β-Glucanases in developing cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) fibres

✍ Scribed by P. Bucheli; M. Dürr; A. J. Buchala; H. Meier

• Book ID: 104752470
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 719 KB
• Volume: 166
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0032-0935
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00391278

✦ Synopsis

Cotton fibres possess several fl-glucanase activities which appear to be associated with the cell wall, but which can be partially solubilised in buffers. The main activity detected was that of an exo-(1-,3)-fl-D-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.58) but which also had the characteristics of a fl-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21). Endo-(l~3)-fl-D-glucanase activity (EC 3.2.1.39) and much lower levels of (1 ~4)-fl-D-glucanase activity were also detected. The exo-(l ~3)fl-glucanase showed a maximum late on (40 days post-anthesis) in the development of the fibres, whereas the endo-(l~3)-fl-glucanase activity remained constant throughout fibre development. The fl-glucanase complex associated with the cotton-fibre cell wall also functions as a transglucosylase introducing, inter alia, (1 ~6)-fl-glucosyl linkages into the disaccharide cellobiose to give the trisaccharide 4-O-fl-gentiobiosylglucose.