Change in Molecular Size of Cellulose during Regeneration of Cell Wall on Carrot Protoplasts

Protoplasts isolated from carrot cells were cultured in a chemically defined medium. The majority of them regenerated cell wall and underwent cell division. Cellulose synthesis started without a noticeable lag but the rate of deposition was very low during the initial stage. The degree of polymerization of cellulose was determined by viscosity measurement of the nitrated product. The cellulose formed in the early stage of the wall regeneration consisted mainly of low molecular weight glucan chains. Change in the average molecular weight of cellulose was found during the growth cycle of carrot cells in normal suspension culture.