野生型一样,而叶片温度、气孔开度和叶片失水率则有明显的差异.种子萌发实验表明,hpi1对甘露醇(Man)和NaCl不敏感而对ABA敏感,hps1则对3种胁迫都表现出敏感特性.     

拟南芥种皮色素形成突变体的筛选与表型鉴定

类黄酮在植物应答各种环境胁迫和种皮发育调控中起着重要作用。通过甲基磺酸乙酯（EMS）诱变筛选获得1个透明种皮突变体,与野生型拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）(Col-0)相比,突变体成熟的种子颜色为黄色,其表型性状由隐性单基因控制。利用图位克隆和精细定位技术将突变基因定位于5号染色体MAH20的BAC上,是TT4(At5G13930)基因的第1 299位碱基C突变为T,使得第324位氨基酸甘氨酸突变为谷氨酸。TT4(transparent testa 4)编码1个类黄酮合成的结构基因查尔酮合酶（CHS）,突变后种皮透明,种子颜色为黄色,突变体命名为tt4-1。利用功能回补突变体恢复褐色种皮表型,进一步证明了TT4在调节种皮颜色发育过程的重要作用。启动子偶联GUS基因组织表达分析显示TT4基因在植株幼苗的根、茎、叶和花中均有表达,生理表型分析结果显示与野生型相比,突变体tt4-1种子萌发早,幼苗主根短、侧根和根毛较多,成苗叶片气孔开度大和失水率高等特性。该研究将为进一步阐述TT4基因功能奠定理论依据。     

Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with altered responses to auxins and gravity

Auxin-resistant mutants of Arabidopsis have been induced and isolated by screening for survivors on a medium containing the herbicide 2,4-D. Thirty independently arisen mutants have been isolated in this way and one of them, P 83, has been investigated in detail. When wild type and P 83 are compared in concentration/response curves, where the response is the inhibition of root growth, the ED₅₀ values of the auxins, 2,4-D and IAA, are 14-fold higher for the mutant. The mutant also responds differently to gravity: its roots do not show positive geotropism, but tend to grow with a clockwise curvature on agar surfaces. The seedling roots of the mutant also grow more rapidly than those of the wild type in the absence of 2,4-D, following faster germination. The F₁ between P 83 and wild type is similar to the latter, but has a slightly increased resistance to 2,4-D. Results obtained from the F₂, F₃ and backcross generations suggest monofactorial inheritance. Most of the other 29 mutants have the P 83 phenotype, but at least five are different. Four have lower levels of resistance to 2,4-D and P 83, and their roots appear to respond normally to gravity. One mutant has an abnormal georesponse and a much higher level of resistance to 2,4-D than P 83.     

Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana Capable of Germination under Saline Conditions

Three mutant strains of Arabidopsis thaliana var Columbia were selected for their ability to germinate in elevated concentrations of NaCl. They were not more tolerant than wild type at subsequent development stages. Wild-type strains could not germinate at concentrations > 125 mM NaCl. Two of mutant strains, RS17 and RS20, could withstand up to 225 mM, whereas RS19 was resistant to 175 mM. The RS mutants could also germinate under even lower osmotic potentials imposed by high concentrations of exogenous mannitol (550 mM), whereas the effects of elevated levels of KCl, K2SO4, and LiCl were similar among the mutants and wild type. Therefore, the mutants are primarily osmotolerant, but they also possess a degree of ionic tolerance for sodium. Sodium and potassium contents of seeds exposed to high salinities indicated that the NaCl-tolerant mutants absorbed more of these respective cations during imbibition. These higher internal concentrations of potassium and sodium could contribute to the osmotic adjustment of the germinating seeds to the low osmotic potential of the external medium. Genetic analysis of F1 and F2 progeny of outcrosses suggest that the salt-tolerant mutations are recessive and that they define three complementation groups.     

Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with Decreased Amplitude in Their Phototropic Response

Two mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana have been identified with decreased phototropism to 450-nanometer light. Fluence-response relationships for these strains (ZR8 and ZR19) to single and multiple flashes of light show thresholds, curve shapes, and fluence for maximum curvature in `first positive' phototropism which are the same as those of the wild type. Similarly, there is no alteration from the wild type in the kinetics of curvature or in the optimum dark period separating sequential flashes in a multiple flash regimen. In addition, in both strains, gravitropism is decreased compared to the wild type by an amount which is comparable to the decrease in phototropism. Based on reciprocal backcrosses, it appears that the alteration is due to a recessive nuclear mutation. It is suggested that ZR8 and ZR19 represent alterations in some step analogous to an amplifier, downstream of the photoreceptor pigment, and common to both phototropism and gravitropism.     

Mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with altered cell wall polysaccharide composition

To analyze the synthesis, structure and function of the plant cell wall by a genetic approach, 5200 chemically mutagenized Arabidopsis plants were screened for changes in the monosaccharide composition of hydrolyzed cell wall material by gas chromatography of alditol acetates. This screening procedure identified 23 mutant lines representing 11 different loci designated mur1 to mur11 . The mur lines fall into essentially three groups: (1) complete absence of a monosaccharide, (2) significant reduction in the amount of a single monosaccharide, and (3) complex alterations in the relative amounts of several monosaccharides. All mutants in the first category represent alleles of the mur1 locus, and are deficient in the de novo synthesis of fucose. Mutants with reductions in a single monosaccharide have been identified for fucose ( mur2, mur3 ), arabinose ( mur4, mur5, mur6, mur7 ), and rhamnose ( mur8 ). Mutants with complex changes in monosaccharide composition are represented by the mur9 , mur10 and mur11 loci. Most of the mutant lines did not show obvious morphological or physiological alterations; however, lines mur1, mur9 and mur10 co-segregated with reduced vigor or dwarfism of the plants. These results demonstrate the feasibility of identifying plants with altered cell wall compositions via a biochemical screening procedure. The availability of these mutants provides novel opportunities to study the functions of cell wall polysaccharides, gain insight into the biosynthesis of cell wall material, and clone cell wall-related genes.