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SUMMARY:First Steps Toward Understanding Ice Formation in Plants - Prof. G
 abriele C. Sosso
DTSTART:20251202T153000Z
DTEND:20251202T164500Z
UID:TALK240106@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Bo Peng
DESCRIPTION:Understanding how ice forms in plants is crucial to reducing c
 rop losses amid increasing climate extremes. Unlike in animal tissues\, th
 e microscopic details of ice formation within plant cell walls remain poor
 ly understood. Here\, we combine plant biology experiments and molecular s
 imulations to investigate the crosslinking of homogalacturonan (HG) pectin
  under different functionalisation states (deprotonated\, protonated\, met
 hylesterified). We show that the degree and nature of HG crosslinking stro
 ngly affect cell wall porosity\, as revealed by experiments supported by m
 athematical modelling. This porosity\, in turn\, governs the rate of ice p
 ropagation through plant tissue. Both cold acclimation and Ca²⁺ supplem
 entation - which enhance HG crosslinking - improve frost resistance simila
 rly. Simulations further indicate that while HG alone is a weak ice nuclea
 tor\, ordered HG networks may promote ice formation. Conversely\, excess h
 ydration reverses the inhibitory effect of crosslinking due to swelling. M
 olecular dynamics results reveal that HG crosslinking controls pore size a
 nd restricts ice growth via the Gibbs–Thomson effect\, providing a physi
 cal basis for freezing tolerance through cell wall remodelling. These find
 ings highlight how plants regulate ice formation by tuning pectin architec
 ture\, suggesting new strategies for improving frost resistance in crops.
LOCATION:Cluster Room\, RDC
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