Starch Metabolism in Plant and Its Applications in Food Industry

Starch, a polymer of sugars in plants, is widely used in various industries due to its properties. It is synthesized through ADP-glucose formation and enzyme-mediated processes. Starch is formed during the day and broken down into sugars at night, which are then transported and converted back to starch in storage tissues. This review explores starch metabolism pathways and its role in the food industry, providing valuable insights on energy storage in plants.

Effect and Its Mechanism of Brassinolide-regulated Starch Metabolism in Rice Germination

The study was aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of brassinolide（ BL） regulated starch metabolism in rice endosperm during seed germination.The radicle elongation of rice seeds treated with 1 μmol/L BL was inhibited during germination. The analysis on rice seeds with a GUS-fused promoter showed that BL had different regulatory effects on Wx,SBEI,and AGPS1. The effect of BL treatment on the physicochemical properties of rice starch was further investigated by scanning electron microscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the starch treated with BL maintained better crystallinity and orderly structure,indicating that during the germination process,the degradation of starch in endosperm was slow,which might be one of the reasons for the slow radicle growth in the early stages of seed germination. This study provided important clues for further analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying BR-regulated rice seed germination.

The miR159a-DUO1 module regulates pollen development by modulating auxin biosynthesis and starch metabolism in citrus

Achieving seedlessness in citrus varieties is one of the important objectives of citrus breeding.Male sterility associated with abnormal pollen development is an important factor in seedlessness.However,our understanding of the regulatory mechanism underlying the seedlessness phenotype in citrus is still limited.Here,we determined that the miR159a-DUO1 module played an important role in regulating pollen development in citrus,which further indirectly modulated seed development and fruit size.Both the overexpression of csi-miR159a and the knocking out of DUO1 in Hong Kong kumquat(Fortunella hindsii)resulted in small and seedless fruit phenotypes.Moreover,pollen was severely aborted in both transgenic lines,with arrested pollen mitotic I and abnormal pollen starch metabolism.Through additional cross-pollination experiments,DUO1 was proven to be the key target gene for miR159a to regulate male sterility in citrus.Based on DNA affinity purification sequencing(DAP-seq),RNA-seq,and verified interaction assays,YUC2/YUC6,SS4 and STP8 were identified as downstream target genes of DUO1,those were all positively regulated by DUO1.In transgenic F.hindsii lines,the miR159a-DUO1 module down-regulated the expression of YUC2/YUC6,which decreased indoleacetic acid(IAA)levels and modulated auxin signaling to repress pollen mitotic I.The miR159a-DUO1 module reduced the expression of the starch synthesis gene SS4 and sugar transport gene STP8 to disrupt starch metabolism in pollen.Overall,this work reveals a new mechanism by which the miR159a-DUO1 module regulates pollen development and elucidates the molecular regulatory network underlying male sterility in citrus.

Effects of Salt-Alkaline Stress on Carbohydrate Metabolism in Rice Seedlings

The aim of this study was to investigate carbohydrate metabolism in rice seedlings subjected to salt-alkaline stress.Two relatively salt-alkaline tolerant(Changbai 9)and sensitive(Jinongda 138)rice cultivars,grown hydroponically,were subjected to salt-alkaline stress via 50 mM of salt-alkaline solution.The carbohydrate content and the activities of metabolism-related enzymes in the leaves and roots were investigated.The results showed that the contents of sucrose,fructose,and glucose in the leaves and roots increased under salt-alkaline stress.Starch content increased in the leaves but decreased in the roots under salt-alkaline stress.The activities of sucrose-phosphate synthase,sucrose synthase,amylase,and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase increased whereas the activities of neutral invertase and acid invertase decreased in the leaves under salt-alkaline stress.The activities of sucrose-phosphate synthase,sucrose synthase,amylase,neutral invertase,and acid invertase increased in the roots under salt-alkaline stress.In conclusion,salt-alkaline stress caused the accumulation of photosynthetic assimilates in the leaves and decreased assimilation export to the roots.

Interannual dynamics of stemwood nonstructural carbohydrates in temperate forest trees surrounding drought

Interactions between water and carbon dynamics underlie drought-related tree mortality.While whole-tree water relations have been shown to play a key role in the response to and recovery from drought,the role of nonstructural carbohydrates(NSC) and how their storage and allocation changes surrounding drought events deserves further attention and is critical for understanding tree survival.Here,we quantified in situ NSC responses of temperate forest trees to the 2016 drought in the northeastern United States.Sugar and starch concentrations were measured in the stemwood of five tree species from 2014 to 2019,which allowed us to monitor NSCs in relation to climatic conditions before,during,and after the natural drought.We found that immediately following the drought,measured stemwood NSC concentrations decreased.However,NSC concentrations rebounded quickly within three years.Notably,trees allocated proportionally more to starch than to sugars following the 2016 drought.In winter 2017,starch comprised 45% of total stemwood stores,whereas starch made up only 1-2% in other years.Further,we modeled and assessed the climatic drivers of total NSC concentrations in the stem.Variation in total NSC concentrations was significantly predicted by the previous year’s temperature,precipitation,and standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index(SPEI),with stemwood concentrations decreasing following hotter,drier periods and increasing following cooler,wetter periods.Overall,our work provides insight into the climatic drivers of NSC storage and highlights the important role that a tree’s carbon economy may play in its response and recovery to environmental stress.

Low humic acids promote in vitro lily bulblet enlargement by enhancing roots growth and carbohydrate metabolism

Bulblet development is a problem in global lily bulb production and carbohydrate metabolism is a crucial factor. Micropropagation acts as an efficient substitute for faster propagation and can provide a controllable condition to explore bulb growth. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of humic acid （HA） on bulblet swelling and the carbohydrate metabolic pathway in Li/ium Oriental Hybrids ＇Sorbonne＇ under in vitro conditions. HA greatly promoted bulblet growth at 0.2, 2.0, and 20.0 mg/L, and pronounced increases in bulblet sucrose, total soluble sugar, and starch content were observed for higher HA concentrations （_〉2.0 mg/L） within 45 d after transplanting （DAT）. The activities of three major starch synthetic enzymes （including adenosine 5＇-diphosphate glucose pyro- phosphorylase, granule-bound starch synthase, and soluble starch synthase） were enhanced dramatically after HA application especially low concentration HA （LHA）, indicating a quick response of starch metabolism. However, higher doses of HA also caused excessive aboveground biomass accumulation and inhibited root growth. Accordingly, an earlier carbon starvation emerged by observing evident starch degradation. Relative bulblet weight gradually decreased with increased HA doses and thereby broke the balance between the source and sink. A low HA concentration at 0.2 mg/L performed best in both root and bulblet growth. The number of roots and root length peaked at 14.5 and 5.75 cm respectively. The fresh bulblet weight and diameter reached 468 mg （2.9 times that under the control treatment） and 11.68 mm, respectively. Further, sucrose/starch utilization and conversion were accelerated and carbon famine was delayed as a result with an average relative bulblet weight of 80.09%. To our knowledge, this is the first HA application and mechanism research into starch metabolism in both in vitro and in vivo condition in bulbous crops.

Proteomics Analysis Reveals Post-Translational Mechanisms for Cold-Induced Metabolic Changes in Arabidopsis

Cold-induced changes of gene expression and metabolism are critical for plants to survive freezing. Largely by changing gene expression, exposure to a period of non-freezing low temperatures increases plant tolerance to freezing--a phenomenon known as cold acclimation. Cold also induces rapid metabolic changes, which provide instant protection before temperature drops below freezing point. The molecular mechanisms for such rapid metabolic responses to cold remain largely unknown. Here, we use two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis （2-D DIGE） analysis of sub-cellular fractions ofArabidopsis thaliana proteome coupled with spot identification by tandem mass spectrometry to identify early cold-responsive proteins in Arabidopsis. These proteins include four enzymes involved in starch degradation, three HSP100 proteins, several proteins in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and sucrose metabolism. Upon cold treatment, the Disproportio- nating Enzyme 2 （DPE2）, a cytosolic transglucosidase metabolizing maltose to glucose, increased rapidly in the centrifugation pellet fraction and decreased in the soluble fraction. Consistent with cold-induced inactivation of DPE2 enzymatic activity, the dpe2 mutant showed increased freezing tolerance without affecting the C-repeat binding transcription factor （CBF） transcriptional pathway. These results support a model that cold-induced inactivation of DPE2 leads to rapid accumulation of maltose, which is a cold-induced compatible solute that protects cells from freezing damage. This study provides evidence for a key role of rapid post-translational regulation of carbohydrate metabolic enzymes in plant protection against sudden temperature drop.

Diet drives convergent evolution of gut microbiomes in bamboo-eating species

Gut microbiota plays a critical role in host physiology and health.The coevolution between the host and its gut microbes facilitates animal adaptation to its specific ecological niche.Multiple factors such as host diet and phylogeny modulate the structure and function of gut microbiota.However,the relative contribution of each factor in shaping the structure of gut microbiota remains unclear.The giant(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)and red(Ailurus styani)pandas belong to different families of order Carnivora.They have evolved as obligate bamboo-feeders and can be used as a model system for studying the gut microbiome convergent evolution.Here,we compare the structure and function of gut microbiota of the two pandas with their carnivorous relatives using 16S rRNA and metagenome sequencing.We found that both panda species share more similarities in their gut microbiota structure with each other than each species shares with its carnivorous relatives.This indicates that the specialized herbivorous diet rather than host phylogeny is the dominant driver of gut microbiome convergence within Arctoidea.Metagenomic analysis revealed that the symbiotic gut microbiota of both pandas possesses a high level of starch and sucrose metabolism and vitamin B12 biosynthesis.These findings suggest a diet-driven convergence of gut microbiomes and provide new insight into host-microbiota coevolution of these endangered species.