Our talk at the International Conference on Plant Cell Wall Biology 2025, Vancouver

In July, I attended the International Conference on Plant Cell Wall Biology (ICPCWB 2025) in Vancouver, Canada, to present the work of Nancy Soni, who was unable to travel. Her research focuses on how Arabidopsis thaliana senses and responds to changes in cell wall status, revealing a mechanochemical feedback loop that connects wall properties to cell cycle regulation.

The study used mutants in key cell cycle regulators—cyclins, DEL transcription factors, KIP-related proteins, E2Fs, and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs)—together with targeted chemical treatments affecting pectin, cellulose, or both. Monosaccharide profiling showed distinct alterations in wall composition, particularly in galactose, glucose, and glucuronic acid.

Mechanical analysis by Brillouin microscopy revealed that changes in cell walls stifness correlate with delayed cell cycle progression, whereas softer walls promote endoreplication. The receptor-like kinase THESEUS1 (THE1) emerged as a central player, required to couple mechanical signals from the wall to cell cycle transitions.

This work supports a model where plants actively integrate mechanical cues from their cell walls to fine-tune growth, adapt to stress, and optimise biomass production — and it was exciting to share these findings with an audience of specialists from across the world.