Department of Biology, University of Calgary, T2N 1N4, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Planta. 1979 Dec;147(2):145-50. doi: 10.1007/BF00389515.
Some 30% of the reserve material in the fenugreek seed is galactomannan localised in the endosperm; the remainder is mainly protein and lipid in the cotyledons of the embryo. The importance of galactomannan to the germinative physiology of fenugreek has been investigated by comparing intact and endosperm-free seeds. From a purely nutritional point of view the galactomannan's rôle is not qualitatively different from that of the food reserves in the embryo. Nevertheless, due to its spatial location and its hydrophilic properties, the galactomannan is the molecular basis of a mechanism whereby the endosperm imbibes a large quantity of water during seed hydration and is able to "buffer" the germinating embryo against desiccation during subsequent periods of drought-stress. The galactomannan is clearly a dual-purpose polysaccharide, regulating water-balance during germination and serving as a substrate reserve for the developing seedling following germination. The relative importance of these two rôles is discussed.
约 30%的葫芦巴种子的贮藏物质是位于胚乳中的半乳甘露聚糖；其余的主要是胚子叶中的蛋白质和脂质。通过比较完整种子和去胚乳种子，研究了半乳甘露聚糖对半葫芦巴发芽生理学的重要性。从纯营养的角度来看，半乳甘露聚糖的作用与胚乳中的食物储备在质上没有区别。然而，由于其空间位置和亲水性，半乳甘露聚糖是一种机制的分子基础，通过该机制，胚乳在种子水合过程中吸收大量的水，并能够在随后的干旱胁迫期间“缓冲”发芽的胚胎免受干燥。半乳甘露聚糖显然是一种具有双重用途的多糖，在发芽过程中调节水分平衡，并在发芽后为幼苗的发育提供基质储备。这两个角色的相对重要性正在讨论中。
