Reduced content of homogalacturonan does not alter the ion-mediated increase in xylem hydraulic conductivity in tobacco

Xylem hydraulic conductivity (K(s)) in stems of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) wild-type SR1 was compared to that of PG7 and PG16, two transgenic lines with increased levels of expression of the gene encoding the Aspergillus niger endopolygalacturonase (AnPGII). Activity of AnPGII removes in planta blocks of homogalacturonan (HG) with deesterified carboxyls, thus increasing the degree of neutrality of pectins. The effect of K+ was tested in increasing stem K(s) using model plants with more neutral polysaccharides in primary walls and, hence, in intervessel pit membranes. K(s) measured with deionized water was compared to that with KCl solutions at increasing concentrations (DeltaK(s), %). Plants transformed for HG degree of neutrality showed a dwarfed phenotype, but DeltaK(s) did not differ among the three experimental groups. The ion-mediated hydraulic effect saturated at a KCl concentration of 25 mm in SR1 plants. All the three tobacco lines showed DeltaK(s) of around +12.5% and +17.0% when perfused with 10 and 25 mm KCl, respectively. Because modification of HG content did not influence ion-mediated hydraulic enhancement, we suggest that pectin components other than HG, like rhamnogalacturonan-I and/or rhamnogalacturonan-II, might play important roles in the hydrogel behavior of pit membranes.