Promotion of germination and shoot elongation of some plants by alginate oligomers prepared with bacterial alginate lyase

Abstract

Depolymerization of sodium alginate (average molecular weight: 25,700) from an edible seaweed Eisenia bicyclis with bacterial alginate lyase yielded oligosaccharide(s) with an average molecular weight of 1,800 together with other components. The proliferation and/or differentiation of plants was markedly enhanced in the presence of the oligosaccharide(s), although that of mammalian (HeLa) cells and an algae ( Chlamidomonas sp.) was not. The results indicate that the depolymerization products of alginate containing oligosaccharine-like compounds specifically affect the proliferation and/or differentiation of higher plants.