Starch as a source, starch as a sink the bifunctional role of starch in carbon allocation

Starch commands a central role in the carbon budget of the majority of plants on earth, and its biological role changes during development and in response to the environment. Throughout the life of a plant, starch plays a dual role in carbon allocation, acting as both a source, releasing carbon rese...

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Published inJournal of experimental botany Vol. 68; no. 16; pp. 4433 - 4453
Main Authors MacNeill, Gregory J., Mehrpouyan, Sahar, Minow, Mark A.A., Patterson, Jenelle A., Tetlow, Ian J., Emes, Michael J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Oxford University Press 20.07.2017
Subjects
Carbon - metabolism
Flowers - physiology
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
Germination
Plant Development
Plants - metabolism
REVIEW PAPER
Seeds - metabolism
Starch - chemistry
Starch - metabolism
Sucrose - metabolism
carbon partitioning
source and sink metabolism
Amylopectin
starch synthase
chloroplasts
starch branching enzyme
amylose
starch
amyloplasts
protein phosphorylation
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Summary:Starch commands a central role in the carbon budget of the majority of plants on earth, and its biological role changes during development and in response to the environment. Throughout the life of a plant, starch plays a dual role in carbon allocation, acting as both a source, releasing carbon reserves in leaves for growth and development, and as a sink, either as a dedicated starch store in its own right (in seeds and tubers), or as a temporary reserve of carbon contributing to sink strength, in organs such as flowers, fruits, and developing non-starchy seeds. The presence of starch in tissues and organs thus has a profound impact on the physiology of the growing plant as its synthesis and degradation governs the availability of free sugars, which in turn control various growth and developmental processes. This review attempts to summarize the large body of information currently available on starch metabolism and its relationship to wider aspects of carbon metabolism and plant nutrition. It highlights gaps in our knowledge and points to research areas that show promise for bioengineering and manipulation of starch metabolism in order to achieve more desirable phenotypes such as increased yield or plant biomass.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
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ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:0022-0957
1460-2431
DOI:10.1093/jxb/erx291