Starch is the most widespread and abundant storage carbohydrate in plants. We depend upon starch for our nutrition, exploit its unique properties in industry, and use it as a feedstock for bioethanol production. Here, we review recent advances in research in three key areas. First, we assess progress in identifying the enzymatic machinery required for the synthesis of amylopectin, the glucose polymer responsible for the insoluble nature of starch. Second, we discuss the pathways of starch degradation, focusing on the emerging role of transient glucan phosphorylation in plastids as a mechanism for solubilizing the surface of the starch granule. We contrast this pathway in leaves with the degradation of starch in the endosperm of germinated cereal seeds. Third, we consider the evolution of starch biosynthesis in plants from the ancestral ability to make glycogen. Finally, we discuss how this basic knowledge has been utilized to improve and diversify starch crops.

中文翻译：

---

淀粉：植物中的代谢、进化和生物技术改造

淀粉是植物中储存最广泛、最丰富的碳水化合物。我们依靠淀粉获取营养，在工业中利用其独特的特性，并将其用作生物乙醇生产的原料。在这里，我们回顾了三个关键领域的最新研究进展。首先，我们评估了鉴定合成支链淀粉所需的酶机制的进展，支链淀粉是负责淀粉不溶性的葡萄糖聚合物。其次，我们讨论了淀粉降解的途径，重点关注质体中瞬时葡聚糖磷酸化作为溶解淀粉颗粒表面的机制的新作用。我们将叶子中的这一途径与发芽谷物种子胚乳中淀粉的降解进行了对比。第三，我们考虑植物中淀粉生物合成从祖先制造糖原的能力的进化。最后，我们讨论如何利用这些基础知识来改良淀粉作物并使其多样化。