Alan G. Darvill

Isolation and characterization of plant cell walls and cell wall components

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the methods used for isolating and characterizing the noncellulosic polysaccharides of the primary walls of suspension-cultured sycamore cells. These procedures are applicable to the study of other types of cell walls. Cell walls form the basic structural framework of the plant, defining the shape and size of plant cells and tissues. Cell walls are classified as either primary or secondary, depending upon their mechanical properties and chemical composition. The primary cell wall is a mechanically dynamic structure encasing the cell during the period of rapid expansion that follows cell division. The secondary cell wall is, relative to the primary cell wall, a mechanically static structure that determines the shape and size of the mature cell. The chapter presents the experiments for the isolation of plant cell walls and the isolation of polysaccharides from cell walls and from extracellular polysaccharides of suspension-cultured plant cells and the chemical methods used for characterizing polysaccharides.

Determination, by methylation analysis, of the glycosyl-linkage compositions of microgram quantities of complex carbohydrates

Abstract A methylation-analysis procedure has been developed by which the glycosyl-linkage compositions of microgram quantities of complex carbohydrates, including those containing hexosyluronic acid residues, can be determined. The effectiveness of the procedure was demonstrated by correctly determining the glycosyl-linkage compositions of 1 μg of a disaccharide and 5 μg of an acidic polysaccharide whose structures were unknown to the analyst. The development of a new technique, namely, reversed-phase chromatography on Sep-Pak C 18 cartridges, to recover and purify microgram quantities of per- O -methylated complex carbohydrates from methylation-reaction mixtures, was critical to the success of the microscale procedure. The use of gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with multiple, selected-ion monitoring was also essential for identification and semiquantitation of the partially O -methylated alditol acetates derived from 1 to 5 μg of a complex carbohydrate.

Arabidopsis irregular xylem8 and irregular xylem9: Implications for the Complexity of Glucuronoxylan Biosynthesis

Mutations of Arabidopsis thaliana IRREGULAR XYLEM8 (IRX8) and IRX9 were previously shown to cause a collapsed xylem phenotype and decreases in xylose and cellulose in cell walls. In this study, we characterized IRX8 and IRX9 and performed chemical and structural analyses of glucuronoxylan (GX) from irx8 and irx9 plants. IRX8 and IRX9 are expressed specifically in cells undergoing secondary wall thickening, and their encoded proteins are targeted to the Golgi, where GX is synthesized. 1H-NMR spectroscopy showed that the reducing end of Arabidopsis GX contains the glycosyl sequence 4-β-d-Xylp-(1→4)-β-d-Xylp-(1→3)-α-l-Rhap-(1→2)-α-d-GalpA-(1→4)-d-Xylp, which was previously identified in birch (Betula verrucosa) and spruce (Picea abies) GX. This indicates that the reducing end structure of GXs is evolutionarily conserved in woody and herbaceous plants. This sequence is more abundant in irx9 GX than in the wild type, whereas irx8 and fragile fiber8 (fra8) plants are nearly devoid of it. The number of GX chains increased and the GX chain length decreased in irx9 plants. Conversely, the number of GX chains decreased and the chain length heterodispersity increased in irx8 and fra8 plants. Our results suggest that IRX9 is required for normal GX elongation and indicate roles for IRX8 and FRA8 in the synthesis of the glycosyl sequence at the GX reducing end.

Characterization of the Cell-Wall Polysaccharides of Arabidopsis thaliana Leaves

The cell-wall polysaccharides of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves have been isolated, purified, and characterized. The primary cell walls of all higher plants that have been studied contain cellulose, the three pectic polysaccharides homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan I, and rhamnogalacturonan II, the two hemicelluloses xyloglucan and glucuronoarabinoxylan, and structural glycoproteins. The cell walls of Arabidopsis leaves contain each of these components and no others that we could detect, and these cell walls are remarkable in that they are particularly rich in phosphate buffer-soluble polysaccharides (34% of the wall). The pectic polysaccharides of the purified cell walls consist of rhamnogalacturonan I (11%), rhamnogalacturonan II (8%), and homogalacturonan (23%). Xyloglucan (XG) accounts for 20% of the wall, and the oligosaccharide fragments generated from XG by endoglucanase consist of the typical subunits of other higher plant XGs. Glucuronoarabinoxylan (4%), cellulose (14%), and protein (14%) account for the remainder of the wall. Except for the phosphate buffer-soluble pectic polysaccharides, the polysaccharides of Arabidopsis leaf cell walls occur in proportions similar to those of other plants. The structures of the Arabidopsis cell-wall polysaccharides are typical of those of many other plants.

Arabidopsis Fragile Fiber8, Which Encodes a Putative Glucuronyltransferase, Is Essential for Normal Secondary Wall Synthesis

Secondary walls in vessels and fibers of dicotyledonous plants are mainly composed of cellulose, xylan, and lignin. Although genes involved in biosynthesis of cellulose and lignin have been intensively studied, little is known about genes participating in xylan synthesis. We found that Arabidopsis thaliana fragile fiber8 (fra8) is defective in xylan synthesis. The fra8 mutation caused a dramatic reduction in fiber wall thickness and a decrease in stem strength. FRA8 was found to encode a member of glycosyltransferase family 47 and exhibits high sequence similarity to tobacco (Nicotiana plumbaginifolia) pectin glucuronyltransferase. FRA8 is expressed specifically in developing vessels and fiber cells, and FRA8 is targeted to Golgi. Comparative analyses of cell wall polysaccharide fractions from fra8 and wild-type stems showed that the xylan and cellulose contents are drastically reduced in fra8, whereas xyloglucan and pectin are elevated. Further structural analysis of cell walls revealed that although wild-type xylans contain both glucuronic acid and 4-O-methylglucuronic acid residues, xylans from fra8 retain only 4-O-methylglucuronic acid, indicating that the fra8 mutation results in a specific defect in the addition of glucuronic acid residues onto xylans. These findings suggest that FRA8 is a glucuronyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of glucuronoxylan during secondary wall formation.

3-deoxy-d-manno-2-octulosonic acid (KDO) is a component of rhamnogalacturonan II, a pectic polysaccharide in the primary cell walls of plants☆☆☆

Abstract 3-Deoxy- d - manno -2-octulosonic acid (KDO), a sugar previously presumed to occur only as a glycosyl residue in polysaccharides produced by Gram-negative bacteria, was found to be a component of the cell walls of higher plants. In the form of the disaccharide α- l -Rha p -(1→5)- d -KDO, KDO was released by mild hydrolysis with acid from the purified cell wall polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan II. KDO was shown to be present in purified cell walls of several plants, including dicots, a monocot, and a gymnosperm. Improved methods for detecting and quantitating KDO residues in polysaccharides were developed during this investigation.

An Arabidopsis Cell Wall Proteoglycan Consists of Pectin and Arabinoxylan Covalently Linked to an Arabinogalactan Protein

Pectin and xylan are generally considered as separate cell wall glycan networks distinct from cell wall proteins. This work describes a cell wall proteoglycan with pectin and arabinoxylan covalently attached to an arabinogalactan protein, identifying a cross-linked matrix polysaccharide wall protein architecture with implications for wall structure, function, and synthesis. Plant cell walls are comprised largely of the polysaccharides cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin, along with ∼10% protein and up to 40% lignin. These wall polymers interact covalently and noncovalently to form the functional cell wall. Characterized cross-links in the wall include covalent linkages between wall glycoprotein extensins between rhamnogalacturonan II monomer domains and between polysaccharides and lignin phenolic residues. Here, we show that two isoforms of a purified Arabidopsis thaliana arabinogalactan protein (AGP) encoded by hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein family protein gene At3g45230 are covalently attached to wall matrix hemicellulosic and pectic polysaccharides, with rhamnogalacturonan I (RG I)/homogalacturonan linked to the rhamnosyl residue in the arabinogalactan (AG) of the AGP and with arabinoxylan attached to either a rhamnosyl residue in the RG I domain or directly to an arabinosyl residue in the AG glycan domain. The existence of this wall structure, named ARABINOXYLAN PECTIN ARABINOGALACTAN PROTEIN1 (APAP1), is contrary to prevailing cell wall models that depict separate protein, pectin, and hemicellulose polysaccharide networks. The modified sugar composition and increased extractability of pectin and xylan immunoreactive epitopes in apap1 mutant aerial biomass support a role for the APAP1 proteoglycan in plant wall architecture and function.

Developmental and Tissue-Specific Structural Alterations of the Cell-Wall Polysaccharides of Arabidopsis thaliana Roots.

The plant cell wall is a dynamic structure that plays important roles in growth and development and in the interactions of plants with their environment and other organisms. We have used monoclonal antibodies that recognize different carbohydrate epitopes present in plant cell-wall polysaccharides to locate these epitopes in roots of developing Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. An epitope in the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan I is observed in the walls of epidermal and cortical cells in mature parts of the root. This epitope is inserted into the walls in a developmentally regulated manner. Initially, the epitope is observed in atrichoblasts and later appears in trichoblasts and simultaneously in cortical cells. A terminal [alpha]-fucosyl-containing epitope is present in almost all of the cell walls in the root. An arabinosylated (1->6)-[beta]-galactan epitope is also found in all of the cell walls of the root with the exception of lateral root-cap cell walls. It is striking that these three polysaccharide epitopes are not uniformly distributed (or accessible) within the walls of a given cell, nor are these epitopes distributed equally across the two walls laid down by adjacent cells. Our results further suggest that the biosynthesis and differentiation of primary cell walls in plants are precisely regulated in a temporal, spatial, and developmental manner.

Generation of Monoclonal Antibodies against Plant Cell-Wall Polysaccharides (I. Characterization of a Monoclonal Antibody to a Terminal [alpha]-(1->2)-Linked Fucosyl-Containing Epitope

Monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) generated against rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) purified from suspension-cultured sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) cells fall into three recognition groups. Four McAbs (group I) recognize an epitope that appears to be immunodominant and is present on RG-I from maize and sycamore maple, pectin and polygalacturonic acid from citrus, gum tragacanth, and membrane glycoproteins from suspension-cultured cells of maize, tobacco, parsley, bean, and sycamore maple. A second set of McAbs (group II) recognizes an epitope present in sycamore maple RG-I but does not bind to any of the other polysaccharides or glycoproteins recognized by group I. Lastly, one McAb, CCRC-M1 (group III), binds to RG-I and more strongly to xyloglucan (XG) from sycamore maple but not to maize RG-I, citrus polygalacturonic acid, or to the plant membrane glycoproteins recognized by group I. The epitope to which CCRC-M1 binds has been examined in detail. Ligand competition assays using a series of oligosaccharides derived from or related to sycamore maple XG demonstrated that a terminal [alpha]-(1->2)-likned fucosyl residue constitutes an essential part of the epitope recognized by CCRC-M1. Oligosaccharides containing this structural motif compete with intact sycamore maple XG for binding to the antibody, whereas structurally related oligosaccharides, which do not contain terminal fucosyl residues or in which the terminal fucosyl residue is linked [alpha]-(1->3) to the adjacent glycosyl residue, do not compete for the antibody binding site. The ligand binding assays also indicate that CCRC-M1 binds to a conformationally dependent structure of the polysaccharide. Other results of this study establish that some of the carbohydrate epitopes of the plant extracellular matrix are shared among different macromolecules.

Structural analysis of xyloglucan oligosaccharides by 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy and fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry.

A method to determine rapidly the identities and proportions of the oligosaccharide repeating-units in plant cell-wall xyloglucans by 1D 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy was developed. Six of the most commonly found xyloglucan oligosaccharide subunits (including three subunits that had not been fully characterized previously) were prepared by endo-(1----4)-beta-D-glucanase digestion of xyloglucans from various plant species. The oligosaccharides were reduced to the corresponding oligoglycosyl-alditols, purified, and characterized by glycosyl composition and linkage analysis, 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy, and f.a.b.-mass spectrometry. Correlations between the 1H-n.m.r. spectra and the structures of the oligoglycosyl-alditols can be used to identify oligoglycosyl-alditols derived from xyloglucans of unknown structure. The identities and relative amounts of the oligosaccharide subunits of xyloglucans isolated from tamarind seed and rapeseed hulls were determined on this basis.