The relationship of root-cap slimes to proteins

1. The patterns of incorporation of radioactivity from d-[U-(14)C]glucose into the pectic components of sections of sycamore roots changed so that sections nearer the tip incorporated relatively more label into arabinose and galactose compared with uronic acid. 2. Radioactive maize root-cap slime was prepared and found to contain three water-soluble component polymers which were electrophoretically (i) neutral, (ii) weakly acidic and (iii) strongly acidic at pH6.5. The neutral component was a glucan. The other components, which could be degraded by trans-elimination, consisted of an acidic backbone chain composed of galacturonic acid and glucose, attached to which were different proportions of neutral sugars. Arabinose, galactose and fucose, the main neutral sugars of the weakly and strongly acidic materials, were absent from the neutral fraction. 3. Fucose was a major sugar in maize-root slime and in a slime of similar composition synthesized by a maize callus of shoot origin. Only trace amounts were found in sycamore, pea and wheat root tips, and in pectin prepared from maize roots and coleoptiles. A high proportion of fucose is therefore a chemical characteristic of maize slime, and slime synthesis indicated a state of differentiation of the tissue. 4. The similarity between the slime and pectin is discussed; slime is a form of pectin modified in such a way as to provide a hydrated protective coating around the root tip.