Title : Manipulation of the starch granule number and morphology in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Abstract:
Starch plays an important role in the plant life cycle. Furthermore, starch is an important source for industrial applications. However, the process of starch granule formation is so far obscure. Neither the physic-chemical mechanisms of starch granule formation nor all necessary proteins/enzymes have been identified. Our results clearly illustrate that starch synthase 4 (AtSS4) and the plastidial phosphorylase (AtPHS1) are differently involved in starch granule formation and do not act in series. Besides these two enzymes, also proteins related to starch granule degradation have an impact on the starch granule formation, especially on the granule surface properties and morphology. We discuss the generation of starch granules and the formation of specific starch granule morphologies, as the alteration of starch granules has a significant impact on applications.
