Molecular Organization in the Native State of Wood Cell Walls: Studies of Nanoscale Structure and its Development

摘要

With respect to cell wall biogenesis we have developed a theory concerning the formation of lignin in which the regulation of structure is attributed to the hemicelluloses; they are viewed as templates for the assembly of lignin. The key supporting evidence is derived from the symmetry of annual rings in trees free of reaction wood. This symmetry is interpreted to point to genetic encoding as the dominant factor in the pattern of interunit linkages in lignin. More recently, we have explored further the implications of annual ring symmetries within the contexts of systems and information theory and theories of organization of hierarchic structures. This has led us to proposed a unifying model for cell wall biogenesis that comprehends cell wall polysaccharides as well as lignin. The model is based on examining the implications of symmetries and of hierarchic relationships between different levels of structure, with respect to synchrony and coordination of the stages of formation of the individual constituents.