Degradation of Cell Walls by Plant Pathogens

Abstract

The cell wall functions as a skeleton and a skin in higher plants. As the skeleton, it provides physical coherence, strength, and morphology to plant cells. As the skin, it serves as a molecular sieve regulating the molecular exchange between the protoplast and its surrounding environment and as a physical barrier protecting the cells from invasion by plant pathogens. Emerging evidence indicates that cell wall components also serve as signal molecules that regulate plant growth, development, and defense responses (Darvill et al., 1992; Fry et al., 1993). The structure, function, chemical composition, and biosynthesis of plant cell walls will be treated briefly in this chapter. Readers are referred to Aspinall (1980), Darvill et al. (1980), Ericson and Elbein (1980), McNeil et al. (1984), Bacic et al. (1988), Delmer and Stone (1988), Varner and Lin (1989), Iiyama et al. (1993), Walton (1994), and Carpita and McCann (2000) for additional information.