Measurement of expansin activity and plant cell wall creep by using a commercial texture analyzer

Abstract

Expansins play an important role in cell wall metabolism and fruit softening. Determination of expansin activity is a challenging problem since it depends on measuring cell wall properties by using ad hoc extensometers, a fact that has strongly restricted its study. Then, the objective of the work was to adapt a methodology to measure cell wall creep and expansin activity using a commercial texture meter, equipped with miniature tensile grips and an ad hoc cuvette of easy construction.It was possible to measure hypocotyls acid growth and expansin activity in a reliable and reproducible way, using a commercial texture meter, common equipment found in laboratories of food science or postharvest technology. Expansin activity was detected in protein extracts from cucumber hypocotyls, tomato and strawberry fruits, and statistical differences in expansin activity were found in both fruit models at different ripening stages.The possibility of measuring expansin activity following this adapted protocol with a commercial texture meter could contribute to ease and increase the analysis of expansin in different systems, leading to a better understanding of the properties of these proteins under different experimental conditions.

Plant phenotyping relevance

市販テクスチャーアナライザーを用いて細胞壁クリープとエクスパンシン活性を測定する手法を適応・検証しており、植物の生理状態を取得する方法が中心である。

Code and data availability

The article describes a texture-analyzer protocol for measuring expansin activity and cell wall creep, but no public phenotype dataset, image/sensor data, author code, trained model, or supplement with such assets is mentioned. No data availability statement or repository URL appears in the supplied blocks.

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