Soybean cell wall studies

Further support for cell wall biosynthesis as a target site was provided by Umetsu et al, who reported abnormal swelling of cultured soybean cells treated with dichlobenil. Dichlobenil was also shown to be an effective and reversible inhibitor of cell wall formation in tobacco protoplasts. It was considerably more potent than other cell wall inhibitors, such as coumarin, and it caused the formation of multinucleate protoplasts. Inhibition of cellulose biosynthesis prevented cell wall formation and cytokinesis but nuclear division that is, mitosis was unaffected. Further studies with tobacco protoplasts confirmed the specific and potent inhibition associated with the cellulose-synthesizing complex at the plasma membrane. 

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