Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Extraction and Analysis of Taiwanese Green Propolis
Published on: January 7, 2019
Inhibition of pectin methyl esterase activity by green tea catechins
Kristin C Lewis1, Tzvia Selzer, Chen Shahar
1Rowland Institute at Harvard, 100 Edwin H. Land Boulevard, Cambridge, MA 02141, United States. lewis@rowland.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Pectin methyl esterases (PMEs) and their endogenous inhibitors are involved in the regulation of many processes in plant physiology, ranging from tissue growth and fruit ripening to parasitic plant haustorial formation and host invasion. Thus, control of PME activity is critical for enhancing our understanding of plant physiological processes and regulation. Here, we report on the identification of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea component, as a natural inhibitor for pectin methyl esterases. In a gel assay for PME activity, EGCG blocked esterase activity of pure PME as well as PME extracts from citrus and from parasitic plants. Fluorometric tests were used to determine the IC50 for a synthetic substrate. Molecular docking analysis of PME and EGCG suggests close interaction of EGCG with the catalytic cleft of PME. Inhibition of PME by the green tea compound, EGCG, provides the means to study the diverse roles of PMEs in cell wall metabolism and plant development. In addition, this study introduces the use of EGCG as natural product to be used in the food industry and agriculture.
More Related Videos
10:35Study on the Metabolism of Six Systemic Insecticides in a Newly Established Cell Suspension Culture Derived from Tea (Camellia Sinensis L.) Leaves
Published on: June 15, 2019
13:35Structural Biology and Analytical Chemistry Approaches for Characterizing C-Glycoside Metabolic Enzymes in Human Gut Microbiota
Published on: May 23, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Cellulose and Pectic Polysaccharides
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the parenchyma cells of...
Enzyme Inhibition
Microbial Bioremediation of Plastics
Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis