UK researchers unlock genetic secrets of plant cell walls

In the UK, Researchers from the University of York and the Quadram Institute have unlocked the genetic secrets of plant cell walls.

Recent developments in genome sequencing technology have provided detailed information about the genetics of crop plants, but what has been lacking to date is the technology needed to collect comparable cell wall data to locate, assign and signpost these important genes for plant breeders.

Using a microarray, sometimes called a lab-on-a-chip, the team were able analyze thousands of plant cell samples simultaneously and harvest a large amount of data relevant to the arrangement of the cell.

They then linked this information back to particular changes in genetic information between the different varieties of plant cell, using a technique called association mapping.