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How do glycoproteins contribute to the structure of plant cell walls?
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Cell wall
Cutaway drawing of a plant cell, showing the cell wall and internal organelles.
In plant cell walls, the most prominent group of proteins are the hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins, such as extensin. These molecules are shaped like rods with connector sites and feature a structure resembling a bottle brush, created by short side chains of arabinose and galactose sugars attached to their amino acid residues.12
These glycoproteins are secreted into the cell wall toward the end of primary wall formation. Once cell growth ceases, they become covalently cross-linked into a structural mesh. By regulating the timing of this cross-linking process, plant cells are able to control their ultimate size.12