The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group

The Edinburgh Cell Wall Group

 The University of Edinburgh
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Zoë Popper

Zoë Popper

Personal Details
Name : Dr. Zoë Adelaide Popper
Nationality : British
Former positions in Group : PhD student and postdoctoral researcher

Current contact details

Zoë Popper is a lecturer and group leader at the Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Environment, Marine and Energy, NUI Galway:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/botany/popper_home.html

Degrees

  • BSc (Hons), Biological Sciences (Plant Science), University of Edinburgh, 1997.
  • PhD in Plant Biochemistry, University of Edinburgh, 2001 (Supervisor: Prof. S.C. Fry, FRSE).

Postdoctoral experience up to 2004

  • Post-Doctoral Researcher, The University of Edinburgh (with Prof. S.C. Fry, FRSE).

Current research interests

The major hemicellulose in Dicot plants is called xyloglucan. Xyloglucan adheres via hydrogen-bonds to the cellulosic microfibrils of the cell wall and probably tethers neighbouring microfibrils. Albersheim et al. (1973) suggested that xyloglucan molcules are covalently linked via glycosidic bonds to other polymers of the cell wall, especially pectins. Although this model lost favour, recent data suggest that about 30% of the xyloglucan in rose cell cultures is linked to pectins (Thompson and Fry 2000). My project involves a study of the chemical nature of the xyloglucan-pectin linkages, their taxonomic distribution, their site of formation within the cell and their possible turnover.

Additionally I am continuing to investigate the differences in the chemical composition between cell walls from different taxonomic groups. This includes investigating which polymers 3-O-Methyl-D-galactose residues (uniquely found abundantly in lycophyte cell walls) are linked.


Publications up to 2004

  • Thesis: Z.A. Popper (2001). "Evolution and Diversity of The Primary Cell Wall in Green Plants". PhD Thesis, University of Edinburgh.
  • Z.A. Popper, I.H. Sadler and S.C. Fry (2001) 3-O-Methyl-D-galactose residues in lycophyte primary cell walls. Phytochemistry 57: 711-719.
  • Popper ZA, Fry SC. 2003. Primary cell wall composition of bryophytes and Charophytes. Annals of Botany 91: 1-12.
  • Popper ZA, Sadler IH, Fry SC. 2003. a-D-Glucuronosyl-(1R3)-L-galactose, an unusual disaccharide from polysaccharides of the hornwort Anthoceros caucasicus. Phytochemistry 64: 325-335.
  • Popper ZA, Sadler IH, Fry SC. 2004. 3-O-Methylrhamnose in lower land plant primary cell walls. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 32: 279-289.
  • Popper ZA, Fry SC. 2004. Primary Cell Wall Composition of Pteridophytes and Spermatophytes. New Phytologist 164: 165-174.
  • Popper ZA, Fry SC. In Press. Widespread occurrence of a covalent linkage between xyloglucan and acidic polysaccharides in suspension-cultured angiosperm cells. Annals of Botany.

Presentations

Seminars

  • I was invited to give a seminar on my Ph.D. thesis at the Max Planck Institut für Planzenphysiologie (Golm) 2001.
  • The Scottish Cell Wall Group 10th Annual Meeting (Edinburgh) 2000: Evolution and diversity of plant cell walls - abstract included in appendix
  • Scottish Cell Wall Group 10th Annual Meeting (Edinburgh) 2000: Evolution and Diversity of Plant Cell Walls.
  • Scottish Cell Wall Group 12th Annual Meeting (Paisley) 2002: Evidence for the widespread occurrence of a covalent linkage between xyloglucan and acidic pectins in suspension-cultured angiosperm cells.
  • Scottish Cell Wall Group 13th Annual Meeting (Dundee) 2003: Synthesis of a covalent linkage between xyloglucan and acidic pectins in suspension-cultured Arabidopsis cells.
  • Scottish Cell Wall Group 14th Annual Meeting (Glasgow) 2004: Towards elucidation of the structure of xyloglucan-rhamnogalacturonan-I complexes.
  • 10th International Cell Wall Meeting (Sorrento) 2004: Occurrence and metabolism of xyloglucan-rhamnogalacturonan-I complexes.

Posters

  • The 9th International Cell Wall Meeting (Toulouse) 2001: Evolution and Diversity of the Primary Cell Wall in Green Plants
  • The Scottish Cell Wall Group 10th Annual Meeting (Stirling) 2001: 3-O-Methyl-D-galactose residues in lycophyte cell walls
  • The Scottish Cell Wall Group 9th Annual Meeting (Glasgow) 1999: Is mixed-linkage glucan unique to gramineous monocots?
  • The 8th International Cell Wall Meeting (Norwich) 1998: Evolution of plant cell wall polysaccharides: Algae to Angiosperms.
  • The Scottish Cell Wall Group 8th Annual Meeting (Dundee) 1998: Primary plant cell wall composition in relation to the evolution of green plants.
  • Scottish Cell Wall Group 8th Annual Meeting (Dundee) 1998: Primary plant cell wall composition in relation to the evolution of green plants.
  • 8th International Cell Wall Meeting (Norwich) 1998: Evolution of plant cell wall polysaccharides: Algae to Angiosperms.
  • Scottish Cell Wall Group 11th Annual Meeting (Glasgow) 1999: Is mixed-linkage glucan unique to gramineous monocots?
  • 9th International Cell Wall Meeting (Toulouse) 2001: Evolution and diversity of the primary cell wall in green plants.
  • Scottish Plant Biology Meeting (Glasgow) 2003: Evidence for the widespread occurrence of a covalent linkage between xyloglucan and acidic pectins in suspension-cultured angiosperm cells.

This project was funded by the BBSRC.



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