Galloway, AF, Knox, P orcid.org/0000-0002-9231-6891 and Krause, K (2020) Sticky mucilages and exudates of plants: putative microenvironmental design elements with biotechnological value. The New Phytologist, 225 (4). pp. 1461-1469. ISSN 0028-646X
Abstract
Plants produce a wide array of secretions both above- and belowground. Known as mucilages or exudates, they are secreted by seeds, roots, leaves and stems and fulfil a variety of functions including adhesion, protection, nutrient acquisition or infection. Mucilages are generally polysaccharide-rich and often occur in the form of viscelastic gels and in many cases have adhesive properties. In some cases, progress is being made in understanding the structure-function relations of mucilages such as for the secretions that allow growing ivy to attach to substrates and the biosynthesis and secretion of the mucilage compounds of the Arabidopsis seed coat. Work is just beginning in understanding root mucilage and the proposed adhesive polymers involved in the formation of rhizosheaths at root surfaces and for the secretions involved in host plant infection by parasitic plants. In this article, we summarize knowledge on plant exudates and mucilages within the concept of their functions in microenvironmental design, focusing especially on their bioadhesive functions and the molecules responsible for them. We draw attention to areas of future knowledge need, including the microstructure of mucilages and their compositional and regulatory dynamics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Authors New Phytologist © 2019 New Phytologist Trust This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Bioadhesive; extrafloral nectar; exudate; mucilage; polysachcarides; secretion |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number BBSRC BB/K017489/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 24 Sep 2019 10:07 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 22:00 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/nph.16144 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:151257 |