TOPIC: CELLULOSE BIOSYNTHESIS

ASSIGNMENT:

Submitted to: Dr. Fozia farhat.

Submitted by: Al-Nisa Rani.

Course title: Plant Biochemistry -1.

Roll no: 5.

Section: MA

Course code: BOT-504

Course title: Plant Biochemistry -1

Department: Botany.

Government College Women University Faisalabad (GCWUF),

Cellulose Biosynthesis.
Cellulose is synthesized by cellulose synthase (CESA) complexes (CSCs) that are assembled in
the Golgi apparatus and then delivered to the plasma membrane (PM), where they actively
synthesize cellulose. CSCs travel along cortical microtubule paths that define the orientation of
synthesis of the cellulose micro fibrils.

Cellulose Introduction.

 It is the most abundant in nature. Cellulose is also polymer of glucose. Cellulose is a pure
form of cellulose. It is insoluble in water. It yield glucose molecule on hydrolysis.
Cellulose give no color with iodine. Some bacteria live in the intestine of the herbivores.
They produce cellulose enzymes. Cellulose can break beta - glycosidic linkage and digest
it. But human do not have such enzymes and cannot digest cellulose.
 Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula (C6H10O5)n.
 Polysaccharide consisting of linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of b(1-
4)linked D-glucose units.
 Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plant
many form of algae and the oomycetes. Some species of bacteria secrete it to form
biofilms.
 Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer on earth. The cellulose content of cotton
fiber is 90%, that of wood is 40-50% and that of dried hemp is approximately 45%.
 Cellulose is mainly used to produce paperboard and paper.
 Smaller quantities are converted into wide variety of derivatives product such as
cellophane and rayon.
 Conversion of cellulose from energy crops into biofuel such as cellulosic ethanol is under
investigation as an alternative fuel source.
 Cellulose for industrial use is mainly obtained from wood pulp and cotton.
 Some animal particularly ruminant and termites can digest cellulose with the help of
symbiotic micro-organisms that live in their guts such as trichonympha.
 In human, cellulose act as a hydrophilic bulking agent for feces and is often reffered to as
a “dietary fiber.”
 Structure and properties

 Cellulose has no taste, is odorless, is hydrophilic with the contact angle of 20-30, is insoluble
in water and most organic solvents , is chiral and is biodegradable.
 It can be broken down chemically into its glucose units by treating it with concentrated acid
at high temperature.
 Cellulose is derived from D-glucose units which condense through B(1->4) glycosidic bonds.
 This linkage motif contrast with that for alpha(1->4)glycosidic bond present in starch
glycogen and other carbohydrates.
 Cellulose is straight chain polymerase unlike starch, no coiling or branching occurs, and the
molecules adopt an extended and rather stiff rod-like conformation, aided by the equatorial
confirmation of the glucose residues.
 The multiple hydroxyl group on the glucose from one chain from hydrogen bonds with
oxygen atom on the same or on a neighbor chain, holding the chain firmly together side-by-
side and forming microfibrils with high tensile strength.

This confer tensile strength in cell walls, where cellulose microfibrils are meshed into a
polysaccharides matrix.

“Biosynthesis”

 In vascular plants cellulose is synthesized at the plasma membrane by rosette terminal

complexes.
 The RTCs are hexameric protein structures, approximately 25nm in diameter, that
contain the cellulose synthase enzymes that synthesis the individual cellulose chains.

 Each RTC float in the plasma membrane and “spins” a microfibril into the cell wall.
 RTCs contain at least three different cellulose synthases encoded by CesA superfamily.
These cellulose synthases UDP-glucose to form the B(1-4) linked cellulose.
  Separate set of CesA genes are involved in primary and secondary cell wall biosynthesis.
There are known to be about seven subfamilies in the CesA superfamily. These cellulose
synthase use UDP-glucose to form B(1-4) linked cellulose.
 Cellulose synthase require chain initiation and elongation and the two process are
separate.
 CesA glucosyltransferase initiate cellulose polymerization using a steroid primer,
sitosterol-beta glycoside and UDP glucose.
 Cellulose synthase utilize UDP-D-glucose precursor to elongate the growing cellulose
chain. A cellulose may function to cleave the primer from the mature chain.
 Cellulose is also synthesized by animals, particularly in the test of ascidians ( where the
cellulose historically termed “tunicine”) although it’s a minor component of mammalian
connective tissue.

“Cellulose synthesis”

Biosynthesis of cellulose begin with glucose that is formed during photosynthesis. Many glucose
molecule are in beta- configuration to form cellulose. Cellulose is main constituent of cell wall of
plants.

 Step 1:

In this step glucose molecule from photosynthesis react with hexokinase enzyme to form
glucose 6-phosphate. An ATP molecules is

 Step 2:
During this step glucose -6-phosphate is converted into glucose -1-phosphate by an enzyme
phosphoglucomutase.
 Step 3:

In this glucose-1-phosphate is converted into UDP-glucose by enzyme UDP-glucose

pyrophosphorylase.

 Step 4:

In this step UDP-glucose is converted into glucan chain by cellulose synthase.

 Step 5:

In this step glucan chain undergo crystallization to form crystalline cellulose.

 What is cellulose derivatives?
o Pharmaceutically used cellulose derivatives obtained by either mechanical and chemical
processing or both.
o The hydroxyl group of cellulose can be partially or fully reacted with various reagent to
afford derivatives with useful properties.
o Pure cellulose additional treatment by HCL produced various cellulose derivatives.

 Advantages
 Improve stability of drugs.
 Good lubrication.
 Good binding properties.
 Rapid disintegration.
 Good flowing properties.
 Reduced friability and weight loss.
 Excellent compression and hardness.