State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Science and Technology (Nanchang), Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province 330047, China.
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Science and Technology (Nanchang), Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province 330047, China.
Carbohydr Polym. 2024 Apr 1;329:121782. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.121782. Epub 2024 Jan 7.
Glucans are the most abundant class of macromolecule polymers in fungi, which are commonly found in Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Fungal glucans are not only essential for cell integrity and function but also crucial for the immense industrial interest in high value applications. They present a variety of structural characteristics at the nanoscale due to the high regulation of genes and the involvement of stochastic processes in synthesis. However, although recent findings have demonstrated the genes of glucans synthesis are relatively conserved across diverse fungi, the formation and organization of diverse glucan structures is still unclear in fungi. Here, we summarize the structural features of fungal glucans and the recent developments in the mechanisms of glucans biosynthesis. Furthermore, we propose the engineering strategies of targeted glucan synthesis and point out the remaining challenges in the synthetic process. Understanding the synthesis process of diverse glucans is necessary for tailoring high value glucan towards specific applications. This engineering strategy contributes to enable the sustainable and efficient production of glucan diversity.
葡聚糖是真菌中最丰富的高分子聚合物，广泛存在于子囊菌和担子菌中。真菌葡聚糖不仅对细胞完整性和功能至关重要，而且对高附加值应用的巨大工业兴趣也至关重要。由于基因的高度调控和合成过程中的随机过程，它们在纳米尺度上呈现出多种结构特征。然而，尽管最近的研究表明，不同真菌中葡聚糖合成的基因相对保守，但真菌中不同葡聚糖结构的形成和组织仍不清楚。在这里，我们总结了真菌葡聚糖的结构特征和葡聚糖生物合成机制的最新进展。此外，我们提出了靶向葡聚糖合成的工程策略，并指出了合成过程中仍然存在的挑战。了解不同葡聚糖的合成过程对于针对特定应用定制高价值葡聚糖是必要的。这种工程策略有助于实现葡聚糖多样性的可持续和高效生产。
