Methyl esterification divergently affects the degradability of pectic uronosyls in nonlignified and lignified maize cell walls.
Nonlignified cell walls from Zea mays (L.) cell suspensions were incubated with and without pectin methylesterase (PME) and a portion were artificially lignified to assess how methyl esters influence the release of pectic uronosyls and total sugars from cell walls by fungal enzymes. Treatment with PME reduced uronosyl concentrations from 97 to 92 mg/g, reduced uronosyl methylation from 57% to 21%, and increased Klason lignin concentrations in artificially lignified cell walls from 99 to 116 mg/g. Although PME treatment slightly enhanced uronosyl release from nonlignified cell walls, it reduced uronosyl release from artificially lignified cell walls by 55% after 4 h and by 7% after 72 h of enzymatic hydrolysis. Pectin hydrolysis in PME treated cell walls was probably impaired by enhanced benzyl ester cross-linking of uronosyls to lignin via quinone methide intermediates. Variations in uronosyl methylation had little effect on the overall release of total sugars from cell walls.
Grabber
John H
JH
U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1925 Linden Drive West, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. jgrabber@wisc.edu
Hatfield
Ronald D
RD
D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry*; D004951:Esterification; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008031:Lignin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008745:Methylation; D014574:Uronic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D014574:Uronic Acids; C007819:galacturonic acid; D008031:Lignin; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; C022323:pectinesterase