Studies of plant-cell walls and plant-microbe interactions. Progress report, April 1979-April 1982
The most important accomplishment was the discovery that oligosaccharides derived from plant cell wall polysaccharides are biolgically active, that is, they possess a regulatory role in plants. The connection between biologically active carbohydrates and plant cell walls came with the discovery that bacteria elicit the accumulation of phytoalexins in plant tissues by injuring plant cells and, in doing so, cause the release of a fragment of a plant cell wall polysaccharide that elicits the synthesis of phytoalexins. The second biologically active carbohydrate found in plant cell walls was also found to be a pectic polysaccharide. In this case, the carbohydrate is a regulatory molecule that induces the de novo synthesis of proteins possessing the ability to inhibit proteinases of insects and bacteria. Naturally occurring carbohydrates with biological regulatory functions are called oligosaccharins. It appears that the endogenous elicitor and the proteinase inhibitor-inducing factor are just two examples of a variety of oligosaccharins with diverse functions are known including a nonasaccharide fragment that inhibits elongation of pea-stem segments, an oligosaccharin capable of inhibiting completely the flowering of Lemna, and oligosaccharin involved in the hypersensitive resistance response of plants to incompatible races of pathogens. Evidence for several other oligosaccharins has been obtained. (ERB)
- Research Organization:
- Colorado Univ., Boulder (USA). Dept. of Chemistry
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76ER01426
- OSTI ID:
- 5246677
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/01426-T2; ON: DE82018869
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Studies on oligosaccharins, carbohydrates possessing biological regulatory activities: Technical progress report for the period 9/87--9/88
The center for plant and microbial complex carbohydrates at The University of Georgia Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC)
Related Subjects
CELL WALL
OLIGOSACCHARIDES
DISEASE RESISTANCE
BIOCHEMISTRY
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOSYNTHESIS
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
PECTINS
PLANT CELLS
PLANTS
POLYSACCHARIDES
PROTEINS
BLOOD SUBSTITUTES
CARBOHYDRATES
CELL CONSTITUENTS
CHEMISTRY
DRUGS
HEMATOLOGIC AGENTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SACCHARIDES
SYNTHESIS
550200* - Biochemistry
551000 - Physiological Systems
550900 - Pathology