Sporopollenin
Sporopollenin is a biological
Spores are dispersed by many different environmental factors, such as wind, water or animals. In suitable conditions, the sporopollenin-rich walls of pollen grains and spores can persist in the fossil record for hundreds of millions of years, since sporopollenin is resistant to chemical degradation by organic and inorganic chemicals.[4]
Chemical composition
The chemical composition of sporopollenin has long been elusive due to its unusual chemical stability, insolubility and resistance to degradation by
In 2019, thioacidolysis degradation and solid-state NMR was used to determine the molecular structure of pitch pine sporopollenin, finding it primarily composed of polyvinyl alcohol units alongside other aliphatic monomers, all crosslinked through a series of acetal linkages. Its complex and heterogeneous chemical structure give some protection from the biodegradative enzymes of bacteria, fungi and animals.[6] Some aromatic structures based on p-coumarate and naringenin were also identified within the sporopollenin polymer. These can absorb ultraviolet light and thus prevent it penetrating further into the spore. This has relevance to the role of pollen and spores in transporting and dispersing the gametes of plants. The DNA of the gametes is readily damaged by the ultraviolet component of daylight. Sporopollenin thus provides some protection from this damage as well as a physically robust container.[6]
Analysis of sporopollenin from the
Biosynthesis
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-12-339552-8.
- JSTOR 2442549.
- S2CID 19630391.
- ^ ISBN 9780121357504
- ^ PMID 16665854.
- ^ S2CID 56174700.
- S2CID 210984485. Retrieved 8 July 2021.)
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ PMID 16096968.
Further reading
- Glinkerman, CM; Lin, S; Ni, J; Li, FS; Zhao, X; Weng, JK (12 September 2022). "Sporopollenin-inspired design and synthesis of robust polymeric materials". Communications Chemistry. 5 (1): 110. PMID 36697794.