Localization of arabinogalactan-proteins in roots of Echinacea purpurea by immunofluorescent labelling

Abstract

From the high molecular weight fraction of an aqueous extract from roots of Echinacea purpurea (L.) MOENCH, arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) were purified and characterized with special regard to the structure of the polysaccharide moiety. It is highly branched and shows a linkage composition comparable to AGPs from the aerial parts of E. purpurea [1] with 1,3-, 1,6- and 1,3,6-linked galactopyranosyl residues as basic structural elements and arabinofuranosyl residues predominantly as terminal and 1,5-linked residues. Some terminal units of glucuronic acids could also be detected.