Purification and characterization of the raffinose oligosaccharide chain elongation enzyme, galactan : galactan galactosyltransferase (GGT), from Ajuga reptans leaves

Optimizing raffinose family oligosaccharides content in plants: A tightrope walk

Plants synthesize various compounds for their growth, metabolism, and stress mitigation, and one such group of compounds is the raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs). RFOs are non-reducing oligosaccharides having galactose residues attached to a sucrose moiety. They act as carbohydrate reserves in plants, assisting in seed germination, desiccation tolerance, and biotic/abiotic stress tolerance. Although legumes are among the richest sources of dietary proteins, the direct consumption of legumes is hindered by an excess of RFOs in the edible parts of the plant, which causes flatulence in humans and monogastric animals. These opposing characteristics make RFOs manipulation a complicated tradeoff. An in-depth knowledge of the chemical composition, distribution pattern, tissue mobilization, and metabolism is required to optimize the levels of RFOs. The most recent developments in our understanding of RFOs distribution, physiological function, genetic regulation of their biosynthesis, transport, and degradation in food crops have been covered in this review. Additionally, we have suggested a few strategies that can sustainably reduce RFOs in order to solve the flatulence issue in animals. The comprehensive information in this review can be a tool for researchers to precisely control the level of RFOs in crops and create low antinutrient, nutritious food with wider consumer acceptability.

Mobile forms of carbon in trees: metabolism and transport

Plants constitute 80% of the biomass on earth, and almost two-thirds of this biomass is found in wood. Wood formation is a carbon (C)-demanding process and relies on C transport from photosynthetic tissues. Thus, understanding the transport process is of major interest for understanding terrestrial biomass formation. Here, we review the molecules and mechanisms used to transport and allocate C in trees. Sucrose is the major form in which C is transported in plants, and it is found in the phloem sap of all tree species investigated so far. However, in several tree species, sucrose is accompanied by other molecules, notably polyols and the raffinose family of oligosaccharides. We describe the molecules that constitute each of these transport groups, and their distribution across different tree species. Furthermore, we detail the metabolic reactions for their synthesis, the mechanisms by which trees load and unload these compounds in and out of the vascular system, and how they are radially transported in the trunk and finally catabolized during wood formation. We also address a particular C recirculation process between phloem and xylem that occurs in trees during the annual cycle of growth and dormancy. A search of possible evolutionary drivers behind the diversity of C-carrying molecules in trees reveals no consistent differences in C transport mechanisms between angiosperm and gymnosperm trees. Furthermore, the distribution of C forms across species suggests that climate-related environmental factors will not explain the diversity of C transport forms. However, the consideration of C-transport mechanisms in relation to tree-rhizosphere coevolution deserves further attention. To conclude the review, we identify possible future lines of research in this field.

Sequential expression of raffinose synthase and stachyose synthase corresponds to successive accumulation of raffinose, stachyose and verbascose in developing seeds of Lens culinaris Medik

Raffinose, stachyose and verbascose form the three major members of the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) accumulated during seed development. Raffinose synthase (RS; EC 2.4.1.82) and stachyose synthase (STS; EC 2.4.1.67) have been associated with raffinose and stachyose synthesis, but the precise mechanism for verbascose synthesis is not well understood. In this study, full-length RS (2.7 kb) and STS (2.6 kb) clones were isolated by screening a cDNA library prepared from developing lentil seeds (18, 20, 22 and 24 days after flowering [DAF]) to understand the roles of RS and STS in RFO accumulation in developing lentil seeds. The nucleotide sequences of RS and STS genes were similar to those reported for Pisum sativum. Patterns of transcript accumulation, enzyme activities and RFO concentrations were also comparable to P. sativum. However, during lentil seed development raffinose, stachyose and verbascose accumulation corresponded to transcript accumulation for RS and STS, with peak transcript abundance occurring at about 22-24 DAF, generally followed by a sequential increase in raffinose, stachyose and verbascose concentrations followed by a steady level thereafter. Enzyme activities for RS, STS and verbascose synthase (VS) also indicated a sudden increase at around 24-26 DAF, but with an abrupt decline again coinciding with the subsequent steady state increase in the RFO. Galactan:galactan galactosyl transferase (GGT), the galactinol-independent pathway enzyme, however, exhibited steady increase in activity from 24 DAF onwards before abruptly decreasing at 34 DAF. Although GGT activity was detected, isolation of a GGT sequence from the cDNA library was not successful.

Abiotic stress regulates expression of galactinol synthase genes post-transcriptionally through intron retention in rice

Expression of the Galactinol synthase genes in rice is regulated through post-transcriptional intron retention in response to abiotic stress and may be linked to Raffinose Family Oligosaccharide synthesis in osmotic perturbation. Galactinol synthase (GolS) is the first committed enzyme in raffinose family oligosaccharide (RFO) synthesis pathway and synthesizes galactinol from UDP-galactose and inositol. Expression of GolS genes has long been implicated in abiotic stress, especially drought and salinity. A non-canonical regulation mechanism controlling the splicing and maturation of rice GolS genes was identified in rice photosynthetic tissue. We found that the two isoforms of Oryza sativa GolS (OsGolS) gene, located in chromosomes 3(OsGolS1) and 7(OsGolS2) are interspersed by conserved introns harboring characteristic premature termination codons (PTC). During abiotic stress, the premature and mature transcripts of both isoforms were found to accumulate in a rhythmic manner for very small time-windows interrupted by phases of complete absence. Reporter gene assay using GolS promoters under abiotic stress does not reflect this accumulation profile, suggesting that this regulation occurs post-transcriptionally. We suggest that this may be due to a surveillance mechanism triggering the degradation of the premature transcript preventing its accumulation in the cell. The suggested mechanism fits the paradigm of PTC-induced Nonsense-Mediated Decay (NMD). In support of our hypothesis, when we pharmacologically blocked NMD, the full-length pre-mRNAs were increasingly accumulated in cell. To this end, our work suggests that a combined transcriptional and post transcriptional control exists in rice to regulate GolS expression under stress. Concurrent detection and processing of prematurely terminating transcripts coupled to repressed splicing can be described as a form of Regulated Unproductive Splicing and Translation (RUST) and may be linked to the stress adaptation of the plant, which is an interesting future research possibility.

Suppression of cucumber stachyose synthase gene (CsSTS) inhibits phloem loading and reduces low temperature stress tolerance

Stachyose is the main transporting sugar in phloem of Raffinose family oligosaccharides-transporting species. Stachyose synthase (STS) is a key enzyme for stachyose biosynthesis, but the gene encoding STS is poorly characterized in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), which is a model plant for studying stachyose metabolism and phloem function. In this research, stachyose synthase gene (CsSTS) from cucumber was isolated and its physiological functions were analyzed. CsSTS expressed mainly in the phloem of the minor veins in mature leaves and localized to companion cells. Reverse genetics with CsSTS RNAi lines revealed obviously reductions in STS activity and stachyose content along with a small amount of starch accumulation in leaves, suggesting that CsSTS is involved in phloem loading of cucumber leaves. After 6 °C low temperature stress, malondialdehyde content and electrical conductivity increased, especially in CsSTS-RNAi plants. But CsSTS expression was up-regulated, STS activity and stachyose level increased, the activities of reactive-oxygen-scavenging enzyme in cucumber seedlings improved significantly and starch accumulation reduced, especially in CsSTS-OE lines. These results demonstrate clearly that CsSTS is involved in phloem loading, carbohydrate distribution and tolerance of cucumber seedlings to low temperature stress.

Differential expression of two galactinol synthase isoforms LcGolS1 and LcGolS2 in developing lentil (Lens culinaris Medik. cv CDC Redberry) seeds

Galactinol synthase (GS, EC 2.4.1.123) catalyzes the transfer of a galactosyl residue from UDP-galactose to myo-inositol to synthesize galactinol, a precursor for raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) biosynthesis. Screening, a cDNA library constructed with RNA isolated from developing lentil seeds, with partial GS genes resulted in identification of cDNA clones for two isoforms of GS, LcGolS1 (1336 bp, ORF-1002 bp, 334 amino acids) and LcGolS2 (1324bp, ORF-975bp, 325 amino acids) with predicted molecular weights of 38.7 kDa and 37.6 kDa, respectively. During lentil seed development, LcGolS1 transcripts showed higher accumulation during 26-32 days after flowering (DAF) corresponding to seed desiccation, while LcGolS2 showed maximum accumulation at 24 DAF, prior to increase in LcGolS1 transcripts. GS enzyme activity was maximum at 26 and 28 DAF and corresponded to galactinol accumulation, which also increased rapidly at 22 DAF with maximum accumulation at 26 DAF. Substrates for GS activity, myo-inositol and glucose/galactose were present in high concentrations during early stages of seed development but gradually decreased from 20 DAF to 32 DAF when galactinol concentration increased coinciding with increased GS enzyme activity.

Galactinol synthase enzyme activity influences raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) accumulation in developing chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds

To understand raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) metabolism in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seeds, RFO accumulation and corresponding biosynthetic enzymes activities were determined during seed development of chickpea genotypes with contrasting RFO concentrations. RFO concentration in mature seeds was found as a facilitator rather than a regulating step of seed germination. In mature seeds, raffinose concentrations ranged from 0.38 to 0.68 and 0.75 to 0.99 g/100 g, whereas stachyose concentrations varied from 0.79 to 1.26 and 1.70 to 1.87 g/100 g indicating significant differences between low and high RFO genotypes, respectively. Chickpea genotypes with high RFO concentration accumulated higher concentrations of myo-inositol and sucrose during early seed developmental stages suggesting that initial substrate concentrations may influence RFO concentration in mature seeds. High RFO genotypes showed about two to three-fold higher activity for all RFO biosynthetic enzymes compared to those with low RFO concentrations. RFO biosynthetic enzymes activities correspond with accumulation of individual RFO during seed development.

Molecular cloning of AtRS4, a seed specific multifunctional RFO synthase/galactosylhydrolase in Arabidopsis thaliana

Stachyose is among the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) one of the major water-soluble carbohydrates next to sucrose in seeds of a number of plant species. Especially in leguminous seeds, e.g. chickpea, stachyose is reported as the major component. In contrast to their ambiguous potential as essential source of carbon for germination, RFOs are indigestible for humans and can contribute to diverse abdominal disorders. In the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, six putative raffinose synthase genes are reported, whereas little is known about these putative raffinose synthases and their biochemical characteristics or their contribution to the RFO physiology in A. thaliana. In this paper, we report on the molecular cloning, functional expression in Escherichia coli and purification of recombinant AtRS4 from A. thaliana and the biochemical characterisation of the putative stachyose synthase (AtSTS, At4g01970) as a raffinose and high affinity stachyose synthase (Km for raffinose 259.2 ± 21.15 μM) as well as stachyose and galactinol specific galactosylhydrolase. A T-DNA insertional mutant in the AtRS4 gene was isolated. Only semi-quantitative PCR from WT siliques showed a specific transcriptional AtRS4 PCR product. Metabolite measurements in seeds of ΔAtRS4 mutant plants revealed a total loss of stachyose in ΔAtRS4 mutant seeds. We conclude that AtRS4 is the only stachyose synthase in the genome of A. thaliana that AtRS4 represents a key regulation mechanism in the RFO physiology of A. thaliana due to its multifunctional enzyme activity and that AtRS4 is possibly the second seed specific raffinose synthase beside AtRS5, which is responsible for Raf accumulation under abiotic stress.

Subcellular distribution of raffinose oligosaccharides and other metabolites in summer and winter leaves of Ajuga reptans (Lamiaceae)

In Ajuga reptans, raffinose oligosaccharides accumulated during winter. Stachyose, verbascose, and higher RFO oligomers were exclusively found in the vacuole whereas one-fourth of raffinose was localized in the stroma. The evergreen labiate Ajuga reptans L. can grow at low temperature. The carbohydrate metabolism changes during the cold phase, e.g., raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) accumulate. Additionally, A. reptans translocates RFOs in the phloem. In the present study, subcellular concentrations of metabolites were studied in summer and winter leaves of A. reptans to gain further insight into regulatory instances involved in the cold acclimation process and into the function of RFOs. Subcellular metabolite concentrations were determined by non-aqueous fractionation. Volumes of the subcellular compartments of summer and winter leaves were analyzed by morphometric measurements. The metabolite content varied strongly between summer and winter leaves. Soluble metabolites increased up to tenfold during winter whereas the starch content was decreased. In winter leaves, the subcellular distribution showed a shift of carbohydrates from cytoplasm to vacuole and chloroplast. Despite this, the metabolite concentration was higher in all compartments in winter leaves compared to summer leaves because of the much higher total metabolite content in winter leaves. The different oligosaccharides did show different compartmentations. Stachyose, verbascose, and higher RFO oligomers were almost exclusively found in the vacuole whereas one-fourth of raffinose was localized in the stroma. Apparently, the subcellular distribution of the RFOs differs because they fulfill different functions in plant metabolism during winter. Raffinose might function in protecting chloroplast membranes during freezing, whereas higher RFO oligomers may exert protective effects on vacuolar membranes. In addition, the high content of RFOs in winter leaves may also result from reduced consumption of assimilates.

Significance of galactinol and raffinose family oligosaccharide synthesis in plants

Abiotic stress induces differential expression of genes responsible for the synthesis of raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs) in plants. RFOs are described as the most widespread D-galactose containing oligosaccharides in higher plants. Biosynthesis of RFOs begin with the activity of galactinol synthase (GolS; EC 2.4.1.123), a GT8 family glycosyltransferase that galactosylates myo-inositol to produce galactinol. Raffinose and the subsequent higher molecular weight RFOs (Stachyose, Verbascose, and Ajugose) are synthesized from sucrose by the subsequent addition of activated galactose moieties donated by Galactinol. Interestingly, GolS, the key enzyme of this pathway is functional only in the flowering plants. It is thus assumed that RFO synthesis is a specialized metabolic event in higher plants; although it is not known whether lower plant groups synthesize any galactinol or RFOs. In higher plants, several functional importance of RFOs have been reported, e.g., RFOs protect the embryo from maturation associated desiccation, are predominant transport carbohydrates in some plant families, act as signaling molecule following pathogen attack and wounding and accumulate in vegetative tissues in response to a range of abiotic stresses. However, the loss-of-function mutants reported so far fail to show any perturbation in those biological functions. The role of RFOs in biotic and abiotic stress is therefore still in debate and their specificity and related components remains to be demonstrated. The present review discusses the biology and stress-linked regulation of this less studied extension of inositol metabolic pathway.

Physiological aspects of raffinose family oligosaccharides in plants: protection against abiotic stress

Abiotic stresses resulting from water deficit, high salinity or periods of drought adversely affect plant growth and development and represent major selective forces during plant evolution. The raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) are synthesised from sucrose by the subsequent addition of activated galactinol moieties donated by galactinol. RFOs are characterised as compatible solutes involved in stress tolerance defence mechanisms, although evidence also suggests that they act as antioxidants, are part of carbon partitioning strategies and may serve as signals in response to stress. The key enzyme and regulatory point in RFO biosynthesis is galactinol synthase (GolS), and an increase of GolS in expression and activity is often associated with abiotic stress. It has also been shown that different GolS isoforms are expressed in response to different types of abiotic stress, suggesting that the timing and accumulation of RFOs are controlled for each abiotic stress. However, the accumulation of RFOs in response to stress is not universal and other functional roles have been suggested for RFOs, such as being part of a carbon storage mechanism. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants with increased galactinol and raffinose concentrations had better ROS scavenging capacity, while many sugars have been shown in vitro to have antioxidant activity, suggesting that RFOs may also act as antioxidants. The RFO pathway also interacts with other carbohydrate pathways, such as that of O-methyl inositol (OMI), which shows that the functional relevance of RFOs must not be seen in isolation to overall carbon re-allocation during stress responses.

Abiotic stress-induced accumulation of raffinose in Arabidopsis leaves is mediated by a single raffinose synthase (RS5, At5g40390)

BACKGROUND

The sucrosylgalactoside oligosaccharide raffinose (Raf, Suc-Gal1) accumulates in Arabidopsis leaves in response to a myriad of abiotic stresses. Whilst galactinol synthases (GolS), the first committed enzyme in Raf biosynthesis are well characterised in Arabidopsis, little is known of the second biosynthetic gene/enzyme raffinose synthase (RS). Conflicting reports suggest the existence of either one or six abiotic stress-inducible RSs (RS-1 to -6) occurring in Arabidopsis. Indirect evidence points to At5g40390 being responsible for low temperature-induced Raf accumulation in Arabidopsis leaves.

RESULTS

By heterologously expressing At5g40390 in E.coli, we demonstrate that crude extracts synthesise Raf in vitro, contrary to empty vector controls. Using two independent loss-of-function mutants for At5g40390 (rs 5-1 and 5-2), we confirm that this RS is indeed responsible for Raf accumulation during low temperature-acclimation (4°C), as previously reported. Surprisingly, leaves of mutant plants also fail to accumulate any Raf under diverse abiotic stresses including water-deficit, high salinity, heat shock, and methyl viologen-induced oxidative stress. Correlated to the lack of Raf under these abiotic stress conditions, both mutant plants lack the typical stress-induced RafS activity increase observed in the leaves of wild-type plants.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively our findings point to a single abiotic stress-induced RS isoform (RS5, At5g40390) being responsible for Raf biosynthesis in Arabidopsis leaves. However, they do not support a single RS hypothesis since the seeds of both mutant plants still contained Raf, albeit at 0.5-fold lower concentration than seeds from wild-type plants, suggesting the existence of at least one other seed-specific RS. These results also unambiguously discount the existence of six stress-inducible RS isoforms suggested by recent reports.

Manninotriose is a major carbohydrate in red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum, Lamiaceae)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

There is a great need to search for natural compounds with superior prebiotic, antioxidant and immunostimulatory properties for use in (food) applications. Raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) show such properties. Moreover, they contribute to stress tolerance in plants, acting as putative membrane stabilizers, antioxidants and signalling agents.

METHODS

A large-scale soluble carbohydrate screening was performed within the plant kingdom. An unknown compound accumulated to a high extent in early-spring red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) but not in other RFO plants. The compound was purified and its structure was unravelled with NMR. Organs and organ parts of red deadnettle were carefully dissected and analysed for soluble sugars. Phloem sap content was analysed by a common EDTA-based method.

KEY RESULTS

Early-spring red deadnettle stems and roots accumulate high concentrations of the reducing trisaccharide manninotriose (Galα1,6Galα1,6Glc), a derivative of the non-reducing RFO stachyose (Galα1,6Galα1,6Glcα1,2βFru). Detailed soluble carbohydrate analyses on dissected stem and leaf sections, together with phloem sap analyses, strongly suggest that stachyose is the main transport compound, but extensive hydrolysis of stachyose to manninotriose seems to occur along the transport path. Based on the specificities of the observed carbohydrate dynamics, the putative physiological roles of manninotriose in red deadnettle are discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

It is demonstrated for the first time that manninotriose is a novel and important player in the RFO metabolism of red dead deadnettle. It is proposed that manninotriose represents a temporary storage carbohydrate in early-spring deadnettle, at the same time perhaps functioning as a membrane protector and/or as an antioxidant in the vicinity of membranes, as recently suggested for other RFOs and fructans. This novel finding urges further research on this peculiar carbohydrate on a broader array of RFO accumulators.

Molecular cloning, characteristics and low temperature response of raffinose synthase gene in Cucumis sativus L

Raffinose synthase (RS, EC2.4.1.82) is one of the key enzymes that channels sucrose into the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) biosynthetic pathway. However, the gene encoding RS is poorly characterized in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), which is a typical RFOs-translocating plant species. Here we isolated the gene encoding RS (CsRS) from the leaves of cucumber plants. The complete cDNA of CsRS consisted of 2552 nucleotides with an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 784 amino acid residues. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and RNA hybridization analysis revealed that expression of CsRS was the highest in leaves followed by roots, fruits, and stems. The RS activity was up-regulated and the raffinose content was high in the leaves of transgenic tobacco with over-expression of CsRS, while both the RS activity and the raffinose content decreased in the transgenic cucumber plants with anti-sense expression of CsRS. The expression of CsRS could be induced by low temperature and exogenous phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). In cucumber growing under low temperature stress, CsRS expression, RS activity and raffinose content increased gradually in the leaves, the fruits, the stems and the roots. The most notable increase was observed in the leaves. Similarly, the expression of CsRS was induced in cucumber leaves and fruits with 200 μM and 150 μM ABA treatments, respectively.

Metabolism of galactosyl-oligosaccharides in Stellaria media--discovery of stellariose synthase, a novel type of galactosyltransferase

The raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), including raffinose (Gal-alpha(1-->6)-Glc-alpha(1-->2)beta-Fru), stachyose (Gal-alpha(1-->6)-Gal-alpha(1-->6)-Glc-alpha(1-->2)beta-Fru) and higher degree of polymerization RFOs are the most widespread galactosyl-oligosaccharides (GOS) in the plant kingdom. Stellaria media is a typical representative of the Caryophyllaceae, a plant family lacking stachyose and the typical galactosyl extensions of stachyose. During cold treatment raffinose, lychnose (Gal-alpha(1-->6)-Glc-alpha(1-->2)beta-Fru-alpha(1-->1)-Gal) and stellariose (Gal-alpha(1-->6)-[Gal-alpha(1-->4)]-Glc-alpha(1-->2)beta-Fru-alpha(1-->1)-Gal) were found to accumulate in S. media stems. Next to these prominent oligosaccharides, two extra GOS were discovered. Biochemical analyses (enzymatic incubations and mild acid hydrolysis) and mass spectrometry identified the first, most abundant oligosaccharide as Glc-alpha(1-->2)beta-Fru-alpha(1-->1)-Gal, a breakdown product of lychnose. The structure of this trisaccharide was confirmed by full NMR characterization. The second, less abundant compound (termed mediose) was identified as Gal-alpha(1-->6)-[Gal-alpha(1-->4)]Glc-alpha(1-->2)beta-Fru after biochemical analyses. By partial enzyme purification the presence of discrete lychnose synthase (raffinose:raffinose 1(Fru) galactosyltransferase) and stellariose synthase (raffinose:lychnose 4(Glc) galactosyltransferase) activities were shown. A model is presented explaining the structural diversity of GOS in S. media. In the absence of stachyose, raffinose is further elongated by lychnose synthase and stellariose synthase to produce lychnose, mediose and stellariose. Most likely, these compounds are also subject to partial trimming by endogenous alpha-galactosidases.

Frost tolerance in excised leaves of the common bugle (Ajuga reptans L.) correlates positively with the concentrations of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs)

Mass increases in raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs, alpha1,6-galactosyl extensions of sucrose) are well documented in the generative tissues of many plants upon cold acclimation, and they (i.e. mainly the two shortest RFO members, raffinose and stachyose) have been suggested as frost stress protectants. Our focus here was on the longer RFO members as they commonly occur in the frost-hardy evergreen labiate Ajuga reptans in its natural habitat, and accumulate to their highest concentrations in winter when the plant is faced with sub-zero temperatures. We examined the effects of RFO concentration and chain length on frost tolerance using excised leaves which accumulate long-chain RFOs under both cold and warm conditions, thereby uncoupling the acclimation temperature from RFO production. We demonstrated that frost tolerance in excised A. reptans leaves correlates positively with long-chain RFO accumulation under both acclimation temperatures. After 24 d post-excision in the warm, the leaves had increased their RFO concentrations (mainly long-chain RFOs) 22-fold to 78 mg g(-1) fresh weight, and decreased their EL(50) values (temperature at which 50% leakage occurred) from -10.5 to -24.5 degrees C, suggesting a protective role for these oligosaccharides in the natural frost tolerance of A. reptans.

Sucrose, sucrosyl oligosaccharides, and oxidative stress: scavenging and salvaging?

In nature, no single plant completes its life cycle without encountering environmental stress. When plant cells surpass stress threshold stimuli, chemically reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated that can cause oxidative damage or act as signals. Plants have developed numerous ROS-scavenging systems to minimize the cytotoxic effects of ROS. The role of sucrosyl oligosaccharides (SOS), including fructans and the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), is well established during stress physiology. They are believed to act as important membrane protectors in planta. So far a putative role for sucrose and SOS during oxidative stress has largely been neglected, as has the contribution of the vacuolar compartment. Recent studies suggest a link between SOS and oxidative defence and/or scavenging. SOS might be involved in stabilizing membrane-associated peroxidases and NADPH oxidases, and SOS-derived radicals might fulfil an intermediate role in oxido-reduction reactions taking place in the vicinity of membranes. Here, these emerging features are discussed and perspectives for future research are provided.

Isolation and characterization of a pentasaccharide from Stellaria media

While classic raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) such as raffinose and stachyose are common in plants, stachyose is absent in the Caryophyllaceae. Instead the tetrasaccharide lychnose α-d-Gal-(1→6)α-d-Glc-(1→2)β-d-Fru-(1→1)α-d-Gal can accumulate. Stellaria media, a representative member of this family, was used to isolate α-d-Gal-(1→6)-[α-d-Gal-(1→4)]α-d-Glc-(1→2)β-d-Fru-(1→1)α-d-Gal, a novel pentasaccharide with a lychnose backbone. Complete NMR characterization using COSY, HSQC, HSQC-TOCSY, HMBC, and NOESY experiments was performed to unequivocally resolve its structure. This is the first report of a natural compound containing a Gal α(1→4)Glc linkage. The trivial name stellariose is proposed for this new pentasaccharide.

The C-terminal sequence from common bugle leaf galactan:galactan galactosyltransferase is a non-sequence-specific vacuolar sorting determinant

The Ajuga reptans L. galactan:galactan galactosyltransferase (ArGGT) is a vacuolar enzyme that synthesizes long-chain raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), the major storage carbohydrates of this plant. ArGGT is structurally and functionally related to acid plant alpha-galactosidases (alpha-Gals) of the glycosylhydrolase family 27, present in the apoplast or the vacuole. Sequence comparison of acid alpha-Gals with ArGGT revealed that they all contain an N-terminal signal sequence and a highly similar core sequence. Additionally, ArGGT and some acid alpha-Gals contain C-terminal extensions with low sequence similarities to each other. Here, we show that the C-terminal pentapeptide, SLQMS, is a non-sequence-specific vacuolar sorting determinant. Analogously, we demonstrate that the C-terminal extensions of selected acid alpha-Gals from Arabidopsis, barley, and rice, are also non-sequence-specific vacuolar sorting determinants, suggesting the presence of at least one vacuolar form of acid alpha-Gal in every plant species.

Complete NMR characterization of lychnose from Stellaria media (L.) Vill

Lychnose (alpha-D-Gal-(1-->6)-alpha-D-Glc-(1-->2)-beta-D-Fru-(1-->1)-alpha-D-Gal) was isolated from Stellaria media, a representative member of the Caryophyllaceae plant family. Weak acid hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and complete NMR characterization were performed to confirm the identity of the tetrasaccharide. All (1)H and (13)C resonances were unambiguously assigned and the conformation of the sugars was determined using one and two dimensional NMR techniques. Anomeric characterizations in lychnose were confirmed from HMBC and NOESY spectra.

Characterisation of an alpha-galactosidase with potential relevance to ripening related texture changes

alpha-Galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.22) from ripe papaya (Carica papaya L.) fruit was fractionated by a combination of ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography into three forms, viz., alpha-galactosidase 1, 2 and 3. The predominant isoform, alpha-gal 2, was probably a tetramer with a native molecular mass of about 170 kDa and 52 kDa-sized subunits and an estimated pI of 7.3. The subunit's N-terminal amino acid sequence shared high identity (97%) with the deduced sequence of a papaya cDNA clone encoding a putative alpha-galactosidase PAG2 as well as with an Ajuga reptans L. GGT1 clone encoding a galactan: galactan galactosyltransferase (66%). During ripening, alpha-galactosidase activity increased concomitantly with firmness loss and this increase was largely ascribed to alpha-gal 2. The protein level of alpha-gal 2 as estimated by immunoblot was low in developing fruits and generally increased with ripening. alpha-Galactosidase 2 also had the ability to markedly catalyse increased pectin solubility and depolymerisation while the polymers were still structurally attached to the cell walls mimicking, in part, the changes that occur during ripening. The close correlation between texture changes, alpha-gal 2 activity and protein levels as well as capability to modify intact cell walls suggest that the enzyme might contribute to papaya fruit softening during ripening. The purported mechanism of alpha-gal 2 action as a softening enzyme was discussed in terms of its functional capacity as a glycanase or perhaps, as a transglycosylase.

Increasing the transglycosylation activity of α-galactosidase fromBifidobacterium adolescentisDSM 20083 by site-directed mutagenesis

The alpha-galactosidase (AGA) from Bifidobacterium adolescentis DSM 20083 has a high transglycosylation activity. The optimal conditions for this activity are pH 8, and 37 degrees C. At high melibiose concentration (600 mM), approximately 64% of the enzyme-substrate encounters resulted in transglycosylation. Examination of the acceptor specificity showed that AGA required a hydroxyl group at C-6 for transglycosylation. Pentoses, hexuronic acids, deoxyhexoses, and alditols did not serve as acceptor molecules. Disaccharides were found to be good acceptors. A putative 3D-structure of the catalytic site of AGA was obtained by homology modeling. Based on this structure and amino acid sequence alignments, site-directed mutagenesis was performed to increase the transglycosylation efficiency of the enzyme, which resulted in four positive mutants. The positive single mutations were combined, resulting in six double mutants. The mutant H497M had an increase in transglycosylation of 16%, whereas most of the single mutations showed an increase of 2%-5% compared to the wild-type AGA. The double mutants G382C-Y500L, and H497M-Y500L had an increase in transglycosylation activity of 10%-16%, compared to the wild-type enzyme, whereas the increase for the other double mutants was low (4%-7%). The results show that with a single mutation (H497M) the transglycosylation efficiency can be increased from 64% to 75% of all enzyme-substrate encounters. Combining successful single mutants in double mutations did not necessarily result in an extra increase in transglycosylation efficiency. The donor and acceptor specificity did not change in the mutants, whereas the thermostability of the mutants with G382C decreased drastically.

Cloning, functional expression, and characterization of the raffinose oligosaccharide chain elongation enzyme, galactan:galactan galactosyltransferase, from common bugle leaves

Galactan:galactan galactosyltransferase (GGT) is a unique enzyme of the raffinose family oligosaccharide (RFO) biosynthetic pathway. It catalyzes the chain elongation of RFOs without using galactinol (alpha-galactosyl-myoinositol) by simply transferring a terminal alpha-galactosyl residue from one RFO molecule to another one. Here, we report the cloning and functional expression of a cDNA encoding GGT from leaves of the common bugle (Ajuga reptans), a winter-hardy long-chain RFO-storing Lamiaceae. The cDNA comprises an open reading frame of 1215 bp. Expression in tobacco (Nicotiana plumbaginifolia) protoplasts resulted in a functional recombinant protein, which showed GGT activity like the previously described purified, native GGT enzyme. At the amino acid level, GGT shows high homologies (>60%) to acid plant alpha-galactosidases of the family 27 of glycosylhydrolases. It is clearly distinct from the family 36 of glycosylhydrolases, which harbor galactinol-dependent raffinose and stachyose synthases as well as alkaline alpha-galactosidases. Physiological studies on the role of GGT confirmed that GGT plays a key role in RFO chain elongation and carbon storage. When excised leaves were exposed to chilling temperatures, levels of GGT transcripts, enzyme activities, and long-chain RFO concentrations increased concomitantly. On a whole-plant level, chilling temperatures induced GGT expression mainly in the roots and fully developed leaves, both known RFO storage organs of the common bugle, indicating an adaptation of the metabolism from active growth to transient storage in the cold.