Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Pectin — the Hairy Thing

Evidence that homogalacturonan is a side chain of rhamnogalacturonan I

  • Chapter
Advances in Pectin and Pectinase Research

Abstract

Pectin is one of the most complex biomacromolecules in nature. In fact, it is a collection of different kinds of polysaccharides, which are most likely covalently connected to each other. In vitro degradation studies of pectic polysaccharides with novel fungal pectinases, investigations in which these polymers were treated with dilute acid, and microscopic analysis of extracted pectins have provided clues on how these polysaccharides are linked. These new findings have prompted us to believe that pectin is not an extended backbone consisting of homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan regions, but rather a rhamnogalacturonan with neutral sugar and homogalacturonan side chains.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Albersheim, P., Darvill, A.G., O’Neill, M.A., Schols, H.A., and Voragen, A.G.J. (1996) An hypothesis: the same six polysaccharides are components of the primary cell walls of all higher plants. Progress in Biotechnology 14: Pectins and Pectinases (Visser, J., Voragen, A.G.J., eds.), pp. 47–53, Elsevier

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, D.M.W. and Grant, D.A.D. (1988) The chemical characterization of some Astralagus gum exudates. Food Hydrocoll. 2, 417–423

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beldman, G., van den Broek, L.A.M., Schols, H.A., Searle-van Leeuwen, M.J.F., van Laere, K.M.J., and Voragen, A.G.J. (1996) An exogalacturonase from Aspergillus aculeatus able to degrade xylogalacturonan. Biotechnol. Lett. 18, 707–712

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beldman, G., Schols, H.A., Pitson, S.M., Searle-van Leeuwen, M.J.F., and Voragen, A.G.J. (1997) Arabinans and arabinan degrading enzymes. Advances in Macromolecular Research 1(Sturgeon, R.J., ed.), pp. 1–64, JAI Press Inc., London

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckeridge, M.S., Vergara, C.E., and Carpita, N.C. (1999) The mechanism of synthesis of a mixed-linkage (1--→3),(1→4)β-D-glucan in maize. Evidence for multiple sites of glucosyl transfer in the synthase complex. Plant Phvsiol. 120, 1105–1116

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bush, M.S. and McCann, M.C. (1999) Pectic epitopes are differentially distributed in the cell walls of potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers. Physiol. Plant. 107, 201–213

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bush, M.S., Marry, M., Huxham, I.M., Jarvis, M.C., and McCann, M.C. (2001) Developmental regulation of pectic epitopes during potato tuberisation. Planta 213, 869–880

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carpita, N.C. and Gibeaut, D.M. (1993) Structural models of primary cell walls in flowering plants: consistency of molecular structure with the physical properties of the walls during growth. Plant J. 3, 1–30

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daas, P.J.H., Boxma, B., Hopman, A.M.C.P., Voragen, A.G.J., and Schols, H.A. (2001) Nonesterifiied galacturonic acid sequence homology of pectins. Biopolymers 58, 1–8

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaspar, Y., Johnson, K.L., McKenna, J.A., Bacic, A., and Schultz, C.J. (2001) The complex structures of arabinogalactan-proteins and the iourney towards understanding function. Plant Mol. Biol. 47, 161–176

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huisman, M.M.H., Fransen, C.T.M., Kamerling, J.P., Vliegenthart, J.F.G., Schols, H.A., and Voragen, A.G.J. (2001a) The CDTA-soluble pectic substances from soybean meal are composed of rhamnogalacturonan and xylogalacturonan but not homogalacturonan. Biopolymers 58, 279–294

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huisman, M.M.H., Brüll, L.P., Thomas-Oates, J.E., Haverkamp, J., Schols, H.A., and Voragen, A.G.J. (2001b) The occurrence of internal (1-→5)-linked arabinofuranose and arabinopyranose residues in arabinogalactan side chains from soybean pectic substances. Carbohydr. Res. 330, 103–114

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishii, T., Matsunaga, T., Pellerin, P., O’Neill, M.A., Darvill, A., and Albersheim, P. (1999) The plant cell wall polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan II self-assembles into a covalently cross-linked dimer. J. Biol. Chem. 274, 13098–13104

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ishii, T., and Matsunaga, T. (2001) Pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan II is covalently linked to homogalacturonan. Phytochem. 57, 969–974

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, J.M., McNeil, M., Darvill, A.G., and Albersheim, P. (1987) Treatment of rhamnogalacturonan I with lithium in ethylenediamine. Carbohydr. Res. 168, 245–274

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Le Goff, A., Renard, C.M.G.C., Bonnin, E., and Thibault, J.-F. (2001) Extraction, purification and chemical characterisation of xylogalacturonans from pea hulls. Carbohydr. Polym. 45, 325–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNeil, M., Darvill, A.G., and Albersheim, P. (1980) Structure of plant cell walls. X. Rhamnogalacturonan I, a structurally complex pectic polysaccharide in the walls of suspension-cultured sycamore cells. Plant Physiol. 66, 1128–1134

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mohnen, D. (1999) Biosynthesis of pectins and galactomannans. In Comprehensive Natural Products Chemistry (Barton, D., Nakanishi, K., Meth-Cohn, O., eds.), Vol 3, pp. 497–527l, Elsevier

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill, M.A., Eberhard, S., Albersheim, P., and Darvill, A.G. (2001) Requirement of borate cross-linking of cell wall rhamnogalacturonan II for Arabidopsis growth. Science 294, 846–849

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oomen, R.J.F.J., Doeswijk-Voragen, C.H.L., Bush, M.S., Vincken, J.-P., Borkhardt, B., van den Broek, L.A.M., Corsar, J., Ulvskov, P., Voragen, A.G.J., McCann, M.C., and Visser, R.G.F. (2002) In muro fragmentation of the rhamnogalacturonan I backbone in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) results in a reduction and altered location of the galactan and arabinan side-chains and abnormal periderm development. Plant J., in the press

    Google Scholar 

  • Oosterveld, A., Beldman, G., and Voragen, A.G.J. (2000) Characterization of arabinose and ferulic acid rich polysaccharides and hemicelluloses from sugar beet pulp. Carbohydr. Res. 328, 185–197

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oxenbøll-Sørensen, S., Pauly, M., Bush, M., Skjøt, M., McCann, M.C., Borkhardt, B., and Ulvskov, P. (2000) Pectin engineering: modifiication of potato pectin by in vivo expression of an endo-1,4-β-D-galactanase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 7639–7644

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Renard, C.M.G.C., Voragen, A.G.J., Thibault, J.-F., and Pilnik, W. (1991) Studies on apple protopectin V: structural studies on enzymatically extracted pectins. Carbohydr. Polym. 16, 137–154

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Renard, C.M.G.C., Lahaye, M., Mutter, M., Voragen, A.G.J., and Thibault, J.-F. (1997) Isolation and structural characterisation of rhamnogalacturonan oligomers generated by controlled acid hydrolysis of sugar-beet pulp. Carbohydr. Res. 305, 271–280

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Renard, C.M.G.C., Crépeau, M.-J., and Thibault, J.-F. (1999) Glucuronic acid directly linked to galacturonic acid in the rhamnogalacturonan backbone of beet pectins. Eur. J. Biochem. 266, 566–574

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ridley, B.L., O’Neill, M.A., and Mohnen, D. (2001) Pectins: structure, biosynthesis, and oligogalacturoniderelated signaling. Phytochem. 57, 929–967

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Round, A.N., Rigby, N.M., MacDougall, A.J., Ring, S.G., and Morris, V.J. (2001) Investigating the nature of branching in pectin by atomic force microscopy and carbohydrate analysis. Carbohydr. Res. 331, 337–342

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryden, P. and Selvendran, R.R. (1990) Structural features of cell wall polysaccharides of potato (Solanum tuberosum). Carbohydr. Res. 195, 257–272

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schols, H.A., Posthumus, M.A., and Voragen, A.G.J. (1990) Structural features of hairy regions of pectins isolated from apple juice produced by the liquefaction process. Carbohydr. Res. 206, 117–129

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schols, H.A., Bakx, E.J., Schipper, D., and Voragen, A.G.J. (1995a) A xylogalacturonan subunit present in the modifiied hairy regions of apple pectin. Carbohydr. Res. 279, 265–279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schols, H.A., Vierhuis, E., Bakx, E.J., and Voragen, A.G.J. (1995b) Different populations of pectic hairy regions occur in apple cell walls. Carbohydr. Res. 275, 343–360

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schols, H.A. and Voragen, A.G.J. (1996) Complex pectins: structure elucidation using enzymes. Progress in Biotechnology 14: Pectins and Pectinases (Visser, J., Voragen, A.G.J., eds.), pp. 3–19, Elsevier

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Skjøt, M., Pauly, M., Bush, M., Borkhardt, B., McCann, M., and Ulvskov, P. (2002) Direct interference with rhamnogalacturonan I biosynthesis in Golgi vesicles. Plant Physiol., in the press

    Google Scholar 

  • Talmadge, K.W., Keegstra, K., Bauer, W.D., and Albersheim, P. (1973) The structure of plant cell walls. I. The macromolecular components of the walls of suspension-cultured sycamore cells with a detailed analysis of the pectic polysaccharides. Plant Physiol. 51, 158–173

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thibault, J.-F., Renard, C.M.G.C., Axelos, M.A.V., Roger, P., and Crépeau, M.-J. (1993) Studies of the length of homogalacturonic regions in pectins by acid hydrolysis. Carbohydr. Res. 238, 271–286

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vidal, S., Doco, T., Williams, P., Pellerin, P., York, W.S., O’Neill, M.A., Glushka, J., Darvill, A.G., and Albersheim, P. (2000) Structural characterization of the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan II: evidence for the backbone location of the aceric acid-containing oligoglycosyl side chain. Carbohydr. Res. 326, 227–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincken, J.-P., Borkhardt, B., Bush, M., Doeswijk-Voragen, C., Dopico, B., Labrador, E., Lange, L., McCann, M., Morvan, C., Muñoz, F., Oomen, R., Peugnet, I., Rudolph, B., Schols, H., Sørensen, S., Ulvskov, P., Voragen, A., Visser, R. (2000) Remodelling pectin structure in potato. In Phytosfere ‘99 — Highlights in European Plant Biotechnology (de Vries, G.E., Metzlaff, K., eds.), pp. 245–256, Elsevier

    Google Scholar 

  • Vincken, J.-P., Schols, H.A., Oomen, R.J.F.J., McCann, M.C., Ulvskov, P., Visser, R.G.F., and Voragen, A.G.J. (2002) If homogalacturonan were a side chain of rharnnogalacturonan I...... Implications for cell wall architecture. Trends Plant Sci., submitted for publication

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Vlugt-Bergmans, C.J.B., Meeuwsen, P.J.A., Voragen, A.G.J., and van Ooyen, A.J.J. (2000) Endoxvlomlacturonan hydrolase, a novel pectinolytic enzyme. Appl. Environm. Microbiol. 66, 36–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Vries, J.A., Rombouts, F.M., Voragen, A.G.J., and Pilnik, W. (1982) Enzymic degradation of apple pectins. Carbohydr. Polym. 2, 25–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willats, W.G.T., McCartney, L., MacKie, W., and Knox, J.P. (2001) Pectin: cell biology ana prospects ior functional analysis. Plant Mol. Biol. 47, 9–27

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamada, H., Kiyohara, H., and Otsuka, Y. (1987) Further structural studies of an anti-complementary aciølc heteroglycan from the leaves of Artemisia princeps. Carbohydr. Res. 170, 181–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, L., and Mort, A.J. (1996) Partial characterization of xylogalacturonans from cell walls of ripe watermelon fruit: inhibition of endopolygalacturonase activity by xylosylation. Progress in Biotechnology 14: Pectins and Pectinases (Visser, J., Voragen, A.G.J., eds.), pp. 79–88, Elsevier

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zhan, D., Janssen, P., and Mort, A.J. (1998) Scarcity or complete lack of single rhamnose residues interspersed within the homogalacturonan regions of citrus pectin. Carbohydr. Res. 308, 373–380

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Breeding, Wageningen University, Binnenhaven 5, 6709 PD, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Jean-Paul Vincken, Ronald J. F. J. Oomen & Richard G. F. Visser

  2. Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Wageningen University, Bomenweg 2, 6703 HD, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Jean-Paul Vincken, Henk A. Schols, Gerrit Beldman & Alphons G. J. Voragen

Authors
  1. Jean-Paul Vincken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Henk A. Schols
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ronald J. F. J. Oomen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gerrit Beldman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Richard G. F. Visser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Alphons G. J. Voragen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alphons G. J. Voragen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

    Fons Voragen (Professor in Food Sciences) & Henk Schols (Associate professor in Food Sciences) (Professor in Food Sciences) &  (Associate professor in Food Sciences)

  2. Laboratory of Plant Breeding, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

    Richard Visser (Professor in Plant Sciences) (Professor in Plant Sciences)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Vincken, JP., Schols, H.A., Oomen, R.J.F.J., Beldman, G., Visser, R.G.F., Voragen, A.G.J. (2003). Pectin — the Hairy Thing. In: Voragen, F., Schols, H., Visser, R. (eds) Advances in Pectin and Pectinase Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0331-4_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0331-4_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6229-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-0331-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation