Characterization of microstructure and cell wall components of Arabidopsis thaliana overexpressing cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2

Overexpression of a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (KRP2) caused changes in the general morphology in the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. The wild type plant had obovate leaves with entire margins whereas the transgenic line had leaves with denticulate margins. The epidermal cells and stomata of the adult transgenic leaves were significantly larger than those of the wild-type plants and the number of stomata was in proportion to the number of epidermal cells. No apparent differences in thickness and structure of cell walls of the mesophyll cells between the two samples were observed. The smaller amount of cell wall material in the transgenic leaves caused by the larger cell size was also apparent in the lower dry weight of the transgenic leaves. The chemical analysis revealed the main differences to be in pectin and neutral sugar contents, and especially in the amounts of glucose, all being higher in the leaves of the KRP2 transgenic plants. p-Coumaric acid content varied more in the transgenic leaf material than in the control one reflecting possibly fewer cross-links in the cell walls of transgenic plants. © 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.