Structural studies of complex carbohydrates of plant cell walls: Progress report, December 1986--June 1989

Technical Report · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5815345· OSTI ID:5815345

Darvill, A.

Characterizing the polysaccharides that constitute the primary cell walls of plants has been a major research goal of our laboratory for many years. During the past three years we have made considerable progress towards this goal. In particular, we have emphasized the structural studies of three of the major non-cellulosic polysaccharides; namely, the pectic polysaccharides rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), and rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II), and the hemicellulosic polysaccharide xyloglucan. We have identified and partially characterized the major pectic polysaccharides present in the primary cell walls of suspension-cultured monocot (maize and rice) and gymnosperm (Douglas fir) cells. We have come to realize that RG-I, RG-II and xyloglucan, together with homogalacturonan are arabinoxylan, constitute the predominant non-cellulosic polysaccharides of primary cell walls. In fact, we have accumulated considerable evidence to suggest that these are the predominant and perhaps only non-cellulosic polysaccharides of primary cell walls. While writing a comprehensive review of the pectic polysaccharides of primary cell walls we came to realize that all of the pectic polysaccharide fragments described in the literature may have originated from homogalacturonan, RG-I, or RG-II. Indeed, we have been quite surprised by the remarkable structural conservation of these very complicated polysaccharides in cell walls originating from such evolutionarily diverse plants. Furthermore, our structural studies of cell wall hemicellulosic xyloglucan have reinforced the concept that cell wall polysaccharides have extremely complicated and evolutionarily-conserved structures.

• Research Organization: Georgia Univ., Athens, GA (USA). Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
• DOE Contract Number: FG09-85ER13426
• OSTI ID: 5815345
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/13426-3; ON: DE89015797
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CELL WALL
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL WASTES
FRACTIONATION
POLYSACCHARIDES
STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS
EVALUATION
PLANTS
PROGRESS REPORT
CARBOHYDRATES
CELL CONSTITUENTS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SACCHARIDES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTES
550200* - Biochemistry