Entries by Ciara O'Brien

You’ve gotta starch somewhere: Evidence for an alternative starch granule initiation pathway

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Starch is the major storage carbohydrate in plants, and in Arabidopsis leaves it forms granules in the chloroplasts to supply energy during the night when photosynthesis is inactive. These semicrystalline granules are made of glucose chains, which can be mostly unbranched (amylose) or highly branched (amylopectin). The formation of new starch granules (initiation) is achieved […]

A fresh starch: Creating new starch granule morphologies in potato tuber

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Starch is the major storage carbohydrate in plants and is organised into semicrystalline granules. The size, shape, and composition of these granules greatly affects how they are digested, and which industrial applications they are suitable for. Therefore, the enzymes controlling starch synthesis are incredibly valuable targets for breeders, despite being poorly understood outside of the […]