Research Projects

Silica is deposited on cell wall material in most cell types, but in Poaceae family plants, silica cells fill almost their entire cell volume with silica deposited on a proteinaceous template. Silica cells secrete a protein called Siliplant1 (Slp1), which interacts with supersaturated silicic acid in the apoplast, precipitating silica between the cell wall and the cell membrane. This process displaces the cytoplasm, causing the cytoplasm to shrink and silicify. After silicification, silica cells undergo programmed cell death, leaving behind micrometric voids. The current proposal aims to follow ultrastructural changes in rice silica cells using confocal fluorescent light and scanning electron microscopes to understand the internal organization of cell organelles and their fate after cell death.