A novel mutation in KNOPF uncovers the role of alpha-glucosidase I during post-embryonic development in Arabidopsis thaliana.

N-glycosylation is a common protein modification. Joining of polypeptide and carbohydrate elements into hybrid molecules provides an opportunity to fine-tune protein properties. However, the role of N-glycosylation on the development of multicellular organisms remains elusive. Here we report a hypomorphic allele of KNOPF/GLUCOSIDASE 1, which allows us to describe the effects of impaired alpha-glucosidase I on post-embryonic development of plants for the first time. This knf-101 mutation alters cell shape but does not affect cell arrangements, except for the patterning of specialized epidermal cells, delineating the significance of N-glycan processing during epidermal development in Arabidopsis.