CoE/ViPS Invited Seminar February 2026

Date: 11th February 2026

Time: 13:00

Title: Mechanics and dynamics of cell-cell adhesion in plants

Location: Lecture room B7, Forest sciences building, Latokartanonkaari and online via Zoom

Host: Anna Happonen

Abstract: Cell adhesion is a fundamental feature of multicellular life, ensuring tissue integrity while accommodating growth and mechanical stress. In plants, adhesion relies on the cell wall and its specialized domains, yet the structural and molecular bases of this process remain poorly understood. Cell adhesion also plays a crucial role during wood formation and the process of fiber intrusive growth. Insights gained from studying adhesion in the model system Arabidopsis thaliana can help us develop trees with improved fibers quality.

Here, I will present work where we investigated the mechanical architecture of adhesion sites at the tissue level in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using finite element modeling, ultrastructural imaging, and mechanical assays, we reveal that outer epidermal cell edges, not the bulk of the middle lamella, are critical for tissue cohesion. These edges exhibit local wall thickening and maintain maternal wall continuity between adjacent cells, enabling them to bear load and dissipate tensile stress. Disruption of these edge domains triggers fracture and cell separation, redefining the role of wall subdomains in maintaining tissue integrity.

I will also briefly present our ongoing activities and the tools we develop to study of fiber formation and elongation in poplar. 

I am a group leader at Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå, Sweden (). My scientific interest lies in studying how multicellular organisms, and in particular plants, maintain their complex multicellular organization during growth and development. More specifically I am interested in how cells stick to each other and how this is regulated by genes and physics. I am also involved in projects studying the contribution of physical signal for defining cell identity in plants. A large part of our research uses the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. We also translate our research to trees by studying the contribution of cell-adhesion, cell fate and mechanical signaling during wood formation in aspen, to develop knowledge that will help us make trees that grow faster and with high-quality wood.