The Structure of Plant Cell Walls: III. A Model of the Walls of Suspension-cultured Sycamore Cells Based on the Interconnections of the Macromolecular Components.
Degradative enzymes have been used to obtain defined fragments of the isolated cell walls of suspension-cultured sycamore cells. These fragments have been purified and structurally characterized. Fragments released from endopolygalacturonase-pretreated cell walls by a purified endoglucanase and the fragments extracted from these walls by urea and alkali provide evidence for a covalent connection between the xyloglucan and pectic polysaccharides. Fragments released by a protease from endopolygalacturonase-endoglucanase-pretreated cell walls provide evidence for a covalent connection between the pectic polysaccharides and the structural protein of the cell wall. Based on these interconnections and the strong binding which occurs between the xyloglucan and cellulose, a tentative structure of the cell wall is proposed.
Keegstra
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Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80302.
Talmadge
K W
KW
Bauer
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WD
Albersheim
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