Comparison of the outer and inner epidermis : inhibition of auxin-induced elongation of maize coleoptiles by glucan antibodies.

Polyclonal antibodies, raised against beta-d-glucans prepared from oat (Avena sativa L.) caryopses, cross-reacted specifically with (1-->3),(1-->4)-beta-d-glucans when challenged in a dot blot analysis of related polymers bound to a cellulose thin layer chromatography plate. The antibodies suppressed indoleacetic acid (IAA)-induced elongation of segments from maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles when the outer surface was abraded. However, IAA-induced elongation of nonabraded segments or segments with abrasion restricted to the interior of the cylinder was not influenced by the antibodies. Fab fragments prepared from the antibodies gave similar results. The capacity for IAA to overcome outward curvature of split coleoptile segments was partially reversed by treatment of the segments with the antibodies. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that antibody penetration was largely restricted to the epidermal cell wall region. These results support the view that the degradation of (1-->3),(1-->4)-beta-d-glucans in the outer epidermal cell wall serves an essential role in auxin-induced elongation of Poaceae coleoptiles.