Abstract
Certain plant cell wall constituents have been found in gum samples derived from Acacia trees, thus analytical techniques for the determination of these plant cell wall components in any media can be applied in the analysis of the physico-chemical properties of these gums. In this experiment, gum samples harvested from various Acacia trees grown in different African countries were subjected to a dot immunobinding reaction using a panel of anti-plant cell wall directed monoclonal antibodies since the gum samples have been found to contain certain plant cell wall constituents. Five antiplant cell wall monoclonal antibodies, JIM 5, JIM 7, JIM 13, LM 6 and MAC 207 were reacted with fifteen gum Arabic samples 1 – 15 and water as control. The results showed that apart from reacting with the monoclonal antibodies, gum samples showed varying degrees of reactivity with the monoclonal antibodies. JIM 5 indicated no reaction with any of the gum samples, whereas JIM 7, JIM 13, LM 6 and MAC 207 exhibited reactions with the samples. The results suggest that, anti-plant cell wall directed monoclonal antibodies can be used as a tool to distinguish between gum Arabic samples from different tree species, as well as from different African countries. Thus, a testing kit which is easy to use and cheaper to acquire can be developed using anti-plant cell wall monoclonal antibodies, to improve quality control in the current gum trade.
Highlights
A dot immunobinding known as dot blot is a technique in molecular biology used to detect proteins, in which the sample is applied directly on a membrane at a single spot and the blotting technique is performed
JIM5 is a monoclonal antibody which readily reacts with partially methyl-esterified pectin epitope
Reactions with JIM 7 For JIM7 that reacts with a highly methylesterified HG epitope, strong reactions were demonstrated with the gum samples harvested from Acacia senegal sample (4) in Sudan and moderate interactions with other gum Samples 2, 6, 5 and 15 from Acacia senegal from Sudan, Chad and Nigeria
Summary
A dot immunobinding known as dot blot is a technique in molecular biology used to detect proteins, in which the sample is applied directly on a membrane at a single spot and the blotting technique is performed. The technique permits assays of multiple specimens simultaneously on single strips of blotting media, thereby offering significant savings in time and resources (Renner, 1988). Sudan and Nigeria are the world's first and second largest producers of gum arabic respectively, supplying approximately 80 % of the world's demand. The genus Acacia from which gum arabic is obtained is one of the largest vascular plant genera thriving in a wide range of ecological environments from the arid deserts to tropical climates in Australia, Africa, India and America (Abdel-Gadir et al, 2014).
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