Review
Plant Sciences
Delia A. Narvaez-Barragan, Omar E. Tovar-Herrera, Arturo Guevara-Garcia, Mario Serrano, Claudia Martinez-Anaya
Summary: Cell wall integrity is crucial for plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. Expansins, which modify cell walls, can enhance or weaken plant resistance to pathogens. Changes in cell wall mechanical properties can directly influence the outcome of pathogen infection, while expansins also play a role in triggering defense responses.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Erika Bujna, Gabriella Styevko, Peter Laskawy, Judit Rezessy-Szabo, Vuong D Nguyen, Anh M T Tran, Linh Ta Phuong, Csilla Farkas, Vijai Kumar Gupta, Quang D. Nguyen
Summary: The study focused on producing oligosaccharides with prebiotic potential using enzyme preparation from Bifidobacterium, showing high hydrolase activities and transglycosylation activities. Results indicated that new types of galacto-and glucooligosaccharides with high prebiotic potentials were synthesized, which could be utilized by probiotic Bifidobacterium strains.
Article
Plant Sciences
Sreynich Pring, Hiroaki Kato, Sayaka Imano, Maurizio Camagna, Aiko Tanaka, Hisashi Kimoto, Pengru Chen, Abhijit Shrotri, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Atsushi Fukuoka, Makoto Saito, Takamasa Suzuki, Ryohei Terauchi, Ikuo Sato, Sotaro Chiba, Daigo Takemoto
Summary: Basal plant immune responses are activated by the recognition of conserved microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) or damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). In this study, the elicitor activities of COS, XOS, and CHOS were investigated in Arabidopsis. COS, XOS, or CHOS treatment triggered typical defense responses and CHOS showed particularly potent activation of MAPK kinases and WRKY33 promoters. Simultaneous treatment with COS, XOS, and CHOS effectively activated plant disease resistance and enhanced the resistance of tomato to powdery mildew without inhibiting plant growth.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Hrmova, Barbora Stratilova, Eva Stratilova
Summary: Plant xyloglucan:xyloglucosyl transferases (XETs) play crucial roles in plant cell wall dynamics and mechanics. XET enzymes catalyze transglycosylation reactions and are involved in cell wall assembly and modifications. Studying plant XETs can help to understand the structure and function of cell walls.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Barbora Stratilova, Sergej Sestak, Eva Stratilova, Kristina Vadinova, Stanislav Kozmon, Maria Hrmova
Summary: The study investigates the functionality of carboxyl-terminal residues in TmXET6.3 enzyme and finds that it can affect the substrate recognition. The introduction of positively charged residues in the carboxyl-terminal region plays a significant role in the transfer of xyloglucan fragments.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lesbia Cristina Julio-Gonzalez, F. Javier Moreno, Maria Luisa Jimeno, Elisa G. Doyaguez, Agustin Olano, Nieves Corzo, Oswaldo Hernandez-Hernandez
Summary: The study investigated the catalytic activities of disaccharidases in the mammalian small intestine, by incubating high concentrations of different disaccharides with pig small intestine disaccharidases. The structural characterization of the carbohydrates provided insights into the potential catalytic activities of the disaccharidases. The findings confirmed that oligosaccharides synthesized by glycoside hydrolases could also be hydrolyzed by the same enzymes, which could be useful for designing new oligosaccharides with prebiotic properties.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marina S. Robescu, Sara Tengattini, Marco Rabuffetti, Giovanna Speranza, Marco Terreni, Teodora Bavaro
Summary: The beta-d-mannopyranoside linkage is commonly found in biological structures and is challenging to synthesize chemically. This study successfully immobilized Cf-beta-Man for the first time and used it in the synthesis of beta-mannosides. The immobilized enzyme showed a higher conversion rate in the synthesis of disaccharides under optimal conditions, opening up new possibilities for the design of engineered enzyme mutants and their immobilization.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nardiah Rizwana Jaafar, Rabi'atul Adawiyah Ahmad, Namirah Nawawi, Noor Hidayah Abd Rahman, Nur Arbainah Shamsul Annuar, Roshanida A. Rahman, Rosli Md Illias
Summary: The research demonstrated that using a combination of CGTase and MAG1 can effectively increase the yield of maltooligosaccharides, with the synchronous strategy showing better results than the asynchronous approach and enhancing catalytic efficiency.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Heather E. McFarlane
Summary: Plant cell walls, composed of polysaccharides, provide support and enable growth. Recent research has made significant progress in understanding cell wall synthesis, including the identification and study of enzymes, the development of tools, and structural information generation. However, many questions about plant cell wall polysaccharide synthesis remain unanswered. This article discusses these questions, reviews supporting data, and explores potential technological advancements for future answers.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Natalie Hoffmann, Samuel King, A. Lacey Samuels, Heather E. McFarlane
Summary: The composition and synthesis of the cell wall vary among different plant species, cell types, and regions within a cell wall, but are underpinned by common cellular mechanisms.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ting Li, Jing Li, Qiaojuan Yan, Shaoqing Yang, Zhengqiang Jiang
Summary: This study reported the characterization of a novel beta-galactosidase (LzBgal35A) from Lacticaseibacillus zeae and its potential application in lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) synthesis. LzBgal35A displayed favorable transglycosylation activity for LNT synthesis, achieving the highest yield reported so far.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rui Zhang, Bo Li, Yunjun Zhao, Yingying Zhu, Laigeng Li
Summary: The AtMAN6 gene in Arabidopsis plays a critical role in the formation of cell walls in vascular tissues by degrading galactoglucomannan and producing oligosaccharides that regulate the coordination between cell growth and secondary cell wall deposition.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Youssef Chebli, Amir J. Bidhendi, Karuna Kapoor, Anja Geitmann
Summary: The plant cell wall serves as an important extracellular matrix that envelops cells, maintains their shape and structure, interacts with symbionts, and protects against external stresses. The assembly of this matrix is regulated by the cytoskeleton, which also plays a key role in perceiving mechanical cues and mediating intracellular responses related to cell wall structure changes. Delivery processes of cell wall precursors and their structural continuity are crucial for cell wall assembly, with various morphogenetic processes relying on cell wall assembly as a critical element.
Article
Plant Sciences
David Stuart Thompson, Azharul Islam
Summary: The extensibility of synthetic polymers and plant cell walls can be modulated by plasticizers and water, affecting their hydration and behavior, potentially leading to physiological consequences and strategies to improve crop resilience. Expansins play a role in facilitating rehydration and swelling of these materials, showing that the relationship between water potential and hydration is influenced by composition.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luis Alonso Baez, Tereza Ticha, Thorsten Hamann
Summary: Plant cell walls are complex structures that surround all plant cells and play important roles in providing support, protection, and maintaining integrity. Recent studies have shown that plants have a dedicated mechanism to monitor and repair cell wall damage caused by growth, development, and various stresses. This mechanism involves mechano-perception, reactive oxygen species, and phytohormone-based signaling processes. Additionally, there is crosstalk between cell wall integrity maintenance and pattern triggered immunity, which modulates adaptive responses to biotic stress. The review focuses on Arabidopsis thaliana and discusses the conservation of these mechanisms in other plant species as well as the transcriptional machinery responsible for controlling adaptive responses.
PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sarah Raffan, Caroline Sparks, Alison Huttly, Lucy Hyde, Damiano Martignago, Andrew Mead, Steven J. Hanley, Paul A. Wilkinson, Gary Barker, Keith J. Edwards, Tanya Y. Curtis, Sarah Usher, Ondrej Kosik, Nigel G. Halford
Summary: This study successfully edited wheat lines using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to knock out the asparagine synthetase gene TaASN2, leading to a significant reduction in free asparagine concentration in the grain. These edits affected the concentrations of free asparagine, glutamine, glutamate, and aspartate in seeds across multiple generations.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luis Baudouin-Gonzalez, Anna Schoenauer, Amber Harper, Grace Blakeley, Michael Seiter, Saad Arif, Lauren Sumner-Rooney, Steven Russell, Prashant P. Sharma, Alistair P. McGregor
Summary: The Sox family of transcription factors plays crucial roles in metazoan development, with evidence of subfunctionalization and neofunctionalization events post whole-genome duplication. The gene Sox21b-1 likely regulated segmentation ancestrally in arachnids, with different roles in prosomal and opisthosomal segmentation reflecting contrasting modes of segmentation and gene regulatory network architectures.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Hrmova, Syed Sarfraz Hussain
Summary: Transcription factors (TFs) are crucial for plant stress responses, and understanding the relationship between their structure and function can help in designing strategies to enhance plant stress tolerance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhen-Lian Han, Meng Chen, Xiao-Dan Fu, Min Yang, Maria Hrmova, Yuan-Hui Zhao, Hai-Jin Mou
Summary: Food-derived oligosaccharides, specifically potassium alginate oligosaccharides (PAO), have shown promising therapeutic potential in lowering blood pressure by altering the gut microbiota composition and increasing microbial diversity. This study found that PAO administration led to significant decreases in systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure, as well as protective effects in preventing heart failure by down-regulating certain genes and reducing the concentrations of certain peptides in plasma. Additionally, PAO was observed to decrease the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio in the gut microbiota, suggesting a potential mechanism for its cardiovascular protective effects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mark D. Wilkinson, Ondrej Kosik, Kirstie Halsey, Hannah Walpole, Jessica Evans, Abigail J. Wood, Jane L. Ward, Rowan A. C. Mitchell, Alison Lovegrove, Peter R. Shewry
Summary: The study showed that RNAi knock-down of GT43_1 or all three xylan synthase genes resulted in decreased arabinoxylan content in wheat cell walls, affecting water-extractable arabinoxylan and released oligosaccharides. These transgenic lines also exhibited effects on soluble sugar content and grain hardness.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Matthew Gilliham, Maria Hrmova
Summary: The recent study by Wang et al. revealed the structure of ALMT1, shedding light on its function and presenting new research opportunities in the field of plant tolerance to aluminum.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Agnes Horvathova, Vladimir Farkas
Summary: Chitin exists in yeast cells both freely and bound to beta-glucan in a complex. Inhibition of Crh1 and Crh2 enzymes by N-acetyl-chito-oligosaccharides can increase alkali-soluble chitin, decrease chitin linked to beta-glucans, and prolong yeast lag phase.
FOLIA MICROBIOLOGICA
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Hrmova, Barbora Stratilova, Eva Stratilova
Summary: Plant xyloglucan:xyloglucosyl transferases (XETs) play crucial roles in plant cell wall dynamics and mechanics. XET enzymes catalyze transglycosylation reactions and are involved in cell wall assembly and modifications. Studying plant XETs can help to understand the structure and function of cell walls.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Barbora Stratilova, Eva Stratilova, Maria Hrmova, Stanislav Kozmon
Summary: In this study, the basis of acceptor substrate binding specificity in Xyloglucan endotransglycosylases (XETs) was investigated using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The research found that the linear acceptors with specific types of glycosidic linkages were stably bound in the active sites of certain XETs, while acceptors with different glycosidic linkages showed different binding stability. This study provides insights into the differences in acceptor binding specificity between different types of XETs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sukanya Luang, Xavier Fernandez-Luengo, Alba Nin-Hill, Victor A. Streltsov, Julian G. Schwerdt, Santiago Alonso-Gil, James R. Ketudat Cairns, Stephanie Pradeau, Sebastien Fort, Jean-Didier Marechal, Laura Masgrau, Carme Rovira, Maria Hrmova
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigate the binding and conformational behavior of beta-D-glucosides in the barley beta-D-glucan glucohydrolase. They find that the Trp286/Trp434 clamp plays a crucial role in substrate hydrolysis. Mutations in the clamp affect processive catalysis, and phylogenomic analysis reveals the evolutionary advantage of the tryptophan clamp.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Hrmova, Julian G. Schwerdt
Summary: This article discusses the difference between processive and distributive catalysis in enzyme conversion. It focuses on the processive catalysis in glycoside hydrolases, particularly the substrate-product-assisted processive catalysis in the GH3 family enzymes. The study of GH3 enzymes provides valuable insights for theoretical and practical applications in bioengineering.
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Maiara Piovesana, Ana K. M. Wood, Daniel P. Smith, Michael J. Deery, Richard Bayliss, Esther Carrera, Nikolaus Wellner, Ondrej Kosik, Johnathan A. Napier, Smita Kurup, Michaela C. Matthes
Summary: The crk10-A397T mutant of Arabidopsis, characterized by the replacement of alanine 397 with threonine in the kinase domain of CRK10, exhibits a dwarf phenotype with collapsed xylem vessels in the root and hypocotyl. Transcriptomic analysis reveals constitutive upregulation of stress-responsive genes in the mutant, and a root-infection assay demonstrates enhanced resistance to the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. The mutant is identified as a gain-of-function allele of CRK10 in Arabidopsis.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Barbora Stratilova, Sergej Sestak, Eva Stratilova, Kristina Vadinova, Stanislav Kozmon, Maria Hrmova
Summary: The study investigates the functionality of carboxyl-terminal residues in TmXET6.3 enzyme and finds that it can affect the substrate recognition. The introduction of positively charged residues in the carboxyl-terminal region plays a significant role in the transfer of xyloglucan fragments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Maria Hrmova, Jochen Zimmer, Vincent Bulone, Geoffrey B. Fincher
Summary: Recent breakthroughs in structural biology have provided valuable insights into enzymes involved in plant cell wall metabolism. Specifically, the mechanisms of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthesis and modification have been elucidated through biochemical analyses, cryogenic-electron microscopy, protein structure predictions, and X-ray crystallography. These findings contribute to a better understanding of plant cell wall metabolism and have implications for potential applications in biotechnology and agriculture.
Review
Plant Sciences
Anneke Prins, Ondrej Kosik
Summary: This review provides an overview of the current research on the genetics of dietary fiber components in wheat and breeding approaches to enhance their quantity and quality. Wheat is one of the three staple crops feeding the world, and the demand for dietary fiber is increasing. Improving the fiber content of wheat is important for promoting health as most people have insufficient intake.