The plasma membrane and the cell wall

Abstract

Plant cell walls are among the features that distinguish plants from animals. The cell wall contributes to internal cellular turgor pressure while offering protection to the cell from external threats. The cell wall is also flexible, and its content and structures are modulated according to growth and tropisms. A typical plant cell wall is primarily composed of carbohydrates synthesized either at the plasma membrane (PM) or in the trans-Golgi network: cellulose and callose are produced at the PM, whereas the matrix polysaccharides, i.e., pectins and hemicelluloses, are synthesized in the Golgi apparatus and are subsequently transported across the PM via exocytosis. The wall also contains enz..