Galactan from plant cell-walls

The plant cell wall biology studies require more sensitive and specific probes to target individual wall components. Traditionally, antibodies have been the primary workhorses for the spatial localization of cell wall polysaccharides. Currently, nearly 30 monoclonal antibodies directed toward specific arabinan, galactan, xylan, galacturonan, fucosylated xyloglucan, and cell wall glycoprotein epitopes are available, from academic and commercial sources [172], Nevertheless, CBMs may be used for this purpose, since they present intrinsic specificity for individual carbohydrates. 

Mannans. A variety of other polysaccharides may occur in the cell walls of land plants. Among these are mannans, galactans, and pectic substances. In general, softwoods contain approximately 11% combined D-mannose, whereas hardwoods contain only about 1 %. A linear mannan is also the chief constituent of the thickened cell walls of palm seeds, where it occurs as a food reserve and disappears on germination. A rich source is the endosperm of the tagua palm which is known as vegetable ivory and from which buttons have been made. This mannan is a linear chain of D-mannopyranose... 

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