Isolation and characterisation of the homogalacturonan from type II cell walls of the commelinoid monocot wheat using HF-solvolysis

In contrast to the typical type I cell wall of the dicot plants, the type II cell wall of the commelinoid monocot plants is known to be relatively poor in pectins. Assuming a critical role for the remaining pectins in terms of cell wall architecture and/or as a reservoir of signalling molecules, we have compared different protocols for the isolation of the main pectin polymer, homogalacturonan, from wheat leaf cell walls. Pectin was detected in these cell walls immunochemically using the monoclonal antibodies JIM5 and JIM7, and biochemically by monosaccharide analysis. The Ca++-chelators CDTA and imidazole extracted a pectin rich fraction from isolated cell walls which was however contaminated with significant amounts of hemicelluloses. Pretreatment of the cell walls with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride at controlled low temperatures followed by HF/ether- and water-extraction prior to imidazole-extraction of pectins yielded a purer homogalacturonan fraction. The near absence of rhamnosyl residues proved that the isolated homogalacturonan fraction was free of rhamnogalacturonans. If HF-solvolysis was performed at - 23 degreesC, the resulting homogalacturonan had a degree of methyl esterification identical to that of the pectins in the initial wheat cell wall. The antibodies JIM5 and JIM7 as well as PAM1 and LM5 proved that the isolated homogalacturonan had a low methyl ester content, was polymeric and free of galactan side chains. We can thus isolate native homogalacturonan from the type II wheat cell walls with the original in muro pattern of methyl esterification still intact, to further investigate e.g., its degradability by plant or microbial pectic enzymes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.