Calcium oxalate a highly insoluble crystalline salt of oxalic acid and calcium (CaOx) crystals are distributed among all taxonomic levels of photosynthetic organisms from small algae to angiosperms and giant gymnosperms. Accumulation of crystals by these organisms can be substantial. Major functions of CaOx crystal formation in plants include high-capacity calcium (Ca) regulation and protection against herbivory. Ultrastructural and developmental analyses have demonstrated that this biomineralization process is not a simple random physical-chemical precipitation of endogenously synthesized oxalic acid a strong and the simplest dicarboxylic acid, often thought of as a toxin or end product of metabolism, but which is also synthesized when calcium oxalate crystals are induced to form in plants and environmentally derived Ca. Instead, crystals are formed in specific shapes and sizes. Genetic regulation of CaOx formation is indicated by constancy of crystal morphology within species, cell specialization, and the remarkable coordination of crystal growth and cell expansion. Using a variety of approaches, researchers have begun to unravel the exquisite control mechanisms exerted by cells specialized for CaOx formation that include the machinery for uptake and accumulation of Ca, oxalic acid biosynthetic pathways, and regulation of crystal growth.

Calcium oxalate is the most abundant insoluble mineral found in plants and its crystals have been reported in more than 200 plant families. In the barrel medic Medicago truncatula Gaertn., these crystals accumulate predominantly in a sheath surrounding secondary veins of leaves. Mutants of M. truncatula with decreased levels of calcium oxalate crystals were used to assess the defensive role of this mineral against insects. Caterpillar larvae of the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua Hübner show a clear feeding preference for tissue from calcium oxalate-defective (cod) mutant lines cod5 and cod6 in choice test comparisons with wild-type M. truncatula. Compared to their performance on mutant lines, larvae feeding on wild-type plants with abundant calcium oxalate crystals suffer significantly reduced growth and increased mortality. Induction of wound-responsive genes appears to be normal in cod5 and cod6, indicating that these lines are not deficient in induced insect defenses. Electron micrographs of insect mouthparts indicate that the prismatic crystals in M. truncatula leaves act as physical abrasives during feeding. Food utilization measurements show that, after consumption, calcium oxalate also interferes with the conversion of plant material into insect biomass during digestion. In contrast to their detrimental effects on a chewing insect, calcium oxalate crystals do not negatively affect the performance of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, a sap-feeding insect with piercing-sucking mouthparts. The results confirm a long-held hypothesis for the defensive function of these crystals and point to the potential value of genes controlling crystal formation and localization in crop plants.

ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase has been extensively purified from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber tissue to study its structure. By employing a modified published procedure (JR Sowokinos, J Preiss [1982] Plant Physiol 69: 1459-1466) together with Mono Q chromatography, a near homogeneous enzyme preparation was obtained with substantial improvement in enzyme yield and specific activity. In single dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, the enzyme migrated as a single polypeptide band with a mobility of about 50,000 daltons. Analysis by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, however, revealed the presence of two types of subunits which could be distinguished by their slight differences in net charge and molecular weight. The smaller potato tuber subunit was recognized by antiserum prepared against the smaller spinach leaf 51 kilodalton ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase subunit. In contrast, the anti-54 kilodalton raised against the spinach leaf subunit did not significantly react to the tuber enzyme subunits. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the potato tuber ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase is not composed of a simple homotetramer as previously suggested, but is a product of two separate and distinct subunits as observed for the spinach leaf and maize enzymes.