Starch metabolism in green plants

Abstract

Starch is a substantial component of the human diet providing about 50 % of daily energy uptake, mostly through unrefined cereals. Starch and sucrose are the primary products of photosynthesis. Starch represents the main plant storage carbohydrate that provides energy during heterotrophic growth. Its synthesis and degradation have been studied deeply, reaching a good level of knowledge of the metabolism as a whole. Not only the enzymes involved but also the intracellular localization of the reactions, its regulation, its dependence on light—dark cycle, its evolution from ancestral bacteria, and its correlation with parameters of agronomic interest have been studied. In this work we have attempted a comprehensive review of the starch metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana and other species of agronomic interest and the modular structures present in starch-related enzymes from Arabidopsis thaliana.