Monoclonal antibodies to p-coumarate.

p-Coumaric acid is one of the predominant phenolic acids acylating the cell walls of grasses; p-coumarates are mainly esterified by lignins and arabinoxylans. Here we describe the production and characterisation of two monoclonal antibodies against p-coumarates. The 5-O-pCou-Ara(1-->4)Xyl was chemically synthesized and conjugated to a carrier protein. Two interesting antibodies were obtained, hereinafter named INRA-COU1 and INRA-COU2. The specificity of these monoclonal antibodies has been evaluated using competitive-inhibition assays with different oligosaccharides and phenolic compounds. INRA-COU1, recognized free p-coumaric acid or p-coumarate esters. INRA-COU1 did not react with any of the other hydroxycinnamic acids and related compounds found in plants. INRA-COU2, only recognizes esterified p-coumarate. These antibodies were used to study the localization of p-coumarates in the cell walls of grasses. Immunocytochemical analyses indicated noticeable amounts of p-coumarate in the cell walls of the aleurone layer of wheat grain, in the epiderm of cereal straw, and in the exoderm of wheat root. The use of these antibodies will contribute to a better understanding of the organisation and developmental dynamics of cell walls in Graminaceae.

Synthesis of a library of allyl alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl-alpha- or beta-D-xylopyranosides; route to higher oligomers.

Six isomeric disaccharides allyl 2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-l-arabinofuranosyl-alpha-d-xylopyranosides and beta-d-xylopyranosides were synthetized by the stereoselective glycosylation of pure allyl alpha- or beta-d-xylopyranosides with 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-l-arabinofuranose as donor, catalyzed with BF(3).Et(2)O in DCM. Regio- and stereoselective glycosylation with excess of donor furnished almost exclusively the trisaccharides allyl 2,3-di-O-(2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-l-arabinofuranosyl)-alpha- or beta-d-xylopyranosides. Extension of the reaction to the triol beta-d-xylopyranosyl-(1-->4)-1,2,3-tri-O-acetyl-alpha-d-xylopyranose, obtained from the 4-hydroxyl penta-O-acetyl-alpha-xylobiose, gave in the same manner the tetrasaccharide [2,3-di-O-(2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-l-arabinofuranosyl)-beta-d-xylopyranosyl]-(1-->4)-1,2,3-tri-O-acetyl-alpha-d-xylopyranose. The protocol described herein should offer the possibility to produce branched oligosaccharides with a 2,3-di-O-(alpha-l-Ara(f))-beta-d-Xyl(p) block unit at the terminal non-reducing end.

Investigation of ferulate deposition in endosperm cell walls of mature and developing wheat grains by using a polyclonal antibody.

A polyclonal antibody has been raised against ferulic acid ester linked to arabinoxylans (AX). 5-O-feruloyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl was obtained by chemical synthesis, and was coupled to bovine serum albumin for the immunization of rabbit. The polyclonal antibody designated 5-O-Fer-Ara was highly specific for 5-O-(trans-feruloyl)-L-arabinose (5-O-Fer-Ara) structure that is a structural feature of cell wall AX of plants belonging to the family of Gramineae. The antibody has been used to study the location and deposition of feruloylated AX in walls of aleurone and starchy endosperm of wheat grain. 5-O-Fer-Ara began to accumulate early in aleurone cell wall development (beginning of grain filling, 13 days after anthesis, DAA) and continued to accumulate until the aleurone cells were firmly fixed between the starchy endosperm and the nucelus epidermis (19 DAA). From 26 DAA to maturity, the aleurone cell walls changed little in appearance. The concentration of 5-O-Fer-Ara is high in both peri- and anticlinal aleurone cell walls with the highest accumulation of 5-O-Fer-Ara at the cell junctions at the seed coat interface. The situation is quite different in the starchy endosperm: whatever the stage of development, a low amount of 5-O-Fer-Ara epitope was detected. Contrary to what was observed for aleurone cell walls, no peak of accumulation of feruloylated AX was noticed between 13 and 19 DAA. Visualization of labelled Golgi vesicles suggested that the feruloylation of AX is intracellular. The distribution of (5-O-Fer-Ara) epitope is further discussed in relation to the role of ferulic acid and its dehydrodimers in cell wall structure and tissue organization of wheat grain.

Binding of different monosaccharides by lectin PA-IIL from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: thermodynamics data correlated with X-ray structures.

The lectin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA-IIL) is involved in host recognition and biofilm formation. Lectin not only displays an unusually high affinity for fucose but also binds to L-fucose, L-galactose and D-arabinose that differ only by the group at position 5 of the sugar ring. Isothermal calorimetry experiments provided precise determination of affinity for the three methyl-glycosides and revealed a large enthalpy contribution. The crystal structures of the complexes of PA-IIL with L-galactose and Met-beta-D-arabinoside have been determined and compared with the PA-IIL/fucose complex described previously. A combination of the structures and thermodynamics provided clues for the role of the hydrophobic group in affinity.

Production of Lewis x tetrasaccharides by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Two tetrasaccharides carrying the trisaccharidic Lewis x motif on a GlcNAc or a Gal residue were produced on the gram-scale by high-cell-density cultures of metabolically engineered Escherichia coli strains that overexpressed the Helicobacter pylori futA gene for alpha-3 fucosyltransferase and the Neisseria meningitidis lgtB gene for beta-4 galactosyltransferase. The first compound Galbeta-4(Fucalpha-3)GlcNAcbeta-4GlcNAc was produced by glycosylation of chitinbiose, which was endogenously generated in the bacterial cytoplasm by the successive action of the rhizobial chitin-synthase NodC and the Bacillus circulans chitinase A1, whose genes were additionally expressed in the E. coli strain. The second compound, Galbeta-4(Fucalpha-3)GlcNAcbeta-3Gal, was produced from exogenously added Gal by a strain that was deficient in galactokinase activity and overexpressed the additional N. meningitidis lgtA gene for beta-3 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase.

Conformational study of a guaiacyl beta-O-4 lignin model compound by NMR. Examination of intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions and conformational flexibility in solution.

Intramolecular H-bonding interactions were investigated in solution for the threo and erythro diastereomeric forms of a guaiacyl beta-O-4 lignin model compound by using the NMR data obtained from hydroxyl protons. Temperature coefficients of the chemical shifts (ddelta/dT) and coupling constants (3J(HCOH)) were measured in aprotic and protic solutions: DMSO-d6, acetone-d6 and acetone-d6-water. The NMR parameters do not support the existence of strong and persistent intramolecular H-bonds that could participate in the stabilization of the guaiacyl beta-O-4 structure in solution, but instead indicate that intermolecular H-bonds to solvent predominate. 1D NOE experiments nevertheless revealed the presence of a direct chemical exchange between the hydroxyl protons, suggesting the possible existence of weak and transient intramolecular H-bonding interactions. The conformational flexibility of the threo structure was also investigated in acetone solution from the measurement of long-range 1H, 1H and 1H, 13C coupling constants and from NOESY experiments. The NMR data are not consistent with any single conformation, indicating that different conformers co-exist in solution. The experimental results support the conformational flexibility predicted by molecular dynamics simulations performed in a previous study. Finally, both experimental and theoretical approaches indicate that weak intramolecular H-bonds can exist transiently in solution, breaking and reforming as the beta-O-4 molecule undergoes conformational interconversion, but cannot be invoked as possible means of conferring rigidity to the beta-O-4 structure.

Molecular modeling of syringyl and p-hydroxyphenyl beta-O-4 dimers. Comparative study of the computed and experimental conformational properties of lignin beta-O-4 model compounds.

As a new approach for the study of the ultrastructure of lignin, the conformational preferences of lignin beta-O-4 model compounds have been investigated by molecular modeling. The computed results have been compared with the experimental data (X-ray crystal structures and (3)J(H)(alpha)(H)(beta) NMR coupling constant values) reported in the literature. This comparison has led to an improved understanding of the influence of the structure, stereochemistry, and intramolecular H-bonding upon the conformational properties of the beta-O-4 dimers. A large number of low-energy conformations have been predicted for the structures. It has also appeared that the conformational features are predominantly governed by local steric interactions rather than by differences in the H-bonding interactions. The threo and erythro forms differ significantly in their conformational features, with a preferential extended overall shape for the threo form in which the bulky aromatic groups are distant from each other.

Quantum mechanical and NMR spectroscopy studies on the conformations of the hydroxymethyl and methoxymethyl groups in aldohexosides.

The potential energy surfaces of the hydroxymethyl and methoxymethyl groups in methyl hexopyranosides have been extensively studied, employing quantum mechanical calculations and high resolution NMR data. The structure and energy of the C-5-C-6 rotamers were calculated at the B3LYP level of the density functional theory (DFT). For all, geometry optimizations were carried out for 264 conformers of 16 methyl D-gluco- and methyl D-galactopyranoside derivatives 1-16 at the B3LYP/6-31G** level. For all calculated minima, single-point calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. Solvent effects were considered using a self-consistent reaction field method. Values of the vicinal coupling constants 3J(H-5-H-6R), 3J(H-5-H-6S), 3J(C-4-H-6R), and 3J(C-4-H-6S) for methyl D-glucopyranosides, methyl D-galactopyranosides and their 6-O-methyl derivatives 9-16 were measured in two solvents, methanol and water. The calculated gg, gt, and tg rotamer populations of the hydroxymethyl and methoxymethyl groups in 9-16 agreed well with experimental data. The results clearly showed that the population of gg, gt, and tg rotamers is sensitive to solvent effects. It was concluded that the preference of rotamers in 1-16 is due to the hydrogen bonding and solvent effects.