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Cell wall microstructure analysis implicates hemicellulose polysaccharides in cell adhesion in tomato fruit pericarp
José J Ordaz-Ortiz1, Susan E Marcus, J Paul Knox
1Centre for Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom.
Molecular Plant
|October 15, 2009
Summary
Tomato fruit cell walls contain specific polysaccharides that mediate cell adhesion. These findings reveal how hemicellulose and pectin influence cell separation, crucial for fruit development and ripening.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cell adhesion and separation are critical processes in fruit development and ripening.
- Understanding the molecular components of the plant cell wall is key to elucidating these processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cell wall polysaccharides in tomato fruit pericarp parenchyma cell adhesion and separation.
- To analyze the distribution of specific polysaccharide epitopes on isolated tomato cells.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of intact cells from unripe and ripe tomato fruit pericarp.
- Immunolabeling using monoclonal antibodies against specific polysaccharide epitopes (LM7, LM11, LM15, LM5, LM21).
- Enzymatic degradation assays using galactanase, mannanase, and pectin-degrading enzymes.
Main Results:
- Pectic homogalacturonan (LM7) and xyloglucan (LM15) epitopes mark cell adhesion sites.
- Xylan (LM11) epitopes are lost during cell isolation, suggesting association with the middle lamella.
- Mutations (Cnr) and fruit ripening alter the distribution of galactan (LM5) and mannan (LM21) epitopes.
- Enzymatic treatments releasing cells indicate the involvement of hemicellulose and pectin in cell adhesion.
Conclusions:
- Hemicellulose and pectin polysaccharides are structurally organized at cell adhesion interfaces in tomato pericarp.
- Multiple cell wall polysaccharide classes contribute to cell adhesion and separation during tomato fruit development.
- The Cnr mutation induces significant alterations in cell wall microstructure affecting cell adhesion.
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