Plants are a rich source of carbohydrates. Although carbohydrates and glycans can be present as free entities in and outside cells, they are often attached to other macromolecules and constitute glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycolipids.
Plants synthesize a wide variety of unique glycan structures that play essential roles during plant development and contribute to many diverse processes. Glycans function as structural components in the plant cell wall, assist in the folding of nascent proteins, act as signaling molecules in stress and plant defense responses, and serve within the energy metabolism of a plant. Next to the broad, complex set of glycans, plants also evolved an elaborate collection of lectins or proteins with a lectin-like domain, which can recognize and bind to plants-own glycan structures, present in the plant cell, or to foreign glycans, present on pathogens.
In addition, there are many carbohydrate-active enzymes that specifically modify glycan structures, leading to a complex variety of glycan structures, some of which are unique to plants.
The dynamic interactions between lectins or carbohydrate-active enzymes and carbohydrate structures are suggested to be involved in many biological processes, such as protein folding, and degradation, protein transport, cell adhesion, signaling as well as defense responses. As such, a complex and largely undetermined glycan-interactome is established inside plant cells, between cells and their surrounding matrix and even between organisms. Studying the biological roles of plant glycans enables a better understanding of plant growth and development under various environmental conditions in order to protect plants and exploit them for agriculture, forestry or biotechnological products.
In this Research Topic, we want to provide a platform for articles describing the latest research, perspectives and methodologies related to the fascinating world of plant glycobiology, with a focus on the following subjects:
protein glycosylation; carbohydrate-active enzymes: glycosidases and glycosyltransferases; nucleotide sugar formation, interconversion and transporters; free sugars and free glycans; cell wall polysaccharides; plant N-glycans and their role in development, signaling, biotic and abiotic stress response; GlcNAcylation and protein O-fucosylation; arabinogalactan proteins; hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins, extensins; glycolipids and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchors; lectins and their role for growth and development; stress-related lectins and their role in pest control; glycan-dependent ER-quality control and ER-associated degradation; glyco-engineering in plants
Plants are a rich source of carbohydrates. Although carbohydrates and glycans can be present as free entities in and outside cells, they are often attached to other macromolecules and constitute glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycolipids.
Plants synthesize a wide variety of unique glycan structures that play essential roles during plant development and contribute to many diverse processes. Glycans function as structural components in the plant cell wall, assist in the folding of nascent proteins, act as signaling molecules in stress and plant defense responses, and serve within the energy metabolism of a plant. Next to the broad, complex set of glycans, plants also evolved an elaborate collection of lectins or proteins with a lectin-like domain, which can recognize and bind to plants-own glycan structures, present in the plant cell, or to foreign glycans, present on pathogens.
In addition, there are many carbohydrate-active enzymes that specifically modify glycan structures, leading to a complex variety of glycan structures, some of which are unique to plants.
The dynamic interactions between lectins or carbohydrate-active enzymes and carbohydrate structures are suggested to be involved in many biological processes, such as protein folding, and degradation, protein transport, cell adhesion, signaling as well as defense responses. As such, a complex and largely undetermined glycan-interactome is established inside plant cells, between cells and their surrounding matrix and even between organisms. Studying the biological roles of plant glycans enables a better understanding of plant growth and development under various environmental conditions in order to protect plants and exploit them for agriculture, forestry or biotechnological products.
In this Research Topic, we want to provide a platform for articles describing the latest research, perspectives and methodologies related to the fascinating world of plant glycobiology, with a focus on the following subjects:
protein glycosylation; carbohydrate-active enzymes: glycosidases and glycosyltransferases; nucleotide sugar formation, interconversion and transporters; free sugars and free glycans; cell wall polysaccharides; plant N-glycans and their role in development, signaling, biotic and abiotic stress response; GlcNAcylation and protein O-fucosylation; arabinogalactan proteins; hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins, extensins; glycolipids and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchors; lectins and their role for growth and development; stress-related lectins and their role in pest control; glycan-dependent ER-quality control and ER-associated degradation; glyco-engineering in plants
