It was never quite clear to plant biologists what arabinogalactan proteins (AGP) are doing in the cell walls. The research teams of Dr. Ooi-Kock Teh at Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, and Tomomichi Fujita at Hokkaido University collaborated to identify a type of AGPs named Sleeping Beauty (SB) that control the cell wall rigidity through regulating the pectin methylesterase expression by an ARFC2 transcription factor. This work provides clues on the mechanistic action of AGP and demonstrates how they can contribute to cell wall remodeling. The study was recently published in Development.

For more information: https://ipmb.sinica.edu.tw/en/activities/highlights/471
Article link: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.200370