Difference between Primary Cell Wall and Secondary Cell Wall
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| Primary and Secondary Cell wall |
Composition of cell wall: The composition of cell wall varies in different groups.
Bacteria: Peptidoglycan cell wall: Cell wall is composed of protein-lipid-polysaccharides
having two important chemical components: N -acetyl glucosamine (NAG) and N-acetyl muramic acid (NAM).
Bacterial Cell wall & Gram Staining
Bacteria can be divided into two large groups on the basis of differential staining technique called Gram Stain developed by Christian Gram.
Gram Staining
Procedure
Gram Positive Bacteria
- Split into a low and high GC group which reflects the GC content of their DNA.
- ex: Staphylococcus, Actinobacteria, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Cornyebacterium, Listeria ,Bacillus, Nocardia, Clostridium
Gram negative bacteria
- Proteobacteria is the largest and diverse group of bacteria including many of the more commonly known gram-negative bacteria
- Ex: Escherichia coli (E.coli),Helicobcater, Salmonella,Cyanobacteria, Klebsiella,Hemophilus, Neisseria, Pseudomona
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| A comparison of cell walls of gram positive and gram negative bacteria |
Algae: Cell wall contains cellulose and a variety of glycoproteins.
Cell wall
In plant cells, apart from the plasma membrane, there
is a hard protective covering which is called the cell wall.
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| Plant cell wall |
Why do plants have cell wall? What would happen if we possess cell wall?
The advantage of having a cell wall is, it is primarily made up of
cellulose, a tough substance that provides great protection from external
injuries. Like two sides of a coin, this protection is delivered at the expense
of free movement. We can move in search of food as we don’t have cell wall.
Plants cannot move and have to find their food from the rooted site itself.
Definitely, their capability of photosynthesis clearly overcomes this
disadvantage.
In plant cells, cell wall is made up of cellulose, hemicelluloses,
pectin and proteins.
Remember fungal cell wall is made up of chitin (polymer of N-acetyl
glucosamine) and bacterium has a peptidoglyacan cell wall.
Cell wall is a stiff protective layer outside plasma membrane and
provides mechanical support and also determines the shape of the cell.
Plant cell wall, what is it made up of?
Cell wall is composed of variety of polysaccharides. Cellulose
microfibril is the basic building unit of primary wall surrounded by a matrix
of hemicelluloses and pectins. Secondary wall consists of cellulose
microfibrils surrounded by lignin. The orientation of microfibrils is governed
by cytoskeleton.
Cellulose is a linear, unbranched polymer, consisting of straight
polysaccharide chains made of glucose units linked by 1-4 β glycosidic
bond.
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| Structure of cell wall |
What are microfibrils?
Each microfibril is a ribbon like flat fibre of 25-30 nm in diameter.
Each microfibril cosists of three elementary fibrils (micelles). Each
elementary fibril is made up of 100 cellulose units. Each cellulose molecule consists
of 40-70 glucan chains.
Thus 1 microfibril=3x100x70=~21000 glucan chains. Microfibrils have
great tensile strength similar to that of rubber.
In short
Primary wall=cellulose microfibrils+ hemicelluloses+pectin
Middle lamella=pectin
Secondary wall=cellulose microfibrils+ lignin
What are Hemicelluloses?
Are short branched heteropolymers made up of various kinds of
monosaccharides like xylose, mannose, glucose etc.
Eg: glucomannans, xyloglucans, xylans.
What are Pectins?
A water soluble branched polysaccharide made up of negatively charged
D-galacturonic acid and D-glucoronic acid residues.
Other depositions include cutin (made of fatty acids), Suberin (water
resistant coat comprising of fatty acids found in many plant cell walls and
cork. Mineral deposits are present in the cell wall of families Cruciferae and
Cucurbitaceae (Calcium deposits), whereas silicate deposits are common in the
cell wall of Graminae, grass family.
Cell wall synthesis?
Primary cell wall is the first formed boundary of the cell that is
formed when cell is increasing in size. It is thin and permeable but cutin
deposition makes it impermeable at some sites. Cellulose is synthesised from
uridine diphosphoglucose (UDP-glucose) by an enzyme complex, cellulose
synthase. Matrix materials, hemicelluloses and pectin are synthesised in the
golgi apparatus and transported to the plasma membranes as vesicles where it is
discharged and deposited.
Why wood is so hard?
Secondary wall is thick and permeable and consists of cellulose microfibrils
and lignin. Even the master digesters, fungus cannot degrade lignin that offers
mechanical protection from fungal pathogens. Lignin deposition is very common
in wood.
The formation of the secondary wall is not uniform in all
the cells. The differentiation of various types off cells like parenchyma,
collenchyma, sclerenchyma, fibres and tracheids are due to the secondary wall
formation
Tertiary wall: In some tissues a tertiary cell wall is formed on the
inner surface of the seconary cell wall. This layer is very thin and is found
in the xylem tracheids of gymnosperms. It is composed of mainly of xylan,
instead of cellulose.
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Structure of lignocellulose:The main component of
lignocellulose is cellulose, a beta(1–4)-linked chain of glucose
molecules. Hydrogen bonds between different layers of the
polysaccharides contribute to the resistance of crystalline cellulose to
degradation. Hemicellulose, is composed of various 5- and 6-carbon sugars such as
arabinose, galactose, glucose, mannose and xylose. Lignin is composed of
three major phenolic components, namely p-coumaryl alcohol (H),
coniferyl alcohol (G) and sinapyl alcohol (S). Lignin is synthesized by
polymerization of these components and their ratio within the polymer
varies between different plants, wood tissues and cell wall layers.
Cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin form structures called microfibrils,
which are organized into macrofibrils that mediate structural stability
in the plant cell wall.
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How adjacent cells are joined?
Middle lamella: It is thin amorphous layer of cemeting material present
between the adjacent cells. It is chiefly made up of calcium pectate. It is
formed at the time of cytokinesis by the joint activity of the cells between it
lies.
How plant cells communicate with each other?
Plasmodesmata
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| Plamodesmata and desmotubule |
The cell wall is perforated by narrow
pores or pits at many places.Through these narrow pores, fine
strands of cytoplasm are extending. These strands are called plasmodesma
connections or plasmodesmata. These connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cells and facilitate the
movement of substance between cells.
Plasmodesmata are narrow channels
through the wall bound by plasmalemmma containing cytoplasm and often a
desmotubule. The desmotubule is the cental core and is composed of protein
subunits consists of modified membraneous structure continuous with the endoplasmic
reticulam of the adjoining cells.These membraneous structures probably originate from
the ER.
Desmotubule acts as valve to control the direction of flow of materials.The
functions of plasmodesmata may vary. It is concerned with the transport of
materials from one cell to another and also conduction of stimuli. In the case
of certain parasites like Viscum, Loranthus, Cuscuta etc plasmodesmata connections exist between the
haustoria and the cells of their host. Through these channels food and virus
are transported.
Functions of
the cell wall
- Cell walls primary function is mechanical support. It acts like a skeletal framework of the plants.
- Cell wall is tough and has high tensile strength. Still plant cell is fully permeable to water and solutes. Plant cell wall has minute water filled channels through which water,hormones and gases passes to and fro.
- Cell wall shows plasticity and elasticity during cell growth.
- It helps to maintain the balance of intracellular osmotic pressure with that of its surrondings
- Lignification of secondary walls greatly enhances compressive strength permitting woody structures to reach the sky. Cell wall upon lignification becomes dead as it becomes impermeable and thus protoplasm has no access to take up solutes that is why lignified tissue is always dead.
- Lignin provided extra mechanical strength and also provides a water resistant channel for transport of solutes.
Additional Points
- Algal
cell wall:
Algae typically possess walls
constructed of glycoproteins and polysaccharides, however certain algal species
may have a cell wall composed of silicic acid. Alginic acid is common polysaccharide in the cell walls of brown
algae. Manosyl form microfibrils in the cell walls of a number of marine green
algae, such as Acetabularia as well as as in the walls of the some red algae,
like Bangia and Porphyra.Sulphonated polysaccharides occur in the cell walls of
most algae, those common in red algae include agarose, carrageenan, porphyran,
furcelleran and funoran.The group of algae known as the diatoms
synthesise their cell walls from silicic acid ( specially orthosilicic acid, H2SiO4).
Fungi: Cell wall is made up of chitin (Polymer of N-acetyl glucosamine)
Plants: Cell wall is made up of
cellulose (β-D-glucose units), hemicellulose
(Arabinose, mannose, xylose, galactose, etc.) and pectin (Galactose, galacturonic acid and arabinose).
A typical cell is made up
of four layers: middle lamella, primary, secondary and tertiary wall. Middle
lamella is the cementing layer between the cells. It is made up of Ca and Mg pectates.
------------------------------------------ Best Wishes: Dr.Ehab Aboueladab, Tel:01007834123 Email:ehab10f@gmail.com,ehababoueladab@yahoo.com ------------------------------------------
