The seeds and roots of many angiosperm species can produce polysaccharide-rich mucilage,which directly interacts with the surrounding biosphere and potentially alters the soil microenvironment.Seed mucilage produced by cells in the outer layer of seeds upon hydration is relatively well characterized,commonly consisting of pectin,cellulose,hemicellulose,and a small amount of proteins,chemically similar to the primary cell wall.As a large amount of mucilage could be exuded within a short period during seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana,seed mucilage has emerged as a powerful model for studying cell wall biosynthesis and regulation,leading to the identification of many genes involved (Haughn and Western,2012).
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