The regulation of metabolic flux to cellulose, a major sink for carbon in plants

Abstract

Cellulose is an important component of the cell walls of higher plants and the world's most abundant organic compound. As a major sink for carbon on earth, it is of interest to examine possible means by which the quality or quantity of cellulose deposited in various plant parts might be manipulated by metabolic engineering techniques. This review outlines basic knowledge about the genes and proteins that are involved in cellulose biosynthesis and presents a model that summarizes our current thinking on the overall cellulose biosynthesis pathway. Strategies that might be used for altering the flux of carbon into this pathway are discussed.