F. Goubet et C. Morvan, SYNTHESIS OF CELL-WALL GALACTANS FROM FLAX (LINUM-USITATISSIMUM L) SUSPENSION-CULTURED CELLS, Plant and Cell Physiology, 35(5), 1994, pp. 719-727
Cell walls of flax suspension-cultured cells contain both beta 1 --> 4
galactan (most of which can be extracted with boiling water) and beta
1 --> 3, beta 1 --> 6 galactan (most of which can be solubilized with
alkali). The relative level of beta 1 --> 4 galactan in the cell wall
s is maximal during the lag phase, accounting for an average of 8% of
the dry cell-wall mass, whereas the relative level of beta 1 --> 3, be
ta 1 --> 6 galactan increases throughout growth, reaching a maximum (u
p to 20%) during the exponential phase. Two peaks of galactan synthase
activity can be detected that catalyze the synthesis of beta 1 --> 4
galactan at pH 8 during the lag phase and the synthesis of beta 1 -->
3, beta 1 --> 6 galactan at pH 5 during the growth phase. At the end o
f the growth phase both activities are negligible.