Non-degradative dissolution and acetylation of ball-milled plant cell walls: high-resolution solution-state NMR

doi:10.1046/j.1365-313X.2003.01817.x

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Wiley InterScience

The Plant Journal

Volume 35 Issue 4, Pages 535 - 544

Published Online: 29 Jul 2003

Published in association with the Society for Experimental Biology

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Technical Advance

Non-degradative dissolution and acetylation of ball-milled plant cell walls: high-resolution solution-state NMR

Fachuang Lu ^1,2 and John Ralph

¹ U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Madison, WI 53706, USA, and ² Department of Forestry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA

^* For correspondence (fax +1 608 264 5147; e-mail jralph@wisc.edu).

KEYWORDS

lignin • lignin model compound • cellulose • polysaccharide • hemicellulose • 2D NMR

Summary

Two solvent systems for fully dissolving, and optionally derivatizing, finely ground plant cell wall material at room temperature are described: dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) or N-methylimidazole (NMI). In situ acetylation produces acetylated cell walls (Ac-CWs) that are fully soluble in chloroform. Lignin structures tested remain fully intact. The dispersion of ¹³C–¹H correlations afforded by two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments reveals the major lignin units, allowing the whole lignin fraction to be analyzed by high-resolution solution-state NMR methods for the first time. Non-degradative cell wall dissolution offers the potential to analyze polysaccharide components, and improve current cell wall analytical methods by using standard homogeneous solution-state chemistry.

Received 17 February 2003; revised 31 March 2003; accepted 13 May 2003.

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1046/j.1365-313X.2003.01817.x About DOI