@article{RuzanskiSmirnovaRejzeketal.2013, author = {Ruzanski, Christian and Smirnova, Julia and Rejzek, Martin and Cockburn, Darrell and Pedersen, Henriette L. and Pike, Marilyn and Willats, William G. T. and Svensson, Birte and Steup, Martin and Ebenh{\"o}h, Oliver and Smith, Alison M. and Field, Robert A.}, title = {A bacterial glucanotransferase can replace the complex maltose metabolism required for starch to sucrose conversion in leaves at night}, series = {The journal of biological chemistry}, volume = {288}, journal = {The journal of biological chemistry}, number = {40}, publisher = {American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology}, address = {Bethesda}, issn = {0021-9258}, doi = {10.1074/jbc.M113.497867}, pages = {28581 -- 28598}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Controlled conversion of leaf starch to sucrose at night is essential for the normal growth of Arabidopsis. The conversion involves the cytosolic metabolism of maltose to hexose phosphates via an unusual, multidomain protein with 4-glucanotransferase activity, DPE2, believed to transfer glucosyl moieties to a complex heteroglycan prior to their conversion to hexose phosphate via a cytosolic phosphorylase. The significance of this complex pathway is unclear; conversion of maltose to hexose phosphate in bacteria proceeds via a more typical 4-glucanotransferase that does not require a heteroglycan acceptor. It has recently been suggested that DPE2 generates a heterogeneous series of terminal glucan chains on the heteroglycan that acts as a glucosyl buffer to ensure a constant rate of sucrose synthesis in the leaf at night. Alternatively, DPE2 and/or the heteroglycan may have specific properties important for their function in the plant. To distinguish between these ideas, we compared the properties of DPE2 with those of the Escherichia coli glucanotransferase MalQ. We found that MalQ cannot use the plant heteroglycan as an acceptor for glucosyl transfer. However, experimental and modeling approaches suggested that it can potentially generate a glucosyl buffer between maltose and hexose phosphate because, unlike DPE2, it can generate polydisperse malto-oligosaccharides from maltose. Consistent with this suggestion, MalQ is capable of restoring an essentially wild-type phenotype when expressed in mutant Arabidopsis plants lacking DPE2. In light of these findings, we discuss the possible evolutionary origins of the complex DPE2-heteroglycan pathway.}, language = {en} } @article{ComparotMossKoettingStettleretal.2010, author = {Comparot-Moss, Sylviane and Koetting, Oliver and Stettler, Michaela and Edner, Christoph and Graf, Alexander and Weise, Sean E. and Streb, Sebastian and Lue, Wei-Ling and MacLean, Daniel and Mahlow, Sebastian and Ritte, Gerhard and Steup, Martin and Chen, Jychian and Zeeman, Samuel C. and Smith, Alison M.}, title = {A putative phosphatase, LSF1, is required for normal starch turnover in Arabidopsis leaves}, issn = {0032-0889}, doi = {10.1104/pp.109.148981}, year = {2010}, abstract = {A putative phosphatase, LSF1 (for LIKE SEX4; previously PTPKIS2), is closely related in sequence and structure to STARCH-EXCESS4 (SEX4), an enzyme necessary for the removal of phosphate groups from starch polymers during starch degradation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaves at night. We show that LSF1 is also required for starch degradation: lsf1 mutants, like sex4 mutants, have substantially more starch in their leaves than wild-type plants throughout the diurnal cycle. LSF1 is chloroplastic and is located on the surface of starch granules. lsf1 and sex4 mutants show similar, extensive changes relative to wild-type plants in the expression of sugar-sensitive genes. However, although LSF1 and SEX4 are probably both involved in the early stages of starch degradation, we show that LSF1 neither catalyzes the same reaction as SEX4 nor mediates a sequential step in the pathway. Evidence includes the contents and metabolism of phosphorylated glucans in the single mutants. The sex4 mutant accumulates soluble phospho- oligosaccharides undetectable in wild-type plants and is deficient in a starch granule-dephosphorylating activity present in wild-type plants. The lsf1 mutant displays neither of these phenotypes. The phenotype of the lsf1/sex4 double mutant also differs from that of both single mutants in several respects. We discuss the possible role of the LSF1 protein in starch degradation.}, language = {en} } @article{KoettingSanteliaEdneretal.2009, author = {Koetting, Oliver and Santelia, Diana and Edner, Christoph and Eicke, Simona and Marthaler, Tina and Gentry, Matthew S. and Comparot-Moss, Sylviane and Chen, Jychian and Smith, Alison M. and Steup, Martin and Ritte, Gerhard and Zeeman, Samuel C.}, title = {STARCH-EXCESS4 is a laforin-like phosphoglucan phosphatase required for starch degradation in Arabidopsis thaliana}, issn = {1040-4651}, doi = {10.1105/tpc.108.064360}, year = {2009}, abstract = {Starch is the major storage carbohydrate in plants. It is comprised of glucans that form semicrystalline granules. Glucan phosphorylation is a prerequisite for normal starch breakdown, but phosphoglucan metabolism is not understood. A putative protein phosphatase encoded at the Starch Excess 4 (SEX4) locus of Arabidopsis thaliana was recently shown to be required for normal starch breakdown. Here, we show that SEX4 is a phosphoglucan phosphatase in vivo and define its role within the starch degradation pathway. SEX4 dephosphorylates both the starch granule surface and soluble phosphoglucans in vitro, and sex4 null mutants accumulate phosphorylated intermediates of starch breakdown. These compounds are linear alpha-1,4-glucans esterified with one or two phosphate groups. They are released from starch granules by the glucan hydrolases alpha-amylase and isoamylase. In vitro experiments show that the rate of starch granule degradation is increased upon simultaneous phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of starch. We propose that glucan phosphorylating enzymes and phosphoglucan phosphatases work in synergy with glucan hydrolases to mediate efficient starch catabolism.}, language = {en} } @article{YuKoflerHaeusleretal.2001, author = {Yu, Tien-Shin and Kofler, Heike and H{\"a}usler, Rainer E. and Hille, Diana and Fl{\"u}gge, Ulf-Ingo and Zeeman, Samuel C. and Smith, Alison M. and Kossmann, Jens and Lloyd, James R. and Ritte, Gerhard and Steup, Martin and Lue, Wei-Ling and Chen, Jychian and Weber, Andreas P. M.}, title = {The Arabidopsis sex1 mutant is defective in the R1 protein, a general regulator of starch degradation in plants, and not in the chloroplast hexose transporter}, issn = {1040-4651}, year = {2001}, language = {en} } @article{FettkeChiaEckermannetal.2006, author = {Fettke, J{\"o}rg and Chia, Tansy and Eckermann, Nora and Smith, Alison M. and Steup, Martin}, title = {A transglucosidase necessary for starch degradation and maltose metabolism in leaves at night acts on cytosolic heteroglycans (SHG)}, issn = {0960-7412}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-313X.2006.02732.x}, year = {2006}, abstract = {The recently characterized cytosolic transglucosidase DPE2 (EC 2.4.1.25) is essential for the cytosolic metabolism of maltose, an intermediate on the pathway by which starch is converted to sucrose at night. In in vitro assays, the enzyme utilizes glycogen as a glucosyl acceptor but the in vivo acceptor molecules remained unknown. In this communication we present evidence that DPE2 acts on the recently identified cytosolic water-soluble heteroglycans (SHG) as does the cytosolic phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) isoform. By using in vitro two-step C-14 labeling assays we demonstrate that the two transferases can utilize the same acceptor sites of the SHG. Cytosolic heteroglycans from a DPE2-deficient Arabidopsis mutant were characterized. Compared with the wild type the glucose content of the heteroglycans was increased. Most of the additional glucosyl residues were found in the outer chains of SHG that are released by an endo- alpha-arabinanase (EC 3.2.1.99). Additional starch-related mutants were characterized for further analysis of the increased glucosyl content. Based on these data, the cytosolic metabolism of starch-derived carbohydrates is discussed}, language = {en} }