Question No.  18644 :
Where does cellulose come from in plants? Thank you for your time!

Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate, or polysaccharide, consisting of 3,000 or more glucose units. Cellulose comprises about 33 percent of all vegetable matter (90 percent of cotton and 50 percent of wood are cellulose) and is the most abundant of all naturally occurring organic compounds. Cellulose, the primary constituent of plant cell walls, is a polyglucose chain composed of hundreds of glucose residues which are covalently linked, forming a ribbon-like structure stabilized by hydrogen bonds. It is the intermolecular hydrogen bonds that cause these chains to adhere together forming bundles which are referred to as cellulose microfibrils. These microfibrils are then arranged in layers bound by hydrogen molecules to form the primary cell wall. It is also the cellulose that provides a rigid support that allows the plant to stand upright. For further information on cellulose of plant cell walls, please refer to the URL below: http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e26/26a.htm Plants make cellulose from glucose, a sugar they first produce from carbon dioxide and water through the process of photosynthesis. Cellulose is believed to be constructed by the enzyme cellulose synthase. The biosynthesis of cellulose, one of the most important primary plant products, is still unclear. For additional information on the biosynthesis of cellulose, please refer to the URL below: http://plantsciences.montana.edu/stout/458/Cellulose.html Question Asked By:

Name: Samantha Foster

Age Group: 13 to 20

Occupation Type: Student

Education Level: Others