title: Arabinogalactan proteins: focus on carbohydrate active enzymes.
abstract: Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are a highly diverse class of cell surface proteoglycans that are commonly found in most plant species. AGPs play important roles in many cellular processes during plant development, such as reproduction, cell proliferation, pattern formation and growth, and in plant-microbe interaction. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of their function. Numerous studies using monoclonal antibodies that recognize different AGP glycan epitopes have shown the appearance of a slightly altered AGP glycan in a specific stage of development in plant cells. Therefore, it is anticipated that the biosynthesis and degradation of AGP glycan is tightly regulated during development. Until recently, however, little was known about the enzymes involved in the metabolism of AGP glycans. In this review, we summarize recent discoveries of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZy; http://www.cazy.org/) involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of AGP glycans, and we discuss the biological role of these enzymes in plant development.
authors: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Knoch
authors: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Adiphol
authors: A
authors: Dilokpimol
authors: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Naomi
authors: N
authors: Geshi
keywords: arabinogalactan proteins; carbohydrate active enzymes; glycoside hydrolase; glycosyltransferase; plant cell wall; type II arabinogalactan