BACKGROUND Biomass use for the production of bioethanol or platform chemicals requires efficient breakdown of biomass to fermentable monosaccharides. Lignocellulosic feedstocks often require physicochemical pretreatment before enzymatic hydrolysis can begin. The optimal pretreatment can be different for different feedstocks, and should not lead to biomass destruction or formation of toxic produ...

Pectins, forming a matrix for cellulose and hemicellulose, determine the mechanics of plant cell walls. They undergo salient structural changes during their development. In the presence of divalent cations, usually calcium, pectins can form gel-like structures. Because of their importance they have been the subject of many force spectroscopy experiments, which have examined the conformational c...

Mutations at five loci named PEANUT1-5 (PNT) were identified in a genetic screen for radially swollen embryo mutants. pnt1 cell walls showed decreased crystalline cellulose, increased pectins, and irregular and ectopic deposition of pectins, xyloglucans, and callose. Furthermore, pnt1 pollen is less viable than the wild type, and pnt1 embryos were delayed in morphogenesis and showed defects in ...

Ion-mediated changes in xylem hydraulic resistance are hypothesized to result from hydrogel like properties of pectins located in the bordered pit membranes separating adjacent xylem vessels. Although the kinetics of the ion-mediated changes in hydraulic resistance are consistent with the swelling/deswelling behavior of pectins, there is no direct evidence of this activity. In this report we us...

−− Pectins are polysaccharides that act as a cellular binder in the peel of many different fruits and vegetables. An important feature of pectins is the esterification of the galacturonic acid residues with methanol. The degree of methylation is defined as the number of moles of methanol per 100 moles of galacturonic acid. The objective of the present work was to study the acid demethylation of...