Alicja Banasiak | University of Wroclaw (original) (raw)

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Papers by Alicja Banasiak

Polish Journal of Natural Sciences. Supplement, 2003

Plant Biology, 2014

Auxin is a small molecule involved in most processes related to plant growth and development. Its... more Auxin is a small molecule involved in most processes related to plant growth and development. Its effect usually depends on the distribution in tissues and the formation of concentration gradients. Until now there has been no tool for the direct tracking of auxin transport at the cellular and tissue level; therefore the majority of studies have been based on various indirect methods. However, due to their various restrictions, relatively little is known about the relationship between various pathways of auxin transport and specific developmental processes. We present a new research tool: fluorescently labelled auxin in the form of a conjugate with two different fluorescent tracers, FITC and RITC, which allows direct observation of auxin transport in plant tissues. Chemical analysis and biological tests have shown that our conjugates have auxin-like biological activity and transport; therefore they can be used in all experimental systems as an alternative to IAA. In addition, the conjugates are a universal tool that can be applied in studies of all plant groups and species. The conjugation procedure presented in this paper can be adapted to other fluorescent dyes, which are constantly being improved. In our opinion, the conjugates greatly expand the possibilities of research concerning the role of auxin and its transport in different developmental processes in plants.

Tension wood is a specialized tissue of deciduous trees that functions in bending woody stems to ... more Tension wood is a specialized tissue of deciduous trees that functions in bending woody stems to optimize their position in space. Tension wood fibers that develop on one side of the stem have an increased potency to shrink compared with fibers on the opposite side, thus creating a bending moment. It is believed that the gelatinous (G) cell wall layer containing almost pure cellulose of tension wood fibers is pivotal to their shrinking. By analyzing saccharide composi-tion and linkage in isolated G-layers of poplar, we found that they contain some matrix components in addition to cellulose, of which xyloglucan is the most abundant. Xyloglucan, xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase (XET) activity and xylo-glucan endo-transglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) gene products were detected in developing G-layers by labeling using CCRC-M1 monoclonal antibody, in situ incorporation

Cellulose in particular and wood in general are valuable biomaterials for humanity, and cellulose... more Cellulose in particular and wood in general are valuable biomaterials for humanity, and cellulose is now also in the spotlight as a starting material for the production of biofuel. Understanding the processes of wood formation and cellulose biosynthesis could therefore be rewarding, and genomics and proteomics approaches have been initiated to learn more about wood biology. For example, the genome of the tree Populus trichocarpa has been completed during 2006. A single-gene approach then has to follow, to elucidate specific patterns and enzymatic details. This thesis depicts how a gene encoding a membrane-anchored cellulase was isolated from Populus tremula x tremuloides Mich, how the corresponding protein was expressed in heterologous hosts, purified and characterized by substrate analysis using different techniques. The in vivo function and modularity of the membrane-anchored cellulase was also addressed using overexpression and complementation analysis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Am...

Postepy Biologii Komorki, 2003

Plant Signaling & Behavior

Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae

In conifers with spiral phyllotaxis, two numbers: one of the vascular sympodia and the second of ... more In conifers with spiral phyllotaxis, two numbers: one of the vascular sympodia and the second of cortical resin canals, define the shoot anatomic diameter. This in turn reflects the size and vigor of the apical meristem. Both numbers belong to the mathematical series, associated with the shoot phyllotactic pattern. The number of canals is one step lower in a series than the number of sympodia. The first one, easier to determine, automatically defines the second. Using this protocol and screening the large number of branching shoots of selected conifers, we have discovered strong correlation between orientation of vascular sympodia in the lateral and supporting branches. There was no such correlation with regard to the chiral configurations of phyllotaxis. This finding reveals the presence of special phyllotactic compensation in the case of differences in anatomic diameter of the parental and lateral shoot under the imperative of maintaining the sympodia orientation within one branch...

ABSTRACTIn dicotyledons, xyloglucan is the major hemicellulose of primary walls affecting the loa... more ABSTRACTIn dicotyledons, xyloglucan is the major hemicellulose of primary walls affecting the load-bearing framework with participation of XTH enzymes. We used loss- and gain-of function approaches to study functions of abundant cambial region expressed XTH4 and XTH9 in secondary growth. In secondarily thickened hypocotyls, these enzymes had positive effects on vessel element expansion and fiber intrusive growth. In addition, they stimulated secondary wall thickening, but reduced secondary xylem production. Cell wall analyses of inflorescence stems revealed changes in lignin, cellulose, and matrix sugar composition, indicating overall increase in secondary versus primary walls in the mutants, indicative of higher xylem production compared to wild type (since secondary walls were thinner). Intriguingly, the number of secondary cell wall layers was increased in xth9 and reduced in xth4, whereas the double mutant xth4x9 displayed intermediate number of layers. These changes correlated ...

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

In the shoot apical meristem (SAM) of Arabidopsis, PIN1-dependent polar auxin transport (PAT) reg... more In the shoot apical meristem (SAM) of Arabidopsis, PIN1-dependent polar auxin transport (PAT) regulates two crucial developmental processes: organogenesis and vascular system formation. However, the knockout mutation in the PIN1 gene does not fully inhibit these two processes. Therefore, we investigated a potential source of auxin for organogenesis and vascularization during inflorescence stem development. We analyzed auxin distribution in wild-type (WT) and pin1 mutant plants using a refined protocol of auxin immunolocalization; auxin activity, with the response reporter pDR5:GFP; and expression of auxin biosynthesis genes YUC1 and YUC4. Our results revealed that regardless of the functionality of PIN1-mediated PAT, auxin is present in the SAM and vascular strands. In WT plants, auxin always accumulates in all cells of the SAM, whereas in pin1 mutants, its localization within the SAM changes ontogenetically and is related to changes in the structure of the vascular system, organoge...

Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, 2016

Regularity and periodicity in the arrangements of organs in all groups of land plants raise quest... more Regularity and periodicity in the arrangements of organs in all groups of land plants raise questions about the mechanisms underlying phyllotactic pattern formation. The initiation of the lateral organs (leaves, flowers, etc.), and thus, their spatio-temporal positioning, occurs in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and is related to the structure and organogenic activity of the meristem. In this review, we present some aspects of the diversity and stability of phyllotactic patterns in the major lineages of land plants, from bryophytes to angiosperms, in which SAM structures differ significantly. In addition, we discuss some of the possible mechanisms involved in the formation of the recurring arrangement of the lateral organs.

Plant biotechnology journal, Jan 11, 2015

Cell wall hemicelluloses and pectins are O-acetylated at specific positions, but the significance... more Cell wall hemicelluloses and pectins are O-acetylated at specific positions, but the significance of these substitutions is poorly understood. Using a transgenic approach, we investigated how reducing the extent of O-acetylation in xylan affects cell wall chemistry, plant performance and the recalcitrance of lignocellulose to saccharification. The Aspergillus niger acetyl xylan esterase AnAXE1 was expressed in Arabidopsis under the control of either the constitutively expressed 35S CAMV promoter or a woody-tissue-specific GT43B aspen promoter, and the protein was targeted to the apoplast by its native signal peptide, resulting in elevated acetyl esterase activity in soluble and wall-bound protein extracts and reduced xylan acetylation. No significant alterations in cell wall composition were observed in the transgenic lines, but their xylans were more easily digested by a β-1,4-endoxylanase, and more readily extracted by hot water, acids or alkali. Enzymatic saccharification of lign...