Our collaborative work with Prof. Staffan Person at the University of Copenhagen to which Eduardo made important contributions is now available online at PNAS.
Cell walls are essential to cell morphogenesis, to protect plants against environmental stress, and for an array of products in our daily life. Pectins are essential components of plant cell walls that govern important agricultural characteristics, such as plant growth and development, fruit ripening, and seed pod shattering. In this study, we outline how a family of unknown proteins function as a scaffold for key synthesis components of pectin, a central cell wall polymer. Our results thus define a robust pectin synthesis protein complex that is essential for the structure and function of Golgi and for plant tissue integrity. These results add critical information regarding pectin synthesis and cell wall metabolons.