Plant Carbohydrates Ii: Extracellular Carbohydrates (encyclopedia Of Plant Physiology)

In 1958, a single volume in the original series of this Encyclopedia adequately summarized the state of knowledge about plant carbohydrates. Expansion into two volumes in the New Series highlights the explosive increase in information and the heightened interest that attended this class of compounds in the interven­ ing years. Even now the search has just begun. Much remains to be accom­ plished; e.g., a full description of the plant cell wall in chemical terms. Why this growing fascination with plant carbohydrates? Clearly, much credit goes to those who pioneered the complex chemistry of polyhydroxylated compounds and to those who later sorted out the biochemical features of these molecules. But there is a second aspect, the role of carbohydrates in such biological func­ tions as host-parasite and pollen-pistil interactions, the mating reaction in fungi, symbiosis, and secretion to name a few. Here is ample reason for anyone concerned with the plant sciences to turn aside for a moment and consider how carbohydrates, so many years neglected in favor of the study of proteins and nucleic acids, contribute to the physiological processes of growth and devel­ opment in plants. Front Matter....Pages I-XXII Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Constitution of Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharides....Pages 3-8 Ultrastructure of the Plant Cell Wall: Biophysical Viewpoint....Pages 9-24 The Assembly of Polysaccharide Fibrils....Pages 25-28 Ultrastructure of the Plant Cell Wall: Biochemical Viewpoint....Pages 29-46 Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Cellulose and Noncellulosic Cell Wall Glucans....Pages 47-67 Metabolism of Noncellulosic Polysaccharides....Pages 68-132 Glycoproteins and Enzymes of the Cell Wall....Pages 133-165 The Role of Lipid-Linked Saccharides in the Biosynthesis of Complex Carbohydrates....Pages 166-193 Biosynthesis of Lignin....Pages 194-224 Hydrophobic Layers Attached to Cell Walls. Cutin, Suberin and Associated Waxes....Pages 225-254 Wall Extensibility: Hormones and Wall Extension....Pages 255-273 Front Matter....Pages 275-275 Algal Walls — Composition and Biosynthesis....Pages 277-316 Algal Walls — Cytology of Formation....Pages 317-332 Algal Wall-Degrading Enzymes — Autolysines....Pages 333-351 Fungal Cell Walls: A Survey....Pages 352-394 Chitin: Structure, Metabolism, and Regulation of Biosynthesis....Pages 395-415 Fungal Glucans — Structure and Metabolism....Pages 416-440 Mannoproteins: Structure....Pages 441-458 Biosynthesis of Mannoproteins in Fungi....Pages 459-483 Front Matter....Pages 485-485 Secretory Processes — General Considerations and Secretion in Fungi....Pages 487-512 Front Matter....Pages 485-485 Secretion of Cell Wall Material in Higher Plants....Pages 513-541 Secretory Activity of the Root Cap....Pages 542-574 Front Matter....Pages 575-575 Defined Components Involved in Pollination....Pages 577-583 Carbohydrates in Plant-Pathogen Interactions....Pages 584-623 Front Matter....Pages 625-625 Lectins and Their Physiological Role in Slime Molds and in Higher Plants....Pages 627-657 The Role of Lectins in Symbiotic Plant-Microbe Interactions....Pages 658-677 Back Matter....Pages 679-769