Charles Anderson

IEE Faculty Member
Thematic Area Leads
IEE Fellow
Thematic Area Lead, Climate and Natural Systems
Titles and Affiliations
Professor, Biology

Research Summary

Our lab studies plant cell wall dynamics, with the goal of informing efforts to produce sustainable food, materials, and bioenergy from plants. We use in vivo imaging and cell biological, molecular, biochemical, and genetic approaches in the model plants Arabidopsis thaliana and Physcomitrella patens to investigate three biological processes: de novo cell wall formation, cell wall modification, and cell wall degradation.

In the News

Research Keywords

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Projects

Recent Publications

XTH genes impact growth habit determination of twining common bean vine revealed by brassinosteroid treatment

Hunt, L., Sousa-Baena, M. S., Acevedo, A. A., Semana, L., Wang, A., Glos, R. A. E., Ambrose, B. A., Anderson, C. T. & Onyenedum, J. G., Mar 2026, In: New Phytologist. 249, 6, p. 2938-2953 16 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Sequential cultivation of oyster and shiitake mushrooms on willow enhances biomass degradability

Siva, N., Klatte, H., Mather, T., Kothattil, S., Pecchia, J. A. & Anderson, C. T., Feb 2026, In: Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. 16, 3, 99.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

The Dynamics, Degradation, and Afterlives of Pectins: Influences on Cell Wall Assembly and Structure, Plant Development and Physiology, Agronomy, and Biotechnology

Anderson, C. T. & Pelloux, J., May 20 2025, In: Annual Review of Plant Biology. 76, 1, p. 85-113 29 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

PECTIN METHYLESTERASE51 Affects Stomatal Dimensions, Rosette Area, and Root Length in Arabidopsis thaliana

Dunham, A., Tamadaddi, C., Marshall, R. & Anderson, C., Apr 2025, In: Plant Direct. 9, 4, e70066.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Storming the barricades of rhamnogalacturonan-II synthesis and function

Hays, Q., Lerouge, P., Ropitaux, M., Anderson, C. T. & Lehner, A., Jun 1 2025, In: Plant Cell. 37, 6, koaf088.

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

The epidermis coordinates multi-scale symmetry breaking in chiral root growth

Nolan, N., Jaafar, L., Fan, Y., Huang, Y., Murchison, L., Ocasio, J., Onyenedum, J. G., Anderson, C. T., Genin, G. M. & Dixit, R., Dec 2025, In: Nature communications. 16, 1, 11022.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Gelatinous fibers develop asymmetrically to support bends and coils in common bean vines (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Onyenedum, J. G., Sousa-Baena, M. S., Hunt, L. M., Acevedo, A. A., Glos, R. A. E. & Anderson, C. T., Mar 2025, In: American journal of botany. 112, 3, e70014.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Adapting agriculture to climate catastrophes: the nuclear winter case

Shi, Y., Montes, F., Di Gioia, F., Xia, L., Bardeen, C. G., Anderson, C. T., Gil, Y., Khider, D., Ratnakar, V. & Kemanian, A. R., Jun 1 2025, In: Environmental Research Letters. 20, 6, 064006.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Branching under pressure: Influences of cell wall architecture and biomechanics on lateral root morphogenesis

Vadodaria, R. & Anderson, C. T., Jun 2025, In: Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 85, 102735.

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Pectin Metabolism Influences Phloem Architecture and Flowering Time in Arabidopsis Thaliana

Zhang, Q., Du, J., Hao, S., Leng, Z., Liu, W., Zhao, C., Yu, Y., Chen, L., Anderson, C. T. & Xiao, C., Oct 20 2025, In: Advanced Science. 12, 39, e02980.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

A core of cell wall proteins functions in wall integrity responses in Arabidopsis thaliana

Ajayi, O., Zelinsky, E. & Anderson, C. T., Apr 2024, In: Plant Direct. 8, 4, e579.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Lignin impairs Cel7A degradation of in vitro lignified cellulose by impeding enzyme movement and not by acting as a sink

Haviland, Z. K., Nong, D., Zexer, N., Tien, M., Anderson, C. T. & Hancock, W. O., Dec 2024, In: Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts. 17, 1, 7.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Architecture and functions of stomatal cell walls in eudicots and grasses

Jaafar, L. & Anderson, C. T., Aug 1 2024, In: Annals of botany. 134, 2, p. 195-204 10 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Young guard cells function dynamically despite low mechanical anisotropy but gain efficiency during stomatal maturation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Jaafar, L., Chen, Y., Keynia, S., Turner, J. A. & Anderson, C. T., Jun 2024, In: Plant Journal. 118, 6, p. 1719-1731 13 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Nutritional Composition of Post-Catastrophic Foods

Mather, T., Siva, N., Jauregui, M., Poudel, P., de Lima Brossi, M. J., Lambert, J. D., Di Gioia, F., Connolly, E. L. & Anderson, C. T., Aug 2024, In: Current Protocols in Microbiology. 4, 8, e1110.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review