Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

Unlocking RG-I backbone synthesis: identification of RGGAT1 and a new GT116 GT-A family

Plant cell wall pectin has a homogalacturonan or rhamnogalacturonan backbone. Incomplete knowledge of RG-I biosynthetic enzymes has impeded in vitro pectin synthesis and pectin structure and function studies. Here, RGGAT1 is identified as a GT116 RG-I backbone biosynthetic galacturonosyltransferase that produces polymeric RG-I backbone when expressed with GT106 RG-I rhamnosyltransferases.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Polymerization of RG-I and predicted GT-A fold of RGGAT1.

References

  1. Atmodjo, M. A., Hao, Z. & Mohnen, D. Evolving views of pectin biosynthesis. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 64, 747–779 (2013). A review article summarizing the domain structure of pectin and complexity of its synthesis.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Amos, R. A. & Mohnen, D. Critical review of plant cell wall matrix polysaccharide glycosyltransferase activities verified by heterologous protein expression. Front. Plant Sci. 10, 915 (2019). A review article summarizing the heterologous expression of plant cell wall glycosyltransferases.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Voiniciuc, C. et al. Identification of key enzymes for pectin synthesis in seed mucilage. Plant Physiol. 178, 1045–1064 (2018). A research paper describing the identification of MUCI70 as associated with RG-I synthesis in Arabidopsis seed mucilage.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Takenaka, Y. et al. Pectin RG-I rhamnosyltransferases represent a novel plant-specific glycosyltransferase family. Nat. Plants 4, 669–676 (2018). A research paper describing the identification of RG-I backbone biosynthetic rhamnosyltrasnferases as founding members of GT106.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Taujale, R. et al. Mapping the glycosyltransferase fold landscape using interpretable deep learning. Nat. Commun. 12, 5656 (2021). A research paper describing the deep learning-based method used to predict glycosyltransferase fold type.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Amos, R. A. et al. Polymerization of the backbone of the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan I. Nat. Plants https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01270-3 (2022).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Unlocking RG-I backbone synthesis: identification of RGGAT1 and a new GT116 GT-A family. Nat. Plants 8, 1220–1221 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01271-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01271-2

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing