Cytochemistry and immunolocalisation of polysaccharides and proteoglycans in the endosperm of green Arabica coffee beans

Abstract

The major noncellulosic polysaccharides and proteoglycans in the coffee bean (Coffea arabica) cell wall are (galacto)mannans and arabinogalactan proteins. Immunological and chemical probes demonstrated that the mannans and arabinogalactan proteins were located continuously across the width of the cell wall, but that the concentration of different structural epitopes within these polysaccharide types showed considerable spatial variation. For the mannans this was implied by the striated pattern demonstrated by fluctuation of the affinity between the mannan monoclonal antibody BGM C6 and (galacto)mannan. The arabinogalactan proteins labelled by the Yariv reagent and the arabinogalactan protein-specific antibody LM2 appeared to be located in all regions of the wall except the middle lamella, but showed some differences in intensity of labelling. However, the LM6 antibody, specific for (1-->5)-alpha-arabinan epitopes, was located only as a compact region adjacent to the cell lumen in the body of the endosperm; though, it did label throughout the wall of epidermal cells. This implied that either some of the more highly arabinosylated arabinogalactan proteins contained contiguous 5-arabinosyl residues or that a rhamnogalacturonan which contained 5-arabinosyl residues as side chains existed in the cell wall. In either case the polymers were very restricted in their distribution. A second category of pectin, a homogalacturonan detected by JIM7, was located only in the middle lamella region. The architecture of the wall, as revealed by resin etching, appeared to reflect the chemical heterogeneity, with three distinct physical zones identifiable in a cross section across a single wall.