Higher plant celluloses similarity

A survey of several native celluloses reinforced the similarity of the higher plant celluloses to one another, although limits of resolution and questions of chemical purity in the cellulose chains make comparison difficult and less meaningful. A parallel survey of NMR spectra from the more chemically pure algal celluloses and the bacterial cellulose, Acetobacter xylinum, indicated a general uniformity, albeit these spectra were distinct from the spectra of the higher plant celluloses. These algal cellulose spectra, however, showed small variations, outside of experimental error, which were taken as evidence for crystalline polymorphy. 

Brummond and Gibbons304 demonstrated the presence, in higher plants, of enzymes that utilize UDP-D-glucose to produce a cellulose-like polymer, and Hassid and coworkers305 separately reported in mung bean a similar enzyme system in which 80-90% of the product consisted of... 

Purification of ferredoxin from algae and higher plants is carried out similarly, but here an acetone fractionation procedure is used prior to collection of ferredoxin on DEAE-cellulose (Tagawa and Arnon (99),... 

These results of Hopp et al. (1978) constitute very strong evidence for the proposition that cellulose originates as a glucoprotein, at least in Prototheca. Hopp etal. (1978) have also shown that this alga makes dolichols of 90-105 carbon atoms, mostly as the C95 and Cioo forms from mevalonic acid. Synthesis mostly takes place in the mitochondria and Golgi apparatus. The evidence for a similar set of transfers in higher plants is slightly less firmly proven. 

Clark and Wolff carried out the first studies on the changes in the chemical composition of kenaf as a function of the growing season [22]. They also studied the chemical differences along the stem and between leaves and stem. This data showed that the pentosans, lignin, and a-cellulose content increases with age, while the protein and hot water extractives content decreases with age. Data taken from the top part of the plant shows similar trends however, the top part has less cellulose, pentosans, and lignin, but higher hot water extractives and protein than the bottom part of the plant (Table 7.4). 

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