The middle lamella between anthropic and evolutionary contexts
2023
Ben Malek, Rawen | Mouille, Gregory | Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)
International audience
Show more [+] Less [-]English. The middle lamella in plants is defined as the intercellular substance acting as a cement that holds the cells together. This definition was built based on optical observations, biochemical and biological studies that date back to the early nineteenth century. Numerous efforts were taken to construct a better understanding of this layer within the framework of the already established assumptions. However, we report some biological cases where the features of the middle lamella do not perfectly match our current definitions and create a sense of crisis with regards to our interpretation of this cell wall component. In this chapter, we studied the methods and models that were employed to characterize the middle lamella in an attempt to identify some features that need to be taken into consideration with regards to the current assumptions. The examination of the evolutionary aspect of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) along with a rheological/chemical/biological investigation led to the hypothesis of Donnan-Gibbs equilibrium as a relevant mechanism that drives the creation of a middle lamella.
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