Xyloglucan mobilisation in cotyledons of developing plantlets of Hymenaea courbaril L. (Leguminosae-Caesalpinoideae)

Many seeds contain storage compounds that are used by the embryo/plantlet as a source of nutrients after germination. In seeds of Hymenaea courbaril, a leguminous tree, the main reserve consists of a structurally unusual xyloglucan stored in thickened walls of the cotyledon cells. The present work aimed to study H. courbaril xyloglucan metabolism during and after germination in order to compare its degrading system with the other known xyloglucan containing seeds. Polysaccharide degradation occurred after germination between 35 and 55 days after planting. The activities of α-xylosidase, β-glucosidase, β-galactosidase and XET rose during the period of xyloglucan disassembling but a low level of endo-β-glucanase activity was detected, suggesting that this XET has high affinity for the oligosaccharides. The pH optimum of β-galactosidase was different from the α-xylosidase, β-glucosidase and XET optima suggesting that the former may be important in the control of the mobilisation process. A tentative model for xyloglucan disassembling in vivo is proposed, where β-galactosidase allows the free oligosaccharides to bypass a transglycosylation cycle and be disassembled by the other exo-enzymes. Some ecophysiological comparisons among H. courbaril and other xyloglucan storing seeds are discussed.