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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #120401
Title: CELL WALL BIOSYNTHESIS: GLYCAN CONTAINING OLIGOMERS IN DEVELOPING COTTON FIBERS, COTTON FABRIC, WOOD AND PAPER

Author
item MURRAY, ALLEN - GLYCOZYME
item NICHOLS, ROBERT - COTTON INCORPORATED
item Sassenrath, Gretchen

Submitted to: Phytochemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2001
Publication Date: 11/1/2000
Citation: MURRAY, A.K., NICHOLS, R.L., SASSENRATH COLE, G.F. CELL WALL BIOSYNTHESIS: GLYCAN CONTAINING OLIGOMERS IN DEVELOPING COTTON FIBERS, COTTON FABRIC, WOOD AND PAPER. PHYTOCHEMISTRY. 2000.

Interpretive Summary: A series of oligomeric glycans can be extracted from the cell walls of developing cotton fibers. The same glycans are also found in a protein complex extracted from developing fibers. The relative concentrations and overall quantity of the glycans recovered from the fibers and the carbohydrate-protein complex varies significantly with the time of day when the bolls are harvested. The cyclic variation is consistent with the hypothesis that secondary cell walls are deposited primarily at night. The same and similar glycans have also been extracted from cotton fabric, marine algae, various paper products, and a number of species of wood. The specific number of oligomers and their relative quantities appear unique for each cellulosic source. We hypothesize that the glycans are intermediates in the biological assembly of cellulose(s). Glycan profiles of developing cotton fibers can be useful to monitor growth and environmental influences.

Technical Abstract: A series of oligomeric glycans can be extracted from the cell walls of developing cotton fibers with weak acid. Glycans that produce the similar profiles on high pH anion chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) are also found in a protein complex extracted from developing fibers and in amorphous aggregates found in association with immature fibers in developing, but not in mature, cotton bolls. The quantity and composition of the glycans recovered from the carbohydrate-protein complex varies significantly with the time of day when the bolls are harvested. This diurnal variation is consistent with the hypothesis that secondary cell walls are deposited primarily at night. Incubation of rehydrated cotton fibers in the presence of exogenous oligosaccharides, myo-inositol and glycerol substantially alters the apparent quantity of the oligomers extracted from the fibers. The same and similar glycans have also been extracted from cotton fabric, marine algae, various paper products and wood. While many of the oligomers isolated from the various cellulose sources display the same peaks by HPAEC-PAD, the specific number of oligomers and their relative quantities appear unique for each source of cellulosic material. Oligomeric glycans, as described in the preceding, are present in all cellulose sources that have been investigated. Their relative abundance changes in response to source, stage of development and other physiological variables. We hypothesize that the glycans are intermediates in the biological assembly of cellulose, and that their incorporation in cellulose is mediated by physicochemical and enzymatic mechanisms.