A research team has discovered the molecular mechanisms that explain how bacterial cellulose patches stimulate wound regeneration in plants. The process, they explain, requires the simultaneous activation of hormone and defence response pathways. The finding has implications for agricultural practices.

Bacterial celulose patch on a Nicotiana benthamiana leaf | Credit: CRAG

Bacterial cellulose patches may have applications in grafting, pruning and cutting to improve wound healing in plants. In fact, they are also used in medicine for wound healing because of their high biocompatibility. 

A few years ago, a team from ICMAB-CSIC and the Centre de Recerca en Agrigenomica (CRAG) developed and patented a method based on bacterial cellulose biopolymers to improve the formation of new cells and accelerate wound healing in plants. However, until now it had not been possible to find out why bacterial cellulose is so effective.

Now, a study co-directed jointly by researchers from CRAG and the Centre for Biotechnology and Plant Genomics (CBGP), with the participation of researchers from ICMAB-CSIC, has managed to identify for the first time the precise molecular mechanism underlying this process. The work has been published in the journal Science Advances and also involves the participation of Colorado State University.

Bacterial cellulose, synthesised by certain bacteria in the form of a biofilm, consists of extremely pure cellulose fibres.

The team applied patches of bacterial cellulose to wounds on leaves of the model plants Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana, common laboratory models. Just two days later, they observed that new cells had formed on both sides of the cut. Seven days later, the wounds on the plants had completely healed.

This wound-healing process was promoted by bacterial cellulose but not by other structurally similar matrices such as plant cellulose, tested in the experiment, indicating that the former has specific characteristics. The scientists also found out that the bacterial cellulose patches contain cytokinins, a class of hormones involved in plant development. They also found that plants with defective cytokinin signalling - and thus unable to interact or respond to cytokinins - did not heal in the same way. This, ‘confirms that cytokinins are crucial for triggering regeneration,’ explains Nerea Ruiz-Solaní, co-author of the study.

The team also identified the production of oxidative stress in the injured areas after the application of bacterial cellulose. Genomic and bioinformatics analyses allowed the scientists to identify the specific genes involved in the process, which are genes typically associated with biotic responses, i.e. defence mechanisms against pathogens.

“Bacterial cellulose triggers a unique transcriptional program that differs from typical wounding-and callus-induced regeneration”, states Miguel Moreno-Risueño, co-leader of the study and an expert in plant regeneration at the CBGP.

The researchers highlight that it is the simultaneous activation of cytokinin and defence signalling pathways that leads to tissue regeneration, a novel finding as these mechanisms have previously been studied independently. However, further research is required to comprehensively elucidate the mechanisms that lead to cell cycle activation and differentiation during regeneration.

Núria Sánchez Coll, a CSIC researcher at CRAG and co-leader of the work, highlights the collaborative nature of this research: ‘This project has fostered very interesting collaborations with other research groups and with industry, paving the way for future studies on regeneration mechanisms in plants and their potential biotechnological applications’.

The research has significant implications for agricultural practices, including wound healing to prevent infections, as well as applications in grafting, pruning and ornamental plant care, particularly in vineyards, rose cultivation or stone pine production.

This work began in 2016 with different joint projects between the research groups of Núria Sánchez Coll, CSIC researcher at CRAG, and Anna Laromaine, researcher at ICMAB-CSIC, in collaboration with companies such as AGROMILLORA and Forestal Catalana S.A. (Plant Healing and Plant Nanohealing projects), which allowed preliminary field trials to be carried out.

However, more studies under field conditions are still needed to confirm the efficacy of bacterial cellulose patches in grafts. In addition, more resources for technology transfer are essential to bridge the gap between fundamental research and the productive sector, which could have a significant economic impact.

Reference article: 

Nerea Ruiz-Solaní , Alejandro Alonso-Díaz , Montserrat Capellades, Laura Serrano-Ron, Miquel Ferro-Costa, Álvaro Sanchez-Corrionero, Agnese Rabissi, Cristiana T. Argueso, Ignacio Rubio-Somoza, Anna Laromaine, Miguel A. Moreno-Risueno, Núria S. Coll. Exogenous bacterial cellulose induces plant tissue regeneration through the regulation of cytokinin and defense networks. Science Advances, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr1509