Researchers have discovered that a pure form of cellulose produced by bacteria can act as a plant bandage, significantly boosting healing and regeneration in plants. Bacterial cellulose, which is already used in human medicine for treating wounds and burns, has now been found to enhance plant healing as well. Plant biologist Núria Sánchez Coll and colleagues were testing bacterial cellulose patches embedded with silver nanoparticles to prevent infections in wounded plants when they noticed that wounds treated with the patches healed better and faster. The researchers then set out to determine the molecular cause of this process by conducting experiments on common lab plants.
The scientists made small cuts in the leaves of two common lab plants, Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana, applying the bacterial cellulose patches to half of the wounds. After one week, more than 80 percent of the treated wounds had healed completely, while less than 20 percent of the untreated wounds had healed. Microscopic analysis showed that tissues in the treated wounds appeared healthy, while untreated wounds showed signs of distress and dehydration. The team also discovered that the patches significantly enhance plant regeneration, particularly in cloning experiments, where plants reproduce asexually through vegetative propagation.
A chemical analysis revealed that the bacterial cellulose contained plant hormones, which were likely produced by the bacteria responsible for its synthesis. This discovery was surprising as the hormones remained intact despite previous sterilization of the patches to avoid contamination. The researchers believe that the cellulose matrix is so dense that it preserves the hormones, which remain bioactive. At a genetic level, the bacterial cellulose-induced healing appears distinct from normal plant wound repair, as the bacterial cellulose triggers a different set of genes involved in infection defense.
While bacterial cellulose has been widely used in human medicine, this is the first time it has been found to have intrinsic biological activity in plants. Plant scientist Javier Agustí sees enormous biotechnological potential in the discovery and is interested in seeing how well it works in real crops. The findings suggest potential applications in agriculture, such as facilitating grafting, preserving cut plant material, or serving as a growth medium in laboratories. Other research groups are looking at these findings at the molecular level to determine if they apply to other regeneration processes that are not fully understood yet.
In conclusion, the discovery of bacterial cellulose as a plant bandage that boosts healing and regeneration in plants has potential implications for agriculture and plant research. The chemical analysis of the bacterial cellulose revealed the presence of plant hormones likely produced by the bacteria, which remained intact despite sterilization of the patches. The bacterial cellulose induced a distinct genetic response in plant wound repair, turning off some genes involved in healing while activating others related to infection defense. While the research is still in early stages, the findings have significant biotechnological potential that could have various applications in agriculture and plant regeneration processes.
