Incorporation of Proline and Aromatic Amino Acids into Cell Walls of Maize Coleoptiles

Abstract

Sections excised from maize coleoptiles incorporated radioactivity from proline, tyrosine, and phenylalanine into structural components of the cell wall. Only about 2% of radioactivity from proline taken up by sections was incorporated into cell wall; about 24% of that incorporated was in hydroxyproline and the rest remained in proline. In contrast, as much as 40% of the radioactivity from phenylalanine and 30% from tyrosine was incorporated into cell wall material. Most of this radioactivity was in saponifiable ferulic acid. Small amounts of p-coumaric and diferulic acid were found, but only a small fraction of the hemicellulose can possibly be immobilized directly through cross-linking of diferulic esters. Substantial amounts of radioactivity from aromatic amino acids remained insoluble after strong alkali extractions of wall material, and a large fraction of polysaccharide was solubilized by dilute alkali following oxidation of phenolics by acidic NaClO₂. Hence, hemicellulosic material in the cell walls of maize coleoptiles may be organized and cross-linked primarily through alkali-resistant etherified aromatics.