Use of Per-C-Deuterated myo-Inositol for Study of Cell Wall Synthesis in Germinating Beans

Cell wall polysaccharides of the hypocotyl and roots in germinating beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were selectively labeled in arabinosyl, xylosyl, and galacturonosyl residues by per-C-deuterated myo-inositol, which was introduced through 72 hours of imbibition. Glucuronate residues remained unlabeled. Selected ion gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that deuterium was not redistributed in these three sugar residues or into other carbohydrate residues during this conversion, suggesting that the labeled residues are formed exclusively via the myo-inositol oxidation pathway and that no glucogenesis from myo-inositol takes place during this conversion. The presence of a significant level of deuterated arabinose, xylose, and galacturonate after just 72 hours of imbibitional uptake of per-C-deuterated myo-inositol indicated that the myo-inositol oxidation pathway has a predominant role in the biosynthesis of new cell walls.