Hemicellulose of the pollen tube wall of Camellia japonica.

Successive fractionation of the pollen tube wall polysaccharides of Camellia japonica was carried out to analyze the sugar composition of each fraction. The hemicellulose fraction extracted with dimethylsulfoxide accounted for about 47% of the pollen tube wall. A purified preparation of this fraction was comprised essentially of glucose. A low specific rotation ([α]d = +6° in 1 n NaOH) and an absorption at 890 cm(-1) of the purified glucan indicated the β-configuration. This glucan was shown to be a callose-like β-1,3-d-glucan by periodate oxidation, Smith degradation and methylation studies. The degree of polymerization of the glucan was calculated to be 21 from methylation analysis and determination of the reducing end-group.