Plant cell-walls pectins

These acidic molecules might result from either the lack of PMT activity or the action of PME, known to be present in most plant cell walls. Pectin methyltransferases and pectin methylesterases extracted from active and resting cells were therefore characterized. 

The discovery of these enzymes enables a better structural characterisation of the hairy (ramified) regions of pectin, as already demonstrated by Schols et al. (1990b) and also of native plant cell wall pectin (Schols et al., 1995). In this study we show how the two exo-enzymes of the above described series, the RG-rhamnohydrolase and the RG-galacturonohydrolase, can be used as tools in the characterisation of unknown RG fragments. These unknown fragments were the products of RG-hydrolase or RG-lyase action toward linear RG oligomers (RGO s), which were produced by acid hydrolysis of sugar beet pulp. 

Chamay, D. Nari, J. Noat, G. 1992. Regulation of plant cell-wall pectin methyl esterase by polyamines -Interactions with the effects of metal ions. Eur. J. Biochem. 205 711-714. 

Key Words Plant cell-wall Pectin biosynthesis Methylester Golgi apparatus. 

Detergent Methods. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) methods (2), later modified for human foods (13), measure total insoluble plant cell wall material (NDF) and the cellulose—lignin complex (ADF). The easily solubilized pectins and some associated polysaccharides, galactomaimans of legume seeds, various plant gums, and seaweed polysaccharides are extracted away from the NDF. They caimot be recovered easily from the extract, and therefore the soluble fiber fraction is lost. 

Plant cell wall architecture the role of pectins... 

In the absence of suitable cell wall mutants, DCB-adapted tomato cells provide an opportunity to characterise the pectin network of the plant cell wall. It should be noted that synthesis and secretion of hemicellulose is not inhibited but, in the absence of a cellulose framework for it to stick to, most of the xyloglucan secreted remains in soluble form in the cells culture medium (9, 10) while other non-cellulosic polysaccharides and other uronic-acid-rich polymers predominate in the wall. 

Such a study has been performed on a model plant system, the Nitella flexilis cell wall [1, 2, 3]. This freshwater alga has giant intemodal cells whose easily isolated cell walls constitute a simplified model of higher plant cell walls it has no lignin and its pectin is not methylesterified. Isolated cell walls are cut in pieces and distributed in different lots over the whole exchange isotherm to reduce variability between experimental points. 

Plant cell walls provide the obvious functions of stmctural support and integrity and can vary tremendously in size, shape, composition and stmcture depending on cell type, age and function within the plant body. Despite this diversity, plant cell walls are composed of only three major classes of polysaccharides cellulose, hemicellulose and pectins. Pectins, or polyuronides, are imbedded throughout the cell wall matrix and are particularly abundant in the middle lamella region. Pectins generally account for 10-30% of the cell wall dry weight and... 

Pectin as one of the major plant cell wall constituents has received much attention both from a scientific and a technological point of view. Although pectin has been known to be a very complex heteropolysaccharide for quite some time, most progress on the elucidation of its structure has been attained in the last decade as a result of refinement and development of new more powerful techniques like HPAEC, HPGPC, NMR and the application of purified enzymes able to degrade specific parts of the complex molecule. 

The plant cell wall is a polymeric mesh consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and protein. Cellulose and hemicellulose are integral components of the cell wall, but pectic substances are located mainly in the outer wall regions within the middle lamella (McNeil et ai, 1984). Pectic substances are more susceptible to enzymatic degradation, because they are more exposed than other cell wall components. Therefore, pectin-degrading enzymes may play a central role in the penetration of plant tissue by bacteria. 

Some by-products from the food industry contain high proportions of plant cell walls which can be used in human nutrition to produce "dietary fibre" or "functional fibre", i.e. compounds which can be used for their water-holding/binding properties, oil-binding capacity,... or as a source of polysaccharides such as pectins which are suitable after extraction, as gelling or thickening agents. 

Extrusion-cooking increased very significantly the water-solubility of plant cell wall rich-materials. High amounts of pectins can be solubilised from sugar-beet pulp, citrus peels or apple pomace. 

Moustacas, A.-M. Nari, J. Borel, M. Noat, G. Ricard, J. 1991. Pectin methylesterase, metal ions and plant cell-wall extension. The role of metal ions in plant cell-wall extension. Eur. J. Biochem. 279 351-354. 

It has been suggested that in cell walls other than those of onions, different types of pectic matrix are present in different parts of the wall (17). This work clearly demonstrates the existence of at least two spatially separate pectic matrices with polymers having at least two conformational forms and three distinct mobilities. It suggests pectins are more than just pore fillers within the plant cell wall. 

To date, the structural features of pectic polysaccharides and plant cell walls have been studied extensively using chemical analysis and enzymatic degradation. In addition, research on isolation and physicochemical characterisation of pectin from citrus peels, apple peels, sunflower head residues and sugar beet pulp has been reported (2). However, the pectic polysaccharides extracted from wheat straw have only previously been reported by Przeszlakowska (3). The author extracted 0.44% pectic substances from Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. 

---