Dataset associated with 'Interactions between callose and cellulose revealed through the analysis of biopolymer mixtures'

The properties of (1,3)-β-glucans (i.e. callose) remain largely unknown despite their importance in plant development and defence. Mixtures of (1,3)-β-glucan and cellulose, in ionic liquid solution and hydrogels, were used as proxies to understand the physico-mechanical properties of callose in cell walls. With callose addition, the stiffness of callose-cellulose hydrogels was reduced, to a greater extent than predicted from the ideal mixing rule (i.e. the weighted average of the individual components’ properties). In contrast, yield behaviour after the elastic limit is more ductile in cellulose-callose hydrogels compared with sudden failure in 100% cellulose hydrogels. The viscoelastic behaviour and the diffusion of the ions in mixed ionic liquid solutions strongly indicate interactions between the polymers. These interactions are likely linked to changes in cellulose organization in the presence of callose recorded by FTIR analysis of hydrogels and transgenic cell walls. The implications in the context of callose biological function are discussed.