Carbohydrates
Structure, storage, and photosynthetic efficiency — from the cellulose microfibrils of the cell wall to the source-sink partitioning of sucrose and the carbon-concentrating mechanisms of C4 and CAM plants.
Carbohydrate Metabolism Overview
Foundational Equations
AGPase (starch precursor)
\( \text{G1P} + \text{ATP} \xrightarrow{\text{AGPase}} \text{ADP-glucose} + \text{PP}_i \)
RuBisCO oxygenase
\( \text{RuBP} + \text{O}_2 \xrightarrow{\text{RuBisCO}} \text{3-PGA} + \text{2-phosphoglycolate} \)
PEP carboxylase (C4)
\( \text{PEP} + \text{HCO}_3^- \xrightarrow{\text{PEPC}} \text{OAA} + \text{P}_i \)
SPS (sucrose synthesis)
\( \text{UDP-glucose} + \text{F6P} \xrightarrow{\text{SPS}} \text{sucrose-6-P} + \text{UDP} \)
Chapters
Chapter 16: Cell Wall Biosynthesis
CESA complexes and rosette structure, beta-1,4-glucan microfibril assembly, Golgi-synthesised hemicellulose and pectin, lignification, and extensin cross-linking.
Chapter 17: Starch & Sucrose Metabolism
AGPase (ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase), starch synthase, branching enzyme, amylolytic degradation, SPS (sucrose phosphate synthase), SuSy, and trehalose-6-phosphate signalling.
Chapter 18: Photorespiration & C4/CAM
RuBisCO oxygenase reaction, photorespiratory multi-organelle pathway, C4 Kranz anatomy and PEP carboxylase CO₂ pump, NADP-ME/NAD-ME/PCK subtypes, and CAM temporal separation.