Examining the contribution of cell wall polysaccharides to the mechanical properties of apple parenchyma tissue using exogenous enzymes

Pauline Videcoq (1) , Adelin Barbacci (1) , Carole Assor (2, 1) , Vincent Magnenet (3) , Olivier Arnould (2, 4) , Sophie Le Gall (1) , Marc M. Lahaye (1)

1 BIA - Unité de recherche sur les Biopolymères, Interactions Assemblages
2 LMGC - Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil
3 ICube - Laboratoire des sciences de l'ingénieur, de l'informatique et de l'imagerie
4 BOIS - Bois

The viscoelastic mechanical properties of water-rich plant tissues are fundamental for many aspects of organ physiology and plant functioning. These properties are determined partly by the water in cellular vacuole and partly by the mechanical properties of the cell wall, the latter varying according to the composition and organization of its polysaccharides. In this study, relationships between the viscoelastic properties of apple cortex parenchyma tissue and cell wall pectin, hemicelluloses, and cellulose structures were studied by infusing the tissue with selected sets of purified enzymes in a controlled osmoticum. The results showed that tissue elasticity and viscosity were related, and controlled to variable extents by all the targeted polysaccharides. Among them, pectic homogalacturonan domains, crystalline cellulose, and fucosylated xyloglucan were revealed as being of prime importance in determining the vis-coelastic mechanical properties of apple cortex tissue.

Mots clés: Apple; biomechanics; cell wall; enzyme; mechanical properties; model; parenchyma

Domaines: Matériaux; Biomécanique [physics.med-ph]

Pauline Videcoq, Adelin Barbacci, Carole Assor, Vincent Magnenet, Olivier Arnould, et al.. Examining the contribution of cell wall polysaccharides to the mechanical properties of apple parenchyma tissue using exogenous enzymes. Journal of Experimental Botany, 2017, 68 (18), pp.5137-5146. ⟨10.1093/jxb/erx329⟩. ⟨hal-01593458⟩