Endosidin20 targets cellulose synthase catalytic domain to inhibit cellulose biosynthesis

Cellulose is synthesized by rosette structured cellulose synthase (CESA) complexes (CSCs), each of which is composed of multiple units of CESAs in three different isoforms. CSCs rely on vesicle trafficking for delivery to the plasma membrane where they catalyze cellulose synthesis. Although the rosette structured CSCs were observed decades ago, it remains unclear what amino acids in plant CESA that directly participate in cellulose catalytic synthesis. It is not clear how the catalytic activity of CSCs influences their efficient transport at the subcellular level. We report characterization of the small molecule Endosidin20 (ES20) and present evidence that it represents a new CESA inhibitor. We show chemical genetic analyses, biochemical assays, structural modeling, and molecular docking to support our conclusion that ES20 targets the catalytic site of Arabidopsis CESA6. Chemical genetic analysis reveals important amino acids that potentially form the catalytic site of plant CESA6. Using high spatiotemporal resolution live-cell imaging, we found that inhibition of CSC catalytic activity by inhibitor treatment, or by creating missense mutation at amino acids in the predicted catalytic site, causes reduced efficiency in CSC transport to the plasma membrane. We show that the catalytic activity of plant CSCs is integrated with subcellular trafficking dynamics.