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A missense mutation in the transmembrane domain of CESA4 affects protein abundance in the plasma membrane and results in abnormal cell wall biosynthesis in rice

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Abstract

Cellulose synthase (CESA) is a critical catalytic subunit of the cellulose synthase complex responsible for glucan chain elongation. Our knowledge about how CESA functions is still very limited. Here, we report the functional characterization of a rice mutant, brittle culm11, that shows growth retardation and dramatically reduced plant strength. Map-based cloning revealed that all the mutant phenotypes result from a missense mutation in OsCESA4 (G858R), a highly conserved residue at the end of the fifth transmembrane domain. The aberrant secondary cell wall of the mutant plants is attributed to significantly reduced cellulose content, abnormal secondary wall structure of sclerenchyma cells, and overall altered wall composition, as detected by chemical analyses and immunochemical staining. Importantly, we have found that this point mutation decreases the abundance of OsCESA4 in the plasma membrane, probably due to a defect in the process of CESA complex secretion. The data from our biochemical, genetic, and pharmacological analyses indicate that this residue is critical for maintaining the normal level of CESA proteins in the plasma membrane.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Laigeng Li (Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Chunming Liu (Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for critical comments on the manuscript, Taihua Zhang (Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for measurement of breaking force of rice plants, Hongjing Hao (Institute of Atomic Energy, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences) for transmission electron microscopy examination, Xiangning Jiang (Beijing Forestry University) for sugar analysis by GC–MS, and Xiangyu Wen (Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for confocal microscope examination. Development and distribution of the antibodies (JIM5 and JIM7) were supported in part by NSF grants DBI-0421683 and RCN-0090281. This work was supported by the grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2006AA10A101) and by the knowledge innovation program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-YW-G-033).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Plant Gene Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China

    Baocai Zhang, Lingwei Deng, Guangyan Xiong, Rui Li, Jiayang Li & Yihua Zhou

  2. State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 310006, Hangzhou, China

    Qian Qian, Dali Zeng & Longbiao Guo

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  1. Baocai Zhang
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  2. Lingwei Deng
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  3. Qian Qian
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  9. Yihua Zhou
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Correspondence to Yihua Zhou.

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Baocai Zhang, Lingwei Deng, and Qian Qian have contributed equally to this work.

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Zhang, B., Deng, L., Qian, Q. et al. A missense mutation in the transmembrane domain of CESA4 affects protein abundance in the plasma membrane and results in abnormal cell wall biosynthesis in rice. Plant Mol Biol 71, 509 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-009-9536-4

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