Preparation and characterization of antibodies against 6-O-alpha-D-xylopyranosyl-beta-D-glucopyranose (beta-isoprimeverose), the disaccharide unit of xyloglucan in plant cell-walls.

The p-aminophenyl beta-glycoside of 6-O-alpha-D-xylopyranosyl-D-glucopyranose (isoprimeverose), the disaccharide unit of plant xyloglucan, was coupled to bovine serum albumin, and the resulting glycoconjugate was used as an immunogen for the immunization of a rabbit. The immunochemical specificities of the rabbit antiserum raised against the glycoconjugate were characterized by immunodiffusion, quantitative precipitation, and hapten inhibition. After removal of anti-bovine serum albumin antibodies, the antiserum exhibited a specificity for the introduced disaccharide unit of the artificial antigen. The antibody-combining site was also shown to recognize the aglycon portion of the introduced hapten. The antiserum interacted with some xyloglucans, such as those from tamarind seed and the cell wall of pea stem. beta-Isoprimeverose and alpha-D-xylopyranosides were good inhibitors of the xyloglucan-antibody precipitation system, indicating that the antibodies recognize the beta-isoprimeverose unit of the xyloglucan.