Living under pressure: How guard cells cope with high inflation

Nathanael Yi-Hsuen Tan, Andrew Fleming, Julie Gray, Jamie Hobbs
Plants Photosynthesis & Soil, School of Biosciences, Firth Court, Western Bank, University of Sheffield, S102QT, Sheffield, United Kingdom

How does the guard cell (GC) wall elastically cope with inflations of up to 50%? A slew of recent advances and new tools have challenged entrenched dogma in the dual fronts of plant cell walls and stomatal mechanics, and we are now well-poised to work toward a concrete understanding of the structure-function relationship of the GC wall. One such tool is atomic force microscopy (AFM), which has been used to gain unexpected insight into the mechanics of stomata at the cell and tissue level. In this project, I will take the next step in resolution and attempt to unravel the architecture of the GC wall at the nanoscale using high-resolution AFM. By visualising and mapping the structure of the GC wall polymers in their native state, I hope to identify what changes to the GC wall structure underpin the changes in stomatal function that have been observed in mutants and enzymatic treatments. A deep understanding of the mechanics of the cell wall is essential to establish the potential of GC wall modifications as a strategy improving crop’s resilience to changing water and CO2 availability.