Mohnen Debra
Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, DOE BioEnergy Science Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-4712, United States.
Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2008 Jun;11(3):266-77. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2008.03.006. Epub 2008 May 15.
Pectin is structurally and functionally the most complex polysaccharide in plant cell walls. Pectin has functions in plant growth, morphology, development, and plant defense and also serves as a gelling and stabilizing polymer in diverse food and specialty products and has positive effects on human health and multiple biomedical uses. Pectin is a family of galacturonic acid-rich polysaccharides including homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan I, and the substituted galacturonans rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II) and xylogalacturonan (XGA). Pectin biosynthesis is estimated to require at least 67 transferases including glycosyl-, methyl-, and acetyltransferases. New developments in understanding pectin structure, function, and biosynthesis indicate that these polysaccharides have roles in both primary and secondary cell walls. Manipulation of pectin synthesis is expected to impact diverse plant agronomical properties including plant biomass characteristics important for biofuel production.
果胶在结构和功能上是植物细胞壁中最复杂的多糖。果胶在植物生长、形态、发育及植物防御中发挥作用，还可作为多种食品和特殊产品中的胶凝和稳定聚合物，对人类健康有积极影响并具有多种生物医学用途。果胶是一类富含半乳糖醛酸的多糖家族，包括同型半乳糖醛酸聚糖、鼠李半乳糖醛酸聚糖I，以及取代半乳糖醛酸聚糖鼠李半乳糖醛酸聚糖II（RG-II）和木糖半乳糖醛酸聚糖（XGA）。据估计，果胶生物合成至少需要67种转移酶，包括糖基转移酶、甲基转移酶和乙酰转移酶。在理解果胶结构、功能和生物合成方面的新进展表明，这些多糖在初生细胞壁和次生细胞壁中均发挥作用。预计对果胶合成的调控将影响多种植物农艺特性，包括对生物燃料生产很重要的植物生物质特性。
