Overview of biophysical analysis services for plant cell walls

The plant cell wall is a complex and dynamic system, and its composition varies greatly between species and between periods of time within the same species, even changing in response to changes in the environment. The biological functions of the cell wall are diverse, not only providing mechanical support for the plant body to determine plant and cell shape, but also acting as an important physical barrier to increase plant resistance to pests, diseases and abiotic stresses.

In addition, the cell walls of plants are of practical importance for animal nutrition and as a source of natural fibers for paper products and textiles. The understanding of plant cell walls is therefore of great interest from the point of view of scientific research and biomimetic design for many practical applications. Our research into the functional properties of cell walls includes not only analysis of the composition of cell wall polymers, but also focus on the details of their macromolecular structure and conformation and their highly ordered structure on scales from a few nanometers to several micrometers. We offer our clients a comprehensive scientific service in the field of plant cell walls, providing theoretical guidance to accelerate the development of plant-based biomass for the production of green products such as renewable energy, chemicals and bio-based materials.

Fig.1 Schematic illustration of the structures and the major biopolymers in plant cell walls. (Zhao, 2019)