The EXTENSIN enigma

EXTENSINS (EXTs) are an abundant and yet enigmatic class of cell wall proteins that are found across multicellular plant lineages, from Bryophytes to Angiosperms. They have been shown to be integrated within the cell wall matrix, and are proposed to play key roles in the dynamic regulation of cell-wall properties. Consistent with this, EXTs are thought to be important for plant growth and development. However, like many other classes of cell wall proteins, EXTs are biochemically complex, highly diverse, and are encoded by multiple genes, making in-depth functional characterization a challenging undertaking. Here we will provide an overview of current knowledge of the biochemistry and properties of EXTs, and of the tools that have been deployed to study their biological functions in plants.