Starch is a water-insoluble polymer of glucose synthesized as discrete granules inside the stroma of plastids in plant cells. Starch reserves provide a source of carbohydrate for immediate growth and development, and act as long term carbon stores in endosperms and seed tissues for growth of the next generation, making starch of huge agricultural importance. The starch granule has a highly complex hierarchical structure arising from the combined actions of a large array of enzymes as well as physicochemical self-assembly mechanisms. Understanding the precise nature of granule architecture, and how both biological and abiotic factors determine this structure is of both fundamental and practical importance. This review outlines current knowledge of granule architecture and the starch biosynthesis pathway in relation to the model of starch structure. We highlight the gaps in our knowledge in relation to our understanding of the structure and synthesis of starch, and argue that the building block-backbone model takes accurate account of both structural and biochemical data.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms21197011 | DOI Listing |
Planta
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Science, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA.
The starch-statolith theory was established science for a century when the existence of gravitropic, starchless mutants questioned its premise. However, detailed kinetic studies support a statolith-based mechanism for graviperception. Gravitropism is the directed growth of plants in response to gravity, and the starch-statolith hypothesis has had a consensus among scientists as the accepted model for gravity perception.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysiol Plant
January 2025
School of Agriculture, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Regulating potato tuber dormancy is crucial for crop productivity and food security. We conducted the first comprehensive physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic investigations of two varieties of long and short dormant potato tubers in order to clarify the mechanisms of dormancy release. In the current study, three different dormant stages of UGT (ungerminated tubers), MGT (minimally germinated tubers), and GT (germinated tubers) were obtained by treatment with the germination promoter gibberellin A and the germination inhibitor chlorpropham.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNatl Sci Rev
February 2025
State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, China National Center for Rice Improvement, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.
Excessive temperatures during grain filling can compromise endosperm starch biosynthesis and decrease grain quality and yield in rice. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these remain unclear. Here, we show that heat shock protein OsHsp40-1 interacts with and elevates the ATPase activity of OsHsp70-2 in rice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Nanomedicine
January 2025
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy.
Purpose: The main purpose of the study was the formulation development of nanogels (NHs) composed of chondroitin sulfate (CS) and low molecular weight chitosan (lCH), loaded with a naringenin-β-cyclodextrin complex (NAR/β-CD), as a potential treatment for early-stage diabetic retinopathy.
Methods: Different formulations of NHs were prepared by varying polymer concentration, lCH ratio, and pH and, then, characterized for particle size, zeta potential, particle concentration (particles/mL) and morphology. Cytotoxicity and internalization were assessed in vitro using Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC).
Hortic Res
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, China.
Sugars act as signaling molecules to modulate various growth processes and enhance plant tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Moreover, sugars contribute to the postharvest flavor in fleshy fruit crops. To date, the regulation of sugar metabolism and its effect in plant growth, fruit ripening, postharvest quality, and stress resistance remains not fully understood.
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