The main research project in the Mohnen laboratory is based on the premise that the most direct way to elucidate the biological functions of pectin is to understand how pectin is biosynthesized. The bulk of our research examines how the pectic polysaccharide homogalacturonan (HGA) is synthesized. HGA is a linear polymer of a alpha-1, 4-linked galactosyluronic acid that makes up ~60% of the pectic polysaccharides.