Plant Carbohydrates Ii

In 1958, a single volume in the original series of this Encyclopedia adequately summarized the state of knowledge about plant carbohydrates. Expansion into two volumes in the New Series highlights the explosive increase in information and the heightened interest that attended this class of compounds in the interven ing years. Even now the search has just begun. Much remains to be accom plished; e.g., a full description of the plant cell wall in chemical terms. Why this growing fascination with plant carbohydrates? Clearly, much credit goes to those who pioneered the complex chemistry of polyhydroxylated compounds and to those who later sorted out the biochemical features of these molecules. But there is a second aspect, the role of carbohydrates in such biological func tions as host-parasite and pollen-pistil interactions, the mating reaction in fungi, symbiosis, and secretion to name a few. Here is ample reason for anyone concerned with the plant sciences to turn aside for a moment and consider how carbohydrates, so many years neglected in favor of the study of proteins and nucleic acids, contribute to the physiological processes of growth and devel opment in plants.

I. Cell walls of higher plants; II. Cell walls of algae and fungi; III. Export of carbohydrate material; IV. Cell surface phenomena; V. Lectin - carbohydrate interaction.

The essential features of constitution, configuration, and conformation in carbo hydrate chemistry, so well established in the . first half of this century, had yet to be exploited by those concerned with biochemical and physiological processes in plants when the original Encyclopedia appeared. Two outstanding developments, discovery of sugar nucleotides and the advent of chromatography, brought together the insight and a means of probing complexities inherent in plant carbohydrates. These advances, combined with a modern knowledge of enzymes and cellular metabolism, have provided new horizons of investigation for the student of plant physiology. This volume and its companion (Vol. 13B) present a comprehensive assess ment of the current viewpoint in plant carbohydrates with emphasis on those aspects which impinge on physiological processes of growth and development. To accommodate the extensive amount of information to be presented, subject matter has been divided, somewhat arbitrarily, into intracellular and extracellular carbohydrates, with the latter defined as carbohydrates occurring in space out side the plasma membrane (plasmalemma). This classification is not exclusive; rather it is intended to lend a degree of flexibility to the way in which subject matter is arranged between volumes. The first section of this volume addresses the occurrence, metabolism, and function of monomeric and higher saccharides of fungi, algae, and higher plants.

Occurrence and distribution of storage carbohydrates in vascular plants; Sucrose metabolism; Pathways and mechanisms associated with carbohydrate translocation in plants; Physiology and metabolism of sucrosyl-fructans; Biosynthesis of oligosaccharides in vascular plants; Physiology and metabolism of cyclitols; Physiology and metabolism of alditols; Biochemistry and physiology of synthesis of starch in leaves: autotrophic and heterotrophic chloroplasts; Degradation of starch in chloroplasts: a buffer to sucrose metabolism; Metabolism of reserve starch; Synthesis and degradation of extracellular storage polysaccharides.

Part 2=Volume 13B.

The Biochemistry of Plants: A Comprehensive Treatise, Volume 3: Carbohydrates: Structure and Function is a compilation of contributions dealing with studies in the area of plant carbohydrates. The articles in this volume are grouped into three sections. The first section deals with topics concerning the monosaccharides and their derivatives found in plants. The integration and control of vital pathways concerned with hexose phosphate metabolism, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis; the metabolism of monosaccharide derivatives; and the formation of sugar nucleotides and their various transformations to the many novel sugar derivatives normally found in plant cell walls and complex carbohydrates are discussed in this section. The second part deals with the occurrence, biosynthesis, and transport of disaccharides and oligosaccharides. The final section of the volume is concerned with the occurrence, structure, and biosynthesis of simple and complex polysaccharides and glycoconjugates associated with cell walls and membranes. Biochemists and botanists will find the book a great reference material.

Carbohydrate reserves constitute the major part of edible portion of the plants. Latest researches in major crops like wheat, rice, maize, barley, potato, sugarcane, sugarbeet, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory and carbohydrates in trees have been included in this book. The book will be of great value to the basic plant biochemists, molecular biologists, biotechnologists, and genetic crop engineers and to the agricultural scientists working in different disciplines related to crop productivity. This compilation may act as a medium to initiate discussions among these scientists leading to new researches in the area of crop productivity and reserve carbohydrate metabolism.

The Biochemistry of Plants, Volume 14: Carbohydrates provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of plant biochemistry. This book deals with the function and structure of the plant cell wall by describing the physical and chemical properties of cell wall components. Organized into 11 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of hexose phosphate metabolism in nonphotosynthetic tissues. This text then examines the findings in fructan structures, conformations, and linkages, the enzymes involved in fructan synthesis and degradation, and their cellular regulation, location, and metabolic role in plants. Other chapters consider the methods employing enzymes to determine starch structure. This book discusses as well the different biosynthetic modes of plant cell walls. The final chapter deals with the various environmental factors that influence expression of the ?-amylase gene, suggesting how molecular biology may help in understanding carbohydrate biochemistry and the enzymes involved in carbohydrate synthesis and metabolism. This book is a valuable resource for plant biochemists.