The range of mobility of the non-cellulosic polysaccharides is similar in primary cell walls with different polysaccharide compositions

The molecular mobility of the non-cellulosic polysaccharides in hydrated primary cell walls of three monocotyledons (Italian ryegrass, pineapple and onion) and one dicotyledon (cabbage) was studied using solid-state C-13 NMR spectroscopy These cell walls were chosen as they have different noncellulosic polysaccharide compositions. By exploiting proton rotating-frame and spin-spin relaxation time constants three different cell wall domains which responded to cross-polarization experiments were identified. Most of the non-cellulosic polysaccharides occupied a mobile domain (C), but some occupied a partly rigid domain (B). Crystalline cellulose occupied a highly rigid domain (A). In the cell walls of Italian ryegrass and pineapple, domain C contained mainly glucuronoarabinoxylans and small amounts of rhamnogalacturonans; domain B contained small amounts of xyloglucans and galacturonans. However, in the cell walls of onion and cabbage, domain C contained mainly rhamnogalacturonans with galactans (in onion) or arabinans (in cabbage) as side chains; domain B contained galacturonans and xyloglucans. Single-pulse excitation was used on Italian ryegrass and cabbage cell walls to reveal signals from a highly mobile fourth domain (D). In Italian ryegrass cell walls domain D contained glucuronoarabinoxylans and small amounts of rhamnogalacturonan, whereas in cabbage cell walls it contained arabinan side chains of rhamnogalacturonans. A novel feature of the research was the use of solid-state C-13 NMR spectroscopy to examine the molecular mobilities of the polysaccharides in monocotyledon cell walls that contain glucuronoarabinoxylans.