iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 03/09/2026

🌱 What does a plant cell wall actually do? It helps cells withstand pressure, control growth, connect with neighbours and respond to environmental challenges. The cell wall is anything but static. #PlantWallK #PlantCellWall #PlantBiology #PlantScience #CellWallResearch

Onion (Allium sp.) epidermis. Light microscopy. Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 01/09/2026

🌱 Primary or secondary cell wall? Primary walls surround growing cells. Secondary walls provide additional strength in specialised cells and tissues. Different structures for different jobs. #PlantWallK #PlantCellWall #PlantBiology #PlantDevelopment #CellWallResearch

Growing plant cells produce a primary cell wall around themselves. Some cells add a sturdy secondary cell wall to protect themselves against pathogens and drought. The strength of the secondary cell wall is primarily provided by lignin (and the size of the wall). The plant cell, with a vacuole in blue, is shown in the middle. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Caroline Dahl.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 31/08/2026

🧱 One wall. Many materials. Cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins, proteins and lignin come together to build the plant cell wall. And their organisation matters just as much as their composition, making them fascinating study subjects. #PlantCellWall #Cellulose #Pectin #Lignin #PlantBiology

Uploaded a work by Christophe Loix, Michiel Huybrechts, Jaco Vangronsveld, Marijke Gielen, Els Keunen, Ann Cuypers from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.01867/full. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 27/08/2026

🔬Technique Spotlight: Brillouin Microscopy Brillouin microscopy measures the mechanical properties of plant cells and tissues without physical contact. A powerful tool for exploring plant cell wall mechanics. 📷 Onion epidermal cells #PlantWallK #BrillouinMicroscopy #PlantCellWall

Brillouin microscopy image of onion epidermal cells. A grayscale microscopy image shows the cellular structure, with a coloured inset mapping the Brillouin frequency shift across the tissue from purple to yellow. The scale bar represents 5 µm.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 24/08/2026

👀 Can you recognise the plant cell walls? Look closely at the boundaries between the cells. Can you guess what tissue or organism this image comes from? 🌱 #PlantWallK #PlantCellWall #Microscopy #PlantScience #GuessTheImage 📸 @laurabacete.bsky.social

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 20/08/2026

🔬 How far does plant cell wall research take us? 🧪 cellulose ↓ 🧱 cellulose microfibril ↓ 🔬 cell wall ↓ 🌱 cell ↓ 🌿 tissue ↓ 🌳 whole plant Understanding how changes at one scale affect another is one of the major challenges (and opportunities) in the field. #PlantCellWall #PlantScience #Biophysics

Simple illustrated diagram showing the organisation of plant cell wall structures across scales: a cellulose molecule → cellulose microfibril → cell wall → individual plant cell → tissue → whole plant. Green botanical illustrations are connected by arrows to show how these levels build from molecular structures to the complete plant.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 17/08/2026

🌱 Why Arabidopsis thaliana? This tiny plant is one of the most widely used model organisms in plant science. Its small genome, short generation time and extensive genetic resources make it a powerful system for plant biology, including cell wall formation and function. 📷 @laurabacete.bsky.social

Several young Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings growing in dark potting soil in a small plant growth container. The seedlings have small, rounded green leaves and slender stems at an early stage of development. A magnifying glass is positioned above the plants, suggesting close observation of the seedlings.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 15/08/2026

⏰ 1 day left! Applications for the PlantWallK Training School close tomorrow. 🔬 Learn FLIM for plant cell wall imaging 📍 Prague 🗓 15–16 Sept 2026 Apply now: plantwallk.org/training-sch... #PlantWallK #FLIM #PlantScience

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 11/08/2026

🔬 If you could learn one new technique for studying plant cell walls, what would it be? • FLIM • AFM • Raman • Electron microscopy • Spatial transcriptomics • Computational modelling • Something else! Tell us below 👇 #PlantWallK #PlantScience 📸 Jan Martinek.

False-colour confocal microscopy image of elongated plant cells showing brightly labelled cell walls (yellow, orange and red) surrounding a network of blue cytoskeletal filaments within each cell. The image demonstrates the level of detail that modern microscopy can reveal in plant tissues. Image credit: Jan Martinek.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 06/08/2026

Modern imaging techniques allow us to observe plant cell walls with remarkable detail, from fluorescent reporters to electron microscopy and mechanical imaging. Each method provides a different perspective on this complex and dynamic structure. Which #microscopy technique is your favourite?

Illustration of Kircher's microscope, from Musaeum Kircherianum (1709) by Filippo Buonanni, curator of the Kircher Museum in the Collegio Romano. Image sourced from the Public Domain Image Archive / Biodiversity Heritage Library / Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 03/08/2026

📅 Reminder: the PlantWallK WG2 webinar on Image & Data Analysis takes place this Friday, 7 August, at 14:00 CEST. 🔹 Tereza Belinova (ISTA) — From Pixels to Patterns 🔹 Beatriz Serrano-Solano (EMBL Heidelberg) — AI4Life Highlights 🔹 Host: @stephanevrg.bsky.social #PlantCellWall #AI #ImageAnalysis

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 31/07/2026

📢 Applications are open! PlantWallK Training School: Beyond Intensity: FLIM for Plant Cell Wall Imaging. 🗓 15–16 Sept 2026 📍 Prague, Czech Republic ⏳ Apply by 16 August: plantwallk.org/training-sch... #PlantWallK #FLIM #PlantScience #Microscopy

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 30/07/2026

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth, but it is only one component of the plant cell wall. Pectins, hemicelluloses, structural proteins and lignin all contribute to the remarkable properties of plant cell walls. #PlantWallK #Cellulose #PlantCellWall #PlantScience

Cellulose nanofiber network. Image by Qspheroid4, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 28/07/2026

AFM lets researchers measure plant cell wall mechanics at the nanoscale, revealing stiffness changes during growth, development, or stress and how plants shape and respond to their environment. Have you used AFM in your research? #PlantWallK #AFM #Biomechanics #PlantScience #Microscopy

Picture of AFM microscope at UPSC facility

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 27/07/2026

Plant cell walls aren’t rigid; they’re dynamic materials that adapt during growth, development, and environmental change. Understanding them boosts crop resilience, enables sustainable biomaterials, and deepens our knowledge of #PlantBiology. What aspect of the plant cell wall fascinates you most?

Owing to osmotic loss of water from the vacuole, the living protoplast of a plant cell is detached from the cell wall during plasmolysis. This process is induced by hypertonic salt or sugar solutions. A network‐like structure, surrounded by the plasma membrane, remains closely attached to the cell wall. Image credit: Krishna satya 333, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 21/07/2026

🔬 Postdoc opportunity: how do plant cells sense and respond to changes in their cell walls? Join the @cellwalldynamics.com lab @umeaplantsciencecentre.se, integrating Brillouin, O-PTIR & spatial transcriptomics on the Arabidopsis root. Deadline 31 Aug 2026 🔗 buff.ly/cPFemXd #PlantScience #Postdoc

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 20/07/2026

📢 Two postdoc positions available in @mc-caillaud.bsky.social's group (RDP lab, ENS de Lyon), part of an ERC Consolidator. Project: how plant cells orient their division, combining cell biology, molecular genetics, and mechanical modelling. 📅 Deadline: 1 Oct 26 | Start: Nov 26 onwards Details 🧵👇

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 17/07/2026

📢 PlantWallK WG2 Webinar — "Image & Data Analysis" Join us for an introduction to AI for image processing, with two talks: 🔹 Tereza Belinova (ISTA) — From Pixels to Patterns 🔹 Beatriz Serrano-Solano (EMBL Heidelberg) — AI4Life Highlights 🔹 Hosted by @stephanevrg.bsky.social 📅 Fri 7 Aug, 14:00 CEST

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 18/06/2026

🌿 A slice of the PlantWallK delegation at #CellWall2026 in Porto! If you want to know more about COST Action and how to get involved, come find us, we are happy to chat! 😊 #PlantWallK #COST

Four PlantWallK COST Action members posing in front of the XVII Plant Cell Wall Meeting welcome banner at Fundação Cupertino de Miranda, Porto.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 18/06/2026

🌿 Great talk today at #CellWall2026 by Daniele Coculo, exploring how cell wall remodelling shapes resistance to Xylella fastidiosa in olive. Proud to have supported his participation through a PlantWallK YRI Conference Grant! #PlantWallK #COST

Daniele Coculo presenting at the XVII Plant Cell Wall Meeting in Porto. The acknowledgements slide is projected on screen, showing collaborators from Sapienza University of Rome, IPSP-CNR Bari, and Universidad de Málaga, along with funding logos including PlantWallK COST Action

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 28/05/2026

A great way to close the #PlantWallK26 days in Prague! The EPCC satellite meeting wrapped up yesterday with a full day of scientific presentations and stimulating discussions on plant cytoskeleton. Many thanks to all contributors and participants, it was a pleasure to see the community in action.

Group photograph of EPCC satellite meeting participants, taken on 27 May 2026 in the entrance hall of a classical university building in Prague. Approximately forty attendees are arranged across several steps of a grand stone staircase, facing the camera. A small sign reading "EPCC — May 27.5.2026, Prague" is held at the front of the group.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 28/05/2026

The 1st #PlantWallK meeting brought together 80+ researchers. Cell biologists, physicists, biochemists, modellers, all converging on 1 structure: the plant cell wall. Two days of talks, posters, and cross-disciplinary debate later, the collaborations are set. The work begins! #PlantBiology #CellWall

A large group of approximately 80 researchers posing for a group photograph on the grand staircase of the Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague. The group spans six rows, with participants standing on the steps to give height to the back rows. People are dressed in smart-casual summer attire and most wear conference lanyards in red or blue with name badges. The crowd is diverse in age, gender, and background, ranging from early-career researchers to senior scientists. Two large white neoclassical columns frame the staircase on either side. To the upper left, a dark commemorative wall plaque bearing Czech text notes that Albert Einstein held a professorship in the building between 1911 and 1912. A clock is partially visible high on the back wall. The overall atmosphere is warm and collegial.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🌿 To close the meeting, Kateřina Schwarzerová leads the Action Planning Discussion, with WG leaders Aline Voxeur, Stéphane Verger and Dorota Kwiatkowska reporting back on what was discussed in their groups and collecting suggestions from the whole community #PlantWallK26

Kateřina Schwarzerová (yellow top) and Aline Voxeur stand at the front of the lecture hall at Charles University, Prague, leading the closing Action Planning Discussion. Words written on the whiteboard below the projected screen include “crosslinking”, “remodelling” and “live imaging” — traces of the scientific discussions from the meeting.

Kateřina Schwarzerová (yellow top), Stéphane Verger (holding a microphone) and Dorota Kwiatkowska stand at the front of the room next to a flipchart titled “SUGGESTIONS”, collecting input from participants during the closing plenary session.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🤖 Last talk of #PlantWallK26! Adam Harmanec (Czech Academy of Sciences) presents Shape2Fate — a deep learning tool that tracks and classifies individual vesicles entering and leaving the cell at nanoscale resolution using shape. With huge potential for studying plant processes!

Projected title slide reading “Shape2Fate: a morphology-aware deep learning framework for tracking endocytic and exocytic carriers at nanoscale” by Adam Harmanec, supervised by Dr. Zuzana Kadlecova and Prof. Filip Sroubek. Logos of CIMR Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Charles University, Micron Oxford, UTIA and MUNI MED are visible. Adam Harmanec stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🌱 Vincent Burlat (University of Toulouse) presents decades of work on cell wall microdomain remodelling in Arabidopsis integrating transcriptomics, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy and molecular docking. A real multidisciplinary approach! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Cell wall microdomain remodeling: integrated microtechnique approaches” by Vincent Burlat, Plant Science Research Lab, Toulouse, France. Logos of University of Toulouse, CNRS, INP Agro Toulouse, ANR and INRAE are visible at the bottom. Vincent Burlat stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🗺️ Anna Fučíková (Charles University) presents how atomic force microscopy can map mechanical and topographical properties of plant cells in near-native conditions — and her lab is conveniently just a 7-minute walk from the venue! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “What atomic force microscopy can tell us about plants” by Anna Fučíková, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Czech Republic. The slide shows an AFM instrument, a colourful stiffness map of plant tissue, photos of plant specimens, and a map showing the lab is a 7-minute walk away. Anna Fučíková stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🔬 Lenka Pálková (Institute of Scientific Instruments, Czech Academy of Sciences) combines two powerful microscopy techniques to image individual proteins at the plant cell surface at nanometre resolution — without any additional sample preparation. A methodological tour de force! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Correlative TIRFM / A-ESEM approach for nanoscale analysis of plant plasma membrane protein organization” by Lenka Pálková and colleagues from the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University. Logos of both institutions alongside PlantWallK and Czech Academy of Sciences are visible. Lenka Pálková stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🪧☀️ Poster Session II — Prague is delivering on the sunshine and so are our participants! Some of the most animated discussions of the meeting happening right now between the posters. #PlantWallK26

Researchers at the first PlantWallK meeting gathered in a sun-drenched indoor courtyard of Charles University, Prague, discussing scientific posters mounted on cork boards. Tall trees reach toward the skylights above while participants chat in groups around the posters and at wooden tables.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

⚡ Ivan Kulich (Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences) explores how reactive oxygen species play a precise signalling role in fortifying the cell wall when roots encounter mechanical obstacles. Controlled oxidation as a building tool! #PlantWallK26

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🧂 Miguel Botella (Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea La Mayora) uncovers how plants keep making cellulose under salt stress: BIK1 phosphorylates a protein that stabilises the cellulose-making machinery at the membrane. Stress signalling meets cell wall biology! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Dynamic Control of the Cellulose Synthase Complex: BIK1 Phosphorylates TTL3 to Stabilize Growth in High Salinity” by Miguel Angel Botella, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea La Mayora. A photo of the IHSM building is shown alongside CSIC and Spanish Ministry logos. Miguel Botella stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🎤 Keynote 2! Professor Eva Deinum (Wageningen University) asks: how do plant cells “decide” which direction to grow? Microtubules just beneath the cell surface collectively integrate mechanical, developmental and geometric signals, and modelling is the key tool to understand how. #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Cortical microtubules as cell wall architects: a modelling perspective” by Eva Deinum, Wageningen University & Research, Prague, 26 May 2026. A minimalist ink illustration of a surfer on a wave is visible on the slide. Eva Deinum stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🌵 Marija Vidović (University of Belgrade) studies Ramonda serbica, a remarkable “resurrection plant” that can survive almost complete desiccation and bounce back. The secret? A highly flexible pectin matrix in the cell wall that allows cells to shrink and fold without breaking. #PlantWallK26

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🍂 Julia Morales (Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research) investigates a very practical problem: why do persimmon fruits drop prematurely? She finds that calcium plays a key role in stabilising the cell wall at the abscission zone, with implications for reducing crop losses. #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Calcium deposition and cell wall integrity in persimmon abscission zones: evidence of cellular adaptation” by Julia Morales, Andrés Marzal, Ana Quiñones and Belén Martínez-Alcántara, Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research, Spain. The slide features a botanical illustration of a persimmon branch and a microscopy image of plant cells. Julia Morales stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

🔍 Ayşegül Erdoğan (Ege University) brings a technique from materials science to plant biology: X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) can probe the outermost nanometres of the cell wall surface, revealing its chemical composition in ways traditional methods simply can’t. #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Surface Chemical Characterization of Plant Cell Walls by XPS and Chemical Imaging” by Ayşegül Erdoğan, Ege University Application and Research Centre for Testing and Analysis, İzmir, Türkiye. The PlantWallK, COST and EGE MATAL logos are visible alongside an image of an XPS instrument and a microscopy image of plant cell surfaces. Ayşegül Erdoğan stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 26/05/2026

☀️ Good morning from Prague! Day 2 of #PlantWallK26 is underway! Hendrik Küpper (Czech Academy of Sciences) opens with a powerful toolkit: synchrotron X-ray techniques that can map where metals are in plant cells and even reveal what chemical form they are in.

Projected slide titled “X-ray spectroscopy on biological samples — Typical process scheme from plant to publication with µXANES tomography” showing the workflow from plant growth to synchrotron analysis, with steps attributed to the biology PI group, synchrotron staff, or both. Hendrik Küpper stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

✅ Day 1 wraps up with the 2nd Management Committee meeting! Kateřina Schwarzerová updates the national representatives on the Action’s governance and decisions. #PlantWallK is officially in full motion. See you tomorrow! #PlantWallK26

Projected slide titled “MC e-votes” showing management committee voting items during the Management Committee meeting of the first #PlantWallK meeting. Kateřina Schwarzerová stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🗣️ To close Day 1, working groups split up to start planning their activities and the discussions were already very much in full swing! Great energy across all three groups. This is #PlantWallK taking shape in real time! #PlantWallK26

Participants of the #PlantWallK meeting gathered in a university lecture hall at Charles University, Prague, for a Working Group 1 discussion. Work group leader Aline Voxeur stands at the front facing the seated group of around 25 researchers.

A group of around ten #PlantWallK participants engaged in an animated Working Group 2 discussion around a wooden table in the sunny courtyard of Charles University, Prague, surrounded by potted flowering plants.

A group of around twelve #PlantWallK participants seated around a large oval table in a cosy attic room with wooden beams and skylights, engaged in a Working Group 3 discussion. One woman stands and speaks while others take notes.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🦈 Peter Ulvskov ends his keynote with a call to action for #PlantWallK26 and possibly the most unexpected item on any scientific to-do list: “identify colleagues who keep sharks”. Shark antibodies are uniquely suited to bind complex sugars. So, who’s keeping sharks? 👀

Projected slide titled “PlantWallK collaborative effort” listing four action points: isolate relevant glycans for immunization; identify colleagues who keep sharks and are interested in collaboration (highlighted in teal); screen and select antibodies; and characterise antibodies in glycan microarrays and microscopy. Peter Ulvskov stands in front of the screen.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🪧 And our poster session was a hit! Some of the best science happens in these informal chats around a poster — and today was no exception. So many great conversations at #PlantWallK26!

Participants at the first #PlantWallK meeting gathered in a sunny courtyard of Charles University, Prague, discussing scientific posters mounted on cork boards. Groups of researchers engage in conversation around the posters while others chat at wooden tables surrounded by potted plants.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🎤 Time for our first Keynote! Prof Peter Ulvskov (University of Copenhagen) presents CoMPP, a powerful technique to profile all the sugars in the cell wall at once using antibody-coated microarrays. Widely used in publications, but still hard to implement. Can #PlantWallK26 help change that?

Projected slide titled “Glycan microarrays, opportunities and challenges” by Peter Ulvskov, outlining three topics: what is CoMPP and AMSA, CoMPP workflows, and probes and the future of CoMPP. Peter Ulvskov stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🧪 Maarten Besten (Wageningen University) tackles a frustrating problem: most fluorescent probes can’t get through the plant cell wall! He shows that with the right balance of size, charge and water-affinity, synthetic probes can penetrate plant tissues and target specific structures. #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Designing synthetic fluorescent probes for plants — From trial and error to rational design” by Maarten Besten, Jan Willem Borst and Joris Sprakel, set against a striking fluorescence microscopy image of plant cells in green and pink. Maarten Besten stands at the podium on the right, gesturing animatedly.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

💡 Our very own Science Communication Coordinator has a day job too! Laura Bacete (Umeå University) presents Brillouin microscopy, a light-based technique that measures how stiff cell walls are in living plants, without touching or labelling them. #PlantWallK26

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🔬 Oskar Siemianowski (University of Warsaw) uses synchrotron X-ray scattering to reveal how pectin — a key cell wall sugar — organises itself at the nanoscale and how calcium controls its arrangement. Tiny patterns, huge consequences for how plants grow! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “Flexible Pectin Nanopatterning Drives Cell Wall Organization in Plants” by Oskar Siemianowski and collaborators. The slide includes X-ray images of leaves, aerial and interior photos of the Brookhaven National Laboratory synchrotron facility, and logos of PennState, University of Warsaw, US Department of Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory and CLSF. Oskar Siemianowski stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🤖 Filip Šroubek (Czech Academy of Sciences) asks: what are we missing in our experiments because we only look for what we already expect to find? He proposes AI as a tool to uncover hidden biological effects, and invites the community to help shape this new paradigm! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide on a dark background reading “AI for Comparative Experiments — A Vision for Adaptive Discovery in Biology” by Filip Šroubek. Logos of University of Cambridge, University of London, PSI Institut Curie, Czech Academy of Sciences, UTIA and BIOCEV are visible at the bottom. Filip Šroubek stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🖥️Elsa Gascon (Umeå University) presents her PhD work at ENS Lyon building detailed 3D digital models of plant tissues to simulate the mechanical forces acting on cell walls. Because some stresses are simply too small or too deep to measure experimentally. Virtual plants, real insights! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide background reading “From tissue reconstructions to mechanical models of plant cell walls” by Elsa Gascon, PostDoctorate at Stéphane Verger and Magnus Andersson groups, Umeå University. Logos of RDP, ENS de Lyon, Umeå Universitet and IceLab are visible at the bottom. Elsa Gascon stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🧱 Himanshu Shekhar (University of Jyväskylä) uses computer simulations to understand how cellulose — the most abundant polymer on Earth — assembles into ordered fibrils inside the cell wall, and how other sugars called hemicelluloses help or hinder that process. #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide on a purple background reading “Multiscale modelling of cellulose microfibril formation: role of hemicelluloses in bundling and crystallisation” by Himanshu Shekhar, Postdoc at the Department of Physics and Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The PlantWallK and University of Jyväskylä logos are visible. Himanshu Shekhar stands at the podium on the right.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

😄 Grégory Mouille (INRAE, Université Paris-Saclay) opens with style! His team studies how plant cells stick together — and how they deliberately separate to form cavities. Serious science, clearly fun lab! #PlantWallK26

Projected slide with a playful design reading “ACCI — Cell by cell, building a greener future! With these masterminds,” featuring four informal photos of lab members. Grégory Mouille stands at the podium on the right pointing at the screen. Attendees are visible in the foreground.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🔬 And we continue with Chara corallina! Etienne Couturier (CNRS) asks: does the elasticity of the cell wall actually control the direction of growth? Challenging a classic hypothesis with some elegant experiments! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “From elastic strain to growth strain in Chara corallina” by Etienne Couturier, CNRS, on a light blue background. Etienne Couturier stands smiling at the podium on the right, with attendees visible in the foreground.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

💪 Plant cells generate forces that outpace muscle contractions in animals, all thanks to water pressure! Antonio Mosciatti (CNRS, Université Paris) uses the alga Chara corallina to test whether we can mathematically predict how much force a growing cell can exert. #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “A model for force generation in Chara corallina and parameter estimation” by student Antonio Mosciatti, tutor Etienne Couturier, at the 1st PlantWallK meeting. Logos of MSC, Université Paris, CNRS and EDPIF are visible. Antonio Mosciatti stands at the podium on the right, with attendees visible in the foreground.

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COST Action PlantWallK @plantwallk.org · 25/05/2026

🌾 First talk of the day! Maurice Bosch (Aberystwyth University) explores how mechanical stimulation —like wind or touch— makes wheat stems stronger. The secret? The cell wall reshuffles its components rather than just adding more material. Touch shapes structure! #PlantWallK26

Projected title slide reading “From touch to strength: cell wall remodelling during wheat thigmomorphogenesis” by Annalene Hansen, John Doonan and Maurice Bosch, set against a golden wheat field photograph. Maurice Bosch stands at the podium on the right.

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