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The New Phytologist Dec 2020Starch granules are composed of two distinct glucose polymers - amylose and amylopectin. Amylose constitutes 5-35% of most natural starches and has a major influence... (Review)
Review
Starch granules are composed of two distinct glucose polymers - amylose and amylopectin. Amylose constitutes 5-35% of most natural starches and has a major influence over starch properties in foods. Its synthesis and storage occurs within the semicrystalline amylopectin matrix of starch granules, this poses a great challenge for biochemical and structural analyses. However, the last two decades have seen vast progress in understanding amylose synthesis, including new insights into the action of GRANULE BOUND STARCH SYNTHASE (GBSS), the major glucosyltransferase that synthesises amylose, and the discovery of PROTEIN TARGETING TO STARCH1 (PTST1) that targets GBSS to starch granules. Advances in analytical techniques have resolved the fine structure of amylose, raising new questions on how structure is determined during biosynthesis. Furthermore, the discovery of wild plants that do not produce amylose revives a long-standing question of why starch granules contain amylose, rather than amylopectin alone. Overall, these findings contribute towards a full understanding of amylose biosynthesis, structure and function that will be essential for future approaches to improve starch quality in crops.
Topics: Amylopectin; Amylose; Glucans; Starch; Starch Synthase
PubMed: 32767769
DOI: 10.1111/nph.16858 -
The Plant Cell May 2021In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), breeding efforts have focused intensively on improving grain yield and quality. For quality, the content and composition of seed storage...
In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), breeding efforts have focused intensively on improving grain yield and quality. For quality, the content and composition of seed storage proteins (SSPs) determine the elasticity of wheat dough and flour processing quality. Moreover, starch levels in seeds are associated with yield. However, little is known about the mechanisms that coordinate SSP and starch accumulation in wheat. In this study, we explored the role of the endosperm-specific NAC transcription factor TaNAC019 in coordinating SSP and starch accumulation. TaNAC019 binds to the promoters of TaGlu-1 loci, encoding high molecular weight glutenin (HMW-GS), and of starch metabolism genes. Triple knock-out mutants of all three TaNAC019 homoeologs exhibited reduced transcript levels for all SSP types and genes involved in starch metabolism, leading to lower gluten and starch contents, and in flour processing quality parameters. TaNAC019 directly activated the expression of HMW-GS genes by binding to a specific motif in their promoters and interacting with the TaGlu-1 regulator TaGAMyb. TaNAC019 also indirectly regulated the expression of TaSPA, an ortholog of maize Opaque2 that activates SSP accumulation. Therefore, TaNAC019 regulation of starch- and SSP-related genes has key roles in wheat grain quality. Finally, we identified an elite allele (TaNAC019-BI) associated with flour processing quality, providing a candidate gene for breeding wheat with improved quality.
Topics: Alleles; Endosperm; Glutens; Plant Proteins; Starch; Transcription Factors; Triticum
PubMed: 33955492
DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaa040 -
Cell Host & Microbe Mar 2020Dietary fibers (DFs) impact the gut microbiome in ways often considered beneficial. However, it is unknown if precise and predictable manipulations of the gut... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Dietary fibers (DFs) impact the gut microbiome in ways often considered beneficial. However, it is unknown if precise and predictable manipulations of the gut microbiota, and especially its metabolic activity, can be achieved through DFs with discrete chemical structures. Using a dose-response trial with three type-IV resistant starches (RS4s) in healthy humans, we found that crystalline and phosphate cross-linked starch structures induce divergent and highly specific effects on microbiome composition that are linked to directed shifts in the output of either propionate or butyrate. The dominant RS4-induced effects were remarkably consistent within treatment groups, dose-dependent plateauing at 35 g/day, and can be explained by substrate-specific binding and utilization of the RS4s by bacterial taxa with different pathways for starch metabolism. Overall, these findings support the potential of using discrete DF structures to achieve targeted manipulations of the gut microbiome and its metabolic functions relevant to health.
Topics: Adult; Butyrates; Dietary Fiber; Dietary Supplements; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Male; Propionates; Starch; Young Adult
PubMed: 32004499
DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.01.006 -
Gut Microbes 2021Resistant starch, microbiome, and precision modulation. Mounting evidence has positioned the gut microbiome as a nexus of health. Modulating its phylogenetic composition... (Review)
Review
Resistant starch, microbiome, and precision modulation. Mounting evidence has positioned the gut microbiome as a nexus of health. Modulating its phylogenetic composition and function has become an attractive therapeutic prospect. Resistant starches (granular amylase-resistant α-glycans) are available as physicochemically and morphologically distinguishable products. Attempts to leverage resistant starch as microbiome-modifying interventions in clinical studies have yielded remarkable inter-individual variation. Consequently, their utility as a potential therapy likely depends predominantly on the selected resistant starch and the subject's baseline microbiome. The purpose of this review is to detail i) the heterogeneity of resistant starches, ii) how resistant starch is sequentially degraded and fermented by specialized gut microbes, and iii) how resistant starch interventions yield variable effects on the gut microbiome.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Resistant Starch
PubMed: 34275431
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2021.1926842 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Apr 2021Genetic approaches to modify starch in crops have been limited by our knowledge of starch biosynthesis. Recent advances in Arabidopsis have revealed key genetic... (Review)
Review
Genetic approaches to modify starch in crops have been limited by our knowledge of starch biosynthesis. Recent advances in Arabidopsis have revealed key genetic components determining the size, shape and number of granules in a plastid. This has opened the doors to new discoveries on granule initiation in crop species. In parallel, advances in genomic resources and gene editing technologies allow targeted manipulation of starch biosynthesis genes in isogenic crop backgrounds. Such technologies have been successfully deployed to alter starch composition, and can now be used to modify other starch traits. This will allow the complex relationships between starch structure and physicochemical properties to be elucidated, which will facilitate the rational manipulation of starches in crops.
Topics: Arabidopsis; Crops, Agricultural; Gene Editing; Plastids; Starch
PubMed: 33677239
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102013 -
Biomolecules Jul 2020For complex carbohydrates, such as glycogen and starch, various analytical methods and techniques exist allowing the detailed characterization of these storage... (Review)
Review
For complex carbohydrates, such as glycogen and starch, various analytical methods and techniques exist allowing the detailed characterization of these storage carbohydrates. In this article, we give a brief overview of the most frequently used methods, techniques, and results. Furthermore, we give insights in the isolation, purification, and fragmentation of both starch and glycogen. An overview of the different structural levels of the glucans is given and the corresponding analytical techniques are discussed. Moreover, future perspectives of the analytical needs and the challenges of the currently developing scientific questions are included.
Topics: Chromatography, Gel; Glycogen; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Starch
PubMed: 32660096
DOI: 10.3390/biom10071020 -
Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) Sep 2023Resistant starch (RS) has become a popular topic of research in recent years. Most scholars believe that there are 5 types of RS. However, accumulating evidence... (Review)
Review
Resistant starch (RS) has become a popular topic of research in recent years. Most scholars believe that there are 5 types of RS. However, accumulating evidence indicates that in addition to starch-lipid complexes, which are the fifth type of RS, complexes containing starch and other substances can also be generated. The physicochemical properties and physiologic functions of these complexes are worth exploring. New physiologic functions of several original RSs are constantly being discovered. Research shows that RS can provide health improvements in many patients with chronic diseases, including diabetes and obesity, and even has potential benefits for kidney disease and colorectal cancer. Moreover, RS can alter the short-chain fatty acids and microorganisms in the gut, positively regulating the body's internal environment. Despite the increase in its market demand, RS production remains limited. Upscaling RS production is thus an urgent requirement. This paper provides detailed insights into the classification, synthesis, and efficacy of RS, serving as a starting point for the future development and applications of RS based on the current status quo.
Topics: Humans; Resistant Starch; Starch; Obesity
PubMed: 37276960
DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.06.001 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Jun 2022Not all starches in the human diet are created equal: "resistant starches" are consolidated aggregates of the α-glucan polysaccharides amylose and amylopectin, which...
Not all starches in the human diet are created equal: "resistant starches" are consolidated aggregates of the α-glucan polysaccharides amylose and amylopectin, which escape digestion by salivary and pancreatic amylases. Upon reaching the large intestine, resistant starches become fodder for members of the human gut microbiota, impacting the metabolism of both the symbionts and the host. In a recent study, Koropatkin et al. provided new molecular insight into how a keystone bacterium in the human gut microbiota adheres to resistant starches as a prelude to their breakdown and fermentation.
Topics: Amylopectin; Amylose; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Glucans; Humans; Starch; alpha-Amylases
PubMed: 35597281
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102049 -
Plant Communications Sep 2021Starch is a vital energy source for living organisms and is a key raw material and additive in the food and non-food industries. Starch has received continuous attention... (Review)
Review
Starch is a vital energy source for living organisms and is a key raw material and additive in the food and non-food industries. Starch has received continuous attention in multiple research fields. The endosperm of cereals (e.g., rice, corn, wheat, and barley) is the most important site for the synthesis of storage starch. Around 2010, several excellent reviews summarized key progress in various fields of starch research, serving as important references for subsequent research. In the past 10 years, many achievements have been made in the study of starch synthesis and regulation in cereals. The present review provides an update on research progress in starch synthesis of cereal endosperms over the past decade, focusing on new enzymes and non-enzymatic proteins involved in starch synthesis, regulatory networks of starch synthesis, and the use of elite alleles of starch synthesis-related genes in cereal breeding programs. We also provide perspectives on future research directions that will further our understanding of cereal starch biosynthesis and regulation to support the rational design of ideal quality grain.
Topics: Edible Grain; Endosperm; Starch
PubMed: 34746765
DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2021.100237 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Starch is a renewable and multifunctional polysaccharide biopolymer that is widely used both in the food industry and other areas of the economy. However, due to a... (Review)
Review
Starch is a renewable and multifunctional polysaccharide biopolymer that is widely used both in the food industry and other areas of the economy. However, due to a number of undesirable properties in technological processes, it is subjected to various modifications. They improve its functional properties and enable the starch to be widely used in various industries. A modified starch is a natural starch that has been treated in a way that changes one or more of its initial physical and/or chemical properties. Chemical modification consists of the introduction of functional groups into starch molecules, which result in specific changes in the physicochemical and functional properties of starch preparations. The bases of chemical modifications of starch are oxidation, esterification or etherification reactions. In terms of functionality, modified preparations include cross-linked and stabilized starches. These starches have the status of allowed food additives, and their use is strictly regulated by relevant laws. Large-scale scientific research is aimed at developing new methods of starch modification, and the use of innovative technological solutions allows for an increasingly wider use of such preparations. This paper characterizes chemically modified starches used as food additives, including the requirements for such preparations and the directions of their practical application. Health-promoting aspects of the use of chemically modified starches concerning resistant starch type RS4, encapsulation of bioactive ingredients, starch fat substitutes, and carriers of microelements are also described. The topic of new trends in the use of chemically modified starches, including the production of biodegradable films, edible coatings, and nanomaterials, is also addressed.
Topics: Food Additives; Starch; Oxidation-Reduction; Food Handling
PubMed: 38005262
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28227543