Quantitative derivatization and high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of cyanobacterial heterocyst-type glycolipids.

Procedures are described for the rapid and quantitative analysis of cyanobacterial heterocyst-type glycolipids (HGs) by normal-phase HPLC of their per-O-benzoylated derivatives. Total lipids are obtained from 1 ml of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial culture by triplicate extraction with chloroform/methanol, 1/1 (v/v), and the HGs are isolated from other complex lipids by preparative silica gel TLC. A C18 solid-phase extraction cartridge is used to ensure quantitative salt-free recovery of the HGs, and the purified glycolipids are then rendered uv-absorbing by a per-O-benzoylation derivatization reaction for which optimal conditions have been established. Derivatives are analyzed within 12 min on a 3-microns silica HPLC column using a linear gradient of 2-propanol in n-hexane and uv monitoring at 230 nm. The reaction product was also used to determine the relative proportions of the glucosyl and galactosyl epimers of individual members of this class of glycolipid.     

Isolation and comparative analysis of glycolipid fractions in bifidobacteria

A comparative TLC analysis of lipid extracts from Bifidobacterium longum B 379 M, B. bifidum 791, and B. adolescentis 94 BIM has been performed. It is demonstrated that carbohydrate-containing lipid components were present in the bacteria, which differed in their chromatographic mobility (Rf) from similar compounds isolated from actinomycetes Stomatococcus mucilaginosus PCM 2415T, Nocardiopsis dassonvillei PCM 2492, Propionibacterium propionicum PCM 2431, Saccharopolyspora hirsuta PCM 2279 (= ATCC 27875T), Rhodococcus equi PCMT 559 (= ATCC 3969), and Gordonia bronchialis PCM 2167. Polar lipids of bifidobacteria exhibited the closest similarity to their counterparts from propionic acid bacteria. Preparative chromatography (silica gel column I; elution with chloroform, acetone, and methanol) of the lipid extract of B. adolescentis 94 BIM made it possible to isolate fractions containing nonpolar lipids, glycolipids, and phospholipids. Further purification of the glycolipid fraction (column II; eluant, methanol gradient in chloroform) produced preparations of glycolipids and phospholipids. The preparations were studied by two-dimensional TLC using solvent systems chloroform-methanol-H2O MiLi Q (65 : 25 : 4, v/v/v) and n-butanol-acetic acid-H2O MiLi Q (60 : 20 : 20, v/v/v) for directions I and II, respectively. Two major glycolipids were revealed (G1 and G2), in addition to compounds characteristic of the polar lipid group and minor glycolipids (g), the latter being present in considerably lesser amounts.     

The acyl lipid composition of wheat leaves and moss protonemata using a new, non-carcinogenic extraction solvent system

As chloroform has proved to be carcinogenic we were looking for an alternative solvent system for chloroform:methanol widely used in plant lipid investigations. The lipids from leaves of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Vakka) and from protonemata of the moss Ceratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Brid. were extracted with two petroleum ether:methanol solvent systems. The polar lipids were separated by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography and the amounts of each lipid class were compared with those obtained from chloroform:methanol (2:1, v/v) extractions. The significantly higher amounts of phosphatidylinositol observed in petroleum ether:methanol (1:1, v/v) extraction suggest that the small amounts reported earlier in plants may be an artefact relating to the solvent system used. As petroleum ether:methanol (1:1, v/v) proved to be at least as good a solvent system as chloroform:methanol (2:1, v/v) we propose it as an alternative extractant for plant polar lipids.     

Diversity of Aeromonas sp. in Flemish drinking water production plants as determined by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of cellular fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs)

G. HUYS, I. KERSTERS, M. VANCANNEYT, R. COOPMAN, P. JANSSEN AND K. KERSTERS. 1995. Gas-liquid chromatography of cellular fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) was used to determine the phenotypic and genotypic diversity among 489 presumptive Aeromonas strains isolated from five Flemish drinking water production plants. FAME profiles were compared with the predetermined library profiles of a representative database, AER48C, which contains the mean FAME data of all 14 currently established hybridization groups (HGs) or genospecies within Aeromonas. Using AER48C, more than 93% (457 strains) of all presumptive aeromonads isolated on ampicillin-dextrin agar were unequivocally identified as belonging to this genus. Moreover, 85.5% and 73.5% of these strains could be assigned to a particular phenospecies or HG, respectively. Raw and treated surface water samples were dominated by members of the Aer. hydrophila complex (38.8%, comprising HGs 1–3), followed by the Aer. caviae complex (22.7%, comprising HGs 4–6) and the Aer. sobria complex (16.7%, comprising HGs 7–9). HGs 3, 5A/B and 8 were the most prominent genospecies in this type of water. On the other hand, it was found that raw and treated phreatic groundwater samples displayed a much more limited species diversity since these were almost entirely dominated (95.8%) by strains belonging to HGs 2 and 3 of the Aer. hydrophila complex. In general, flocculation-decantation and sand filtration were not shown to influence the overall species distribution in any of the plants examined.     

Isolation and Comparative Analysis of Glycolipid Fractions in Bifidobacteria

A comparative TLC analysis of lipid extracts from Bifidobacterium longum B 379 M, B. bifidum 791, and B. adolescentis 94 BIM has been performed. It is demonstrated that carbohydrate-containing lipid components were present in the bacteria, which differed in their chromatographic mobility (R _f ) from similar compounds isolated from actinomycetes Stomatococcus mucilaginosus PCM 2415^T, Nocardiopsis dassonvillei PCM 2492, Propionibacterium propionicum PCM 2431, Saccharopolyspora hirsuta PCM 2279 (= ATCC 27875^T), Rhodococcus equi PCM^T 559 (= ATCC 3969), and Gordonia bronchialis PCM 2167. Polar lipids of bifidobacteria exhibited the closest similarity to their counterparts from propionic acid bacteria. Preparative chromatography (silica gel column I; elution with chloroform, acetone, and methanol) of the lipid extract of B. adolescentis 94 BIM made it possible to isolate fractions containing nonpolar lipids, glycolipids, and phospholipids. Further purification of the glycolipid fraction (column II; eluant, methanol gradient in chloroform) produced preparations of glycolipids and phospholipids. The preparations were studied by two-dimensional TLC using solvent systems chloroform-methanol-H₂O MiLi Q (65 : 25 : 4, v/v/v) and n-butanol-acetic acid-H₂O MiLi Q (60 : 20 : 20, v/v/v) for directions I and II, respectively. Two major glycolipids were revealed (G₁ and G₂), in addition to compounds characteristic of the polar lipid group and minor glycolipids (g), the latter being present in considerably lesser amounts.     

Distribution of Aeromonas hydrophila hybridization groups and their virulence properties in Australasian clinical and environmental strains

A total of 182 Aeromonas hydrophila strains isolated from environmental (food and water) and clinical (stool and other sources) samples taken in mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand were assigned to one of three DNA/DNA hybridization groups (HGs) on the basis of biochemical characteristics, and tested with regard to their ability to produce virulence factors. Strains from HG2 were rarely isolated; strains from HG1 were most commonly isolated from clinical sources; and strains from HG3 formed the majority of environmental strains. There was no correlation of HG to geographic source. Strains from HG2 infrequently produced virulence factors. Strains from HG1 were more likely to produce virulence factors if they came from a clinical source. Overall, strains from mainland Australia produced virulence factors more frequently than those from Tasmania or New Zealand. Strains from HG1 may be of more clinical significance than strains from the other two HGs.     

Preparation of the proteolipid apoprotein from bovine heart, liver and kidney.

Proteolipid apoproteins have been prepared from heart, kidney, and liver by dialysis in chloroform/methanol against chloroform/methanol, acidified chloroform/methanol, and chloroform/methanol in succession. They are free of lipids (less than 0.05% P; less than 0.1% carbohydrate). They show a high content of non-polar amino acids, methionine, and tryptophan and contain little or no half-cystine. The differ from neural proteolipid apoproteins by absence of half-cystine, and of covalently bound fatty acids. As recovered from chloroform/methanol solutions, they are soluble in chloroform/methanol and insoluble in water, but a water-soluble form can be prepared by changing the solvent from chloroform/methanol to water in a stream of nitrogen. The chloroform-methanol-soluble form and the water-soluble form are interconvertible. ORD and CD spectra of all proteolipid apoproteins indicate 60-70% alpha-helix content in chloroform/methanol solution and 20-30% alpha-helix in water solution. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis resolves proteolipid apoprotein into two major components corresponding to ca. 12 000 and 34 000 daltons. With sodium dodecyl sulfate/urea numerous bands appear, with a major one at 30 000 daltons and 8 to 10, ranging downward to 2500. For comparison, neural proteolipid apoproteins also show numerous bands with a major one at 25 000. The marked chemical and physical similarities among all proteolipid apoproteins studied suggest a common role in membrane structures.     

A new method for the isolation of the simple and highly complex glycosphingolipids from animal tissue

The most widely used methods for the extraction of glycosphingolipids from animal tissues are based on the use of chloroform/methanol mixtures. These methods, although suitable for a great majority of lipids, fail to remove highly complex glycosphingolipids. Reported here is a method for the isolation of the entire population of glycosphingolipids by means of a gradual degradation of tissue components and enrichment in carbohydrate conjugates resistant to alkali and proteases. Fresh gastric mucosa was homogenized and treated with alkali (β-elimination) and RNAase and DNAase to decrease the viscosity of the homogenate, followed by pronase digestion. Each treatment was completed by exhausitive dialysis against distilled water. The resultant tissue digest was partitioned with chloroform/methanol (2 : 1) to remove simple glycosphingolipids. The aqueous portion of the system was adjusted to 1.0% with Zwittergent?-314 and solubilized for 24 h by mixing. Thus, prepared sample subjected to Bio-Gel P60 column chromatography afforded five fractions. Of these, three were free of protein and contained carbohydrates, fatty acids and sphingosine. Further fractionation on Bio-Gel P10 and P6 columns followed by thin-layer chromatography afforded homogeneous components with all the characteristics of highly complex glycosphingolipids.     

Biosynthesis of glycoproteins by membranes of Acer pseudoplatanus. Incorporation of mannose and N-acetylglucosamine.

Membrane preparations from Acer pseudoplatanus suspension cultures were demonstrated to incorporate radioactivity from GDP-[U-14C]mannose and UDP-N-acetyl-[6-(3)H]glucosamine into high-molecular-weight polymers characterized as glycoprotein. From 20 to 25% of the 14C was incorporated as fucose with the remainder as mannose, whereas 90% of the 3H was incorporated as N-acetylglucosamine with the remainder as N-acetylgalactosamine. Pronase digestion yielded radioactive glycopeptides that were separated into four fractions by gel-permeation chromatography and paper electrophoresis. The isolated glycopeptides differed in molecular weight and isotopes incorporated, as well as in amino-acid and monosaccharide composition. The membrane preparation also incorporated radioactivity from the added nucleotides into chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v)- and chloroform/methanol/water (10:10:3, by vol.)-soluble lipids, and into an insoluble pellet.     

The use of non-aqueous chloroform/methanol extraction for the delipidation of brain with minimal loss of enzyme activities.

When freeze-dried brain was extracted at -4-0degrees C with dry chloroform/methanol (2:1 v/v), four of the five enzymes examined were recovered in the diethyl ether-washed residue without inactivation. By contrast, extraction with chloroform/methanol (2:1 v/v) in the presence of water destroyed activities of all the enzymes examined. The amounts of major lipids extracted were similar whether extraction was done in the absence or presence of water. The study was carried out with special interest in 2':3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.37), which is firmly bound to the membrane structures of brain white matter.     

Mizo Homegardens promote biodiversity conservation,nutritional security and environmental development in northeast India

Homegardens (HGs) are dynamic agroforestry systems that ensure food and nutritional security and environmental protection. In northeast India where shifting cultivation (SC) is still prevailing in large scale, HGs offer a viable solution to SC, however, there is limited information on the potential of these systems to improve the landscape, meet the households' daily requirements. Forty two HGs were surveyed to study species diversity, their variation across developmental stages (age), and ability to provide resilience to food shortage and health. The results showed that all HGs irrespective of their age are biodiverse-rich systems showing diversity (H) from 3.765 to 4.245 (tree), 2.803 to 3.65 (shrub), and 3.13 to 3.925 (herb). A higher proportion of species was found occupied height > 6 m at old HG (OHG) while in young HG (YHG) major proportion of species were at low height (0–1 m). Though the species diversity showed weak relationship with HG age, association of diverse species was as per the household requirements. Based on the structure and function six HG groups were recognized; group II showed highest species diversity while group III, V and VI were mainly subsistence oriented. The results showed soil conditions improved with an increase in HG age. All HGs provided a varying degree of nutritional and food security to the households, a most important characteristic for sustaining livelihood under political isolation and economic blockade and land-locked situations. The study concludes that Mizo HGs can be a viable alternative to SC in providing regular income and therefore promotion of HGs can enhance socio-ecological, economic development, and further combats climate change impacts in this region and/or other regions of India having similar eco-regions.     

Chloroplast phosphoproteins. Phosphorylation of polypeptides of the light-harvesting chlorophyll protein complex.

When isolated, intact chloroplasts of pea (Pisum sativum) are incubated in the light with [32P]-orthophosphate, isotope is incorporated into several polypeptides. Among the most conspicuous phosphoproteins are two which form a very closely spaced doublet on dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gels and co-electrophorese with the major polypeptide component of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding complex. Like the light-harvesting polypeptide, the phosphoprotein doublet is bound to thylakoids, sediments with the heavy particles released from thylakoids after digitonin treatment, is soluble in chloroform/methanol and has an apparent molecular weight of about 26 000. The doublet also appears in the highly purified light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding complex isolated from thylakoids by hydrosylapatite chromatography. I conclude that two polypeptide components of the complex are phosphorylated. One of these components may be the major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding protein.     

Delipidization of membrane glycoproteins solubilized in acidified chloroform/methanol. Preparation of N-retinylidene opsin in a water soluble form without-detergent

Bovine retina membrane proteins and glycoproteins were insoluble in chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v) unless the membrane suspension was precipitated with trichloroacetic acid and the organic solvent mixture added to the precipitated membranes. The presence of millimolar amount of trichloroacetic acid in the organic solvent led to the total solubilization of membranes. The glycoproteins precipitated at the interphase after partition of the acidified chloroform/methanol solution with water and were resolubilized from the interphase with chloroform/methanol/water (1:1:0.3, by vol). The solubility properties of the membrane glycoproteins in the acidified organic solvent mixtures allow to remove the bulk of membrane lipids and to recover from the chloroform/methanol/water solution the glycoprotein of rod outer segment membranes, rhodopsin, as protonated N-retinylidene opsin in a water soluble form.     

Simultaneous quantification of components of neoglycolipid-coated liposomes using high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection

Liposomes composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol and a neoglycolipid, mannopentaose-conjugated dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (Man5-DPPE), have been shown to have a strong adjuvant effect in inducing the antigen-specific cellular immunity. In this study, a rapid and simple analytical method using a HPLC system with an evaporative light scattering detector was developed for simultaneous quantification of the liposome components Man5-DPPE, cholesterol and DPPC. The chromatographic separation of these components was performed using a trimethylsilane column with an isocratic mobile phase of chloroform–methanol–water (1:33:6, v/v) after disrupting the liposomes with chloroform–methanol–water (10:10:3, v/v). This HPLC method provided sufficient reproducibility and linearity of calibration curves for the quantification of the liposome constituents. In addition, this method can be used for the quantification of various neoglycolipids with different carbohydrate structures.     

Iron-binding lipids of rabbit duodenal brush-border membrane

Rabbit duodenal brush-border membrane contains chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v) extractable Fe-binding lipids (27.2 +/- 6.7 nmol/mg protein, mean +/- S.E. (n = 5)). Thin-layer chromatography in two solvent systems reveals that the major Fe-binding component(s) co-migrate with free fatty acids. Fe-binding by pure lipids reveals that phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylserine, oleic and stearic acids all show apparent Fe-binding in filtration assays, although oleic acid shows the highest apparent binding (5-10-fold) on a molar basis. The free fatty acid content of brush-border membrane vesicles is sufficient to account for the chloroform/methanol extractable Fe-binding observed in vesicle preparations. The pH dependence of Fe-binding by oleic acid is similar to that reported for the detergent extractable Fe-binding lipid which has been implicated in transport of Fe from Fe/ascorbate solutions by rabbit duodenal brush-border membrane vesicles (Simpson, R.J. and Peters, T.J. (1986) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 859, 227-236).     

Quantitation of lysophosphatidylcholine molecular species in rat cardiac tissue.

We have developed a rapid and sensitive procedure for isolation and measurement of 1-acyllysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) species in rat myocardial tissue. Tissues were spiked with heptadecanoyl-LPC internal standard and extracted with chloroform/methanol. The chloroform phase was dried, resuspended in chloroform/propan-2-ol (2/1, v/v), and applied to an aminopropyl-bonded phase (Bond Elut) column. Following stepwise elution with several solvent mixtures, the LPC fraction (ethyl acetate/methanol, 4/6, v/v) was separated by HPLC with direct quantitation of palmitoyl-LPC (P-LPC), oleoyl-LPC (O-LPC), and stearoyl-LPC (S-LPC), using an evaporative light scattering mass detector. Calibration curves were generated for each individual LPC species. Recoveries of added [14C]LPC and of heptadecanoyl-LPC internal standard after extraction and chromatography were 85.8 +/- 1.9% (mean +/- SE, N = 10) and 83.4 +/- 1.8% (N = 15), respectively. This assay showed satisfactory sensitivity, reproducibility, and accuracy for measurement of LPC species in rat myocardial tissue. The major molecular species of LPC in rat myocardium were found to be P-LPC and S-LPC, which were two- to sixfold as abundant as O-LPC. In isolated, crystalloid-perfused rat hearts the time of perfusion was found to significantly influence the content of P-LPC (0 min, 252 +/- 10; 15 min, 178 +/- 10, P less than 0.001, compared with 0 min; 40 min, 131 +/- 4, P less than 0.001; and 70 min, 129 +/- 4, P less than 0.001; nmol/g dry weight), but not the content of O-LPC and S-LPC. The method will be useful for studying the participation of LPC species in physiology, pathophysiology, and therapeutics.     

Purification of Antibiotics from Physarum Gyrosum by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography

A family of five antibiotic substances was isolated from the slime mold Physarum gyrosurn by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). For this purpose, mold was cultured for two weeks in a liquid medium. Soluble products were harvested by rotary evaporation of medium and extraction with 1-butanol. Paper chromatography in ethyl acetate :pyridine:water (2:2:1 v/v) was used for preliminary fractionation. Active components were separated by HPLC with a reverse-phase column packed with Bondapack C₁₈/Porasil B (Waters Associates) and were eluted with a linear gradient of methanol:water increasing from 70 to 100% methanol over 90 minutes. Puri-fication was completed by rechromatographing individual fractions. Purity of the active components was verified by HPLC and thin layer chromatography. Activity assays against Bacillus cereus showed these materials to be bacteriostatic rather than bacteriocidal.     

Biochemical properties of phosphatidylcholine-binding proteins that share common antigenic determinants with Fc gamma 2b receptor

Biochemical and immunological properties of biosynthetically radiolabeled phosphatidylcholine-(PC-) binding proteins were investigated. The PC-binding proteins were extracted from the detergent lysate of biosynthetically radiolabeled P388D1 cells by affinity chromatography on PC-Sepharose and filtered through a Sephadex G-100 gel column in the presence of 6 M urea. Isoelectric focusing of the gel-filtered materials in the presence of 6 M urea revealed the presence of a major protein component of pIe of 5.8 and minor heterogeneous cellular proteins. The yield of the electrofocused PC-binding proteins based on protein determination by Lowry's method ranged from 0.7 to 4 mg per 10(9) cells. The purified PC-binding proteins appeared to be tightly associated with Triton X-100 and phospholipids in the weight ratio of 0.57 and 0.05 g/g of proteins, respectively. The majority of lipids that could be extracted from the PC-binding proteins by chloroform/methanol (2:1 v/v) are free fatty acids, whereas lipids extracted from Pronase-treated PC-binding proteins contained phosphatidylethanolamine. By amino acid analysis, the purified PC-binding proteins were found to consist of a minimum of 417 amino acid residues, suggesting a minimum molecular weight of about 38 000 for this protein. Results of radiolabeling experiments with [3H]glucosamine and amino acid analysis both showed the presence of a mole of glucosamine per a mole of the PC-binding proteins, suggesting their glycoprotein nature. About 40% of the purified PC-binding proteins coprecipitated with monoclonal anti-Fc gamma 2bR antibody (2.4G2) in detergent-containing buffer, whereas only 6% of the isolated IgG binding proteins reacted with this antibody.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Measurement of choline and choline metabolite concentrations using high-pressure liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

We have developed a reproducible and sensitive procedure for the isolation and measurement of choline, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine and acetylcholine in a single 100-mg sample of biological tissue. Tissues were spiked with 14C-methyl- and 2H-methyl- or 15N-choline labeled internal standards for each compound. They were extracted with chloroform/methanol/water and the aqueous and organic phases were dried. The organic phase was resuspended in chloroform/methanol (1/1, v/v) and an aliquot was applied to a silica-gel thin-layer chromatography plate. The plate was developed in chloroform/methanol/water (65/30/4, v/v). Segments which cochromatographed with external standards of phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine were stained, scraped, and hydrolyzed in 6 M methanolic-HCl at 80 degrees C for 60 min, liberating free choline. The aqueous phase was resuspended in methanol/water and injected onto a silica HPLC column. Choline and its metabolites were eluted using a binary nonlinear gradient of acetonitrile/ethanol/acetic acid/1 M ammonium acetate/water/0.1 M sodium phosphate (800/68/2/3/127/10, v/v changing to 400/68/44/88/400/10, v/v). Peaks were detected with an on-line radiometric detector, collected, and dried under vacuum. Each choline ester was digested in 6 M HCl at 80 degrees C to form choline. Choline was then converted to the propionyl ester and demethylated with sodium benzenethiolate. This volatile derivative was then isolated using gas chromatography and measured with a mass selective detector. Deuterated internal standards were used to correct for variations in recovery. Choline, glycerophosphocholine, phosphocholine, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, and acetylcholine were measured in rat liver, heart, muscle, kidney, plasma, red blood cells, and brain and in human plasma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Changes in homogalacturonans and enzymes degrading them during cotton cotyledon expansion

Changes in homogalacturonans (HGs) and enzymes degrading them have been investigated during cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cotyledon expansion. Using an in vivo assay for pectin-degrading enzymes that involves fluorescent labeled oligomers of GalA as substrate and capillary electrophoresis for product analysis, we found that endo- and exo-polygalacturonases are present in the cotyledon extracellular spaces, and there are dramatic changes in the levels of both activities as the cotyledons change their rate of expansion. Capacity for endo-polygalacturonase activity was highest during the initial stages of cotyledon expansion. However, for exo-polygalacturonase activity it was highest in the later stages of expansion. Cell walls were prepared from 3-, 5-, and 7-day-old cotton cotyledons and treated with liquid HF at -23 degrees C. This treatment cleaves the glycosidic linkages of most neutral sugars in the walls without degrading HGs. HGs with a relatively high degree of esterification can then be solubilized with water, and those with low esterification can be solubilized with concentrated imidazole buffer. The majority of HGs were obtained in the water extracts. The degrees of esterification were 57%, 47%, and 47% in water extracts and 34%, 25%, and 27% in imidazole extracts, in 3-, 5-, and 7-day-old cotton cotyledons, respectively. Using a PA100 ion-exchange column, the members of a GalA homologous series up to approximately 70 residues can be separated. The results from HG molecular length distribution analysis indicated that the HG at 3 days was on average shorter than that in the older cotyledons, perhaps reflecting the higher level of endo-polygalacturonase activity at this stage of more rapid growth.