Monoclonal antibodies, carbohydrate-binding modules, and the detection of polysaccharides in plant cell walls

Plant cell walls are diverse composites of complex polysaccharides. Molecular probes such as monoclonal antibodies (MABs) and carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) are important tools to detect and dissect cell wall structures in plant materials. We provide an account of methods that can be used to detect cell wall polysaccharide structures (epitopes) in plant materials and also describe treatments that can provide information on the masking of sets of polysaccharides that may prevent detection. These masking -phenomena may indicate potential interactions between sets of cell wall polysaccharides, and methods to uncover them are an important aspect of cell wall immunocytochemistry.