Mechanistic information from analysis of molecular weight distributions of starch.

A methodology is developed for interpreting the molecular weight distributions of debranched amylopectin, based on techniques developed for quantitatively and qualitatively finding mechanistic information from the molecular weight distributions of synthetic polymers. If the only events occurring are random chain growth and stoppage (i.e., the rates are independent of degree of polymerization over the range in question), then the number of chains of degree of polymerization N, P(N), is linear in ln P(N) with a negative slope, where the slope gives the ratio of the stoppage and growth rates. This starting point suggests that mechanistic inferences can be made from a plot of lnP against N. Application to capillary electrophoresis data for the P(N) of debranched starch from across the major taxa, from bacteria (Escherichia coli), green algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), mammals (Bos), and flowering plants (Oryza sativa, rice; Zea mays, maize; Triticum aestivum, wheat; Hordeum vulgare, barley; and Solanum tuberosum, potato), gives insights into the biosynthetic pathways, showing the differences and similarities of the alpha-1,4-glucans produced by the various species. Four characteristic regions for storage starch from the higher plants are revealed: (1) an initial increasing region corresponding to the formation of new branches, (2) a linear ln P region with negative slope, indicating random growth and stoppage, (3) a region corresponding to the formation of the crystalline lamellae and subsequent elongation of chains, and (4) a second linear ln P with negative slope region. Each region can be assigned to specific enzymatic processes in starch synthesis, including determining the ranges of degrees of polymerization which are subject to random and nonrandom processes.