Objective:
1. To develop valuable analytical methods for plant cell wall research and apply these methods to understanding the limitations to digestibility. 2. To assess how plants respond to down-regulation of various enzymes in the cell wall pathways. Additional funds will be used for the salary of Research Associate Hoon Kim (who continues to work extensively on this project with transgenics and cell wall cross-linking), some supplies, and travel funds.

Approach:
1. Adapt the cell wall dissolution methods to small samples for Arabidopsis studies. 2. Develop NMR methods to elucidate cell wall structural detail for small samples. 3. Structurally examine promising cell wall mutants and ransgenics. 4. Synthesize required cell wall model compounds and products.