A Putative Oligosaccharin Growth Promoter from Vitis vinifera L. Primary Cell Walls

Abstract

A growth-promotory agent which is consistent with being a carbohydrate was prepared by acid hydrolysis of primary cell wall material derived from callus cultures of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon. Bioactivities of crude and partially-purified hydrolysate preparations were determined using the Lemna minor L. bioassay. Growth stimulation caused by addition of the crude preparation to the assay was greatest at flask concentrations of about 360 ng ml -1. Partial purification of the crude hydrolysate fraction using gel permeation chromatography showed that approximately one half of the preparation consisted of carbohydrates which were trisaccharides or smaller, with the other half consisting of oligosaccharides. Bioactivity was retained only in the fraction which coeluted with oligosaccharides. Flask concentrations of 143 or 214 ng ml -1 of the partially-purified fraction elicited similar growth promotion to that caused by 360 ng ml -1 doses of the crude hydrolysate preparation. This work constitutes the first description of a putative oligosaccharin growth promoter isolated from the cell walls of grapevines.