The precise disassembly of the extracellular matrix of some plant species used as feedstocks for bioenergy production continues to be a major barrier to reach reasonable cost effective bioethanol production. One solution has been the use of pretreatments, which can be effective, but increase even more the cost of processing and also lead to loss of cell wall materials that could otherwise be us...

We identified the d-galacturonic acid (GA)-responsive transcriptional activator GaaR of the saprotrophic fungus, Aspergillus niger, which was found to be essential for growth on GA and polygalacturonic acid (PGA). Growth of the ΔgaaR strain was reduced on complex pectins. Genome-wide expression analysis showed that GaaR is required for the expression of genes necessary to release GA from PGA an...

Brefeldin A (BFA) inhibits exocytosis but allows endocytosis, making it a valuable agent to identify molecules that recycle at cell peripheries. In plants, formation of large intracellular compartments in response to BFA treatment is a unique feature of some, but not all, cells. Here, we have analyzed assembly and distribution of BFA compartments in development- and tissue-specific contexts of ...

To ascertain the role of pectin disassembly in fruit softening, chelated- (CSP) and sodium carbonate-soluble (SSP) pectins from plants with a pectate lyase, FaplC, or a polygalacturonase, FaPG1, downregulated by antisense transformation were characterized at the nanostructural level. Fruits from transgenic plants were firmer than the control, although FaPG1 suppression had a greater effect on f...

The extraction of pectins from sugar beet pulp was carried out in an aqueous acid medium under different conditions using a full twostate experimental design for three extraction parameters (pH, temperature and time). The yields of the extracted pectins ranged from 4.1% to 16.2%. Their contents in pectin constituents were 35.2–76.3% galacturonic acid, 6.8–32.9% neutral sugars, 2.0–4.2% methoxy ...

Calmodulin (CaM) is one of the most well-studied Ca(2+) transducers in eukaryotic cells. It is known to regulate the activity of numerous proteins with diverse cellular functions; however, the functions of apoplastic CaM in plant cells are still poorly understood. By combining pharmacological analysis and microscopic techniques, we investigated the involvement of apoplastic CaM in pollen tube g...

The alcohol-insoluble fraction from the water extract of tamarind seed meal, constituting 60 to 65 per cent of the husked kernel, has been described as a rich source of pectin (l-3). Although it forms a firm jelly in the presence of appropriate amounts of sugar and acid (1,4) and has been suggested for commercial use as a substitute for pectin (5), it has been shown in preliminary communication...

Pectins are acidic hetero-polysaccharides present in plant primary cell walls. With strong and interesting gelation capacity, some plant-sourced pectins including Nicandra physalodes (Linn.) Gaertn. pectin (NPGP), Premna microphylla turcz (PMTP), creeping fig (CFP), have been traditionally used making gel foods China. However, little is known about their behaviors the mechanisms involved. In th...