Figure 2.

Evaluation of transgenic and cwa1 mutant plants. (A) Expression of the CWA1/BC1 gene in the transgenic cwa1 plant expressing the wild-type CWA1/BC1 gene (control), cwa1 mutant and transgenic cwa1 plants expressing mutated CWA1/BC1^W→V (CWA1^W→V, lines 1 and 2). Expression of the CWA1/BC1 gene is rarely detected in the cwa1 mutant, whereas obvious expression is detected in the transgenic cwa1 plants introduced with each construct. (B) Mature internodes of transgenic cwa1 plants expressing wild-type CWA1/BC1 (Control), the cwa1 mutant (cwa1) and transgenic cwa1 plant expressing mutated CWA1/BC1^W→V (CWA1^W→V) after hand flexing. The brittle culm phenotype of transgenic cwa1 plant was rescued by expression of wild-type CWA1/BC1 (Control), but not by expression of CWA1/BC1^W→V (CWA1^W→V). (C) Transverse section at the cortical fiber of mature internodes from transgenic cwa1 plant expressing wild-type CWA1/BC1 (Control), the cwa1 mutant (cwa1) and transgenic cwa1 plant expressing mutated CWA1/BC1^W→V (CWA1^W→V). The transgenic cwa1 plant expressing CWA1/BC1^W→V has abnormal and amorphous cell wall structures (arrowheads) as seen in the cwa1 mutant. Scale bars = 20 µm.