Markus Pauly
Associate Professor
- M.S. 1993, Technical University Aachen, Germany
- Ph.D., Technical University Aachen, Germany
- Assistant Professor, 1998-2000, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Scientist, 2000-2001, Unilever, Bedford, United Kingdom
- Independent Research Group Leader, 2001-2006, Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Golm, Germany
paulymar@msu.edu
MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1312 USA
Phone: (517) 353-4333
Fax: (517) 353-9168
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Markus Pauly
Research Interests
Biosynthesis, structure, and function of Plant Cell Walls
Higher plant cells are encased in cell walls that define their shape and contribute to the strength and structural integrity not only of individual cells, but also of the entire plant. Despite its necessary rigidity, the cell wall is a highly dynamic entity that is metabolically active and plays crucial roles in diverse cell activities such as growth, differentiation, cell-to-cell communication and transport, senescence, abscission, and plant-pathogen interactions. The wall can be described as a liquid crystal (Fig. 1): 
Microcrystalline cellulose is embedded in a hydrated matrix consisting of coextensive networks of complex heteropolysaccharides and sometimes glycoproteins. Cell walls also constitute renewable resources and are often present in by-products of industrial production, such as pulps. Genetic engineering of crop plant cell walls can identify biopolymers with novel functional properties, as well as simplify their extraction, thus increasing the value of these "waste-products." Cell walls will become more important in the future, as they are an abundant resource that can contribute to our biofuel needs.
Our research entails the establishment of an analytical platform for the analysis of wall polysaccharides, a forward genetic approach to identify novel wall mutants, a reverse genetic approach to gain insights into wall biosynthesis, and a chemical genetic approach using hydrolases to identify wall signaling mutants.
Training areas:
Glycobiology, carbohydrate chemistry, Arabidopsis/tomato molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry. MORE
Recent Publications
Rösti J, Barton CJ, Albrecht S, Dupree P, Pauly M, Findlay K, Roberts K, Seifert GJ (2007) UDP-glucose 4 epimerase isoforms UGE2 and UGE4 cooperate in providing UDP-galactose for cell wall biosynthesis and growth of Arabidopsis thaliana, Plant Cell, in press.
Kannangara R, Branigan C, Liu Y, Penfield T, Rao V, Mouille G, Höfte H, Pauly M, Riechmann JL, Broun P (2007) Transcription factor WIN1/SHN1 regulates cutin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana, Plant Cell, in press.
Krupkova E, Immerzeel P, Pauly M, Schmülling T, 2007, The tumorous shoot development2 gene of Arabidopsis encoding a putative methyltransferase is required for cell adhesion and co-ordinated plant development. Plant Journal, in press.
Egelund J, Obel N, Ulvskov P, Geshi N, Pauly M, Bacic A, Peterson BL, 2007, Molecular characterization of two Arabidopsis thaliana glycosyltransferase mutants, rra1 and rra2, which have a reduced residual arabinose content in a polymer tightly associated with the cellulosic wall residue, Plant Molecular Biology, in press.
Lionetti V, Railola A, Camardella L, Giovane A, Obel N, Pauly M, Favaron F, Cervone F, Bellincampi D (2007) Overexpression of pectin methylesterase inhibitors in Arabidopsis restricts fungal infection by Botrytis cinerea, Plant Physiology 143:1871-1880.
Carrari F, Baxter C, Usadel B, Urbanczyk-Wochniak E, Zanor MI, Nunes-Nesi A, Nikiforova V, Centero D, Ratzka A, Pauly M, Sweetlove LJ, Fernie AR. (2006) Plant Physiology 142 (4):1380-1396 MORE