High-throughput microarray analysis of pectic polymers by enzymatic epitope deletion

Pectic polysaccharides are abundant plant cell wall glycan polymers and are also widely used as functional food ingredients. The fine structure of pectins, and especially the degree and pattern of methyl-esterification of the homogalacturonan (HG) backbone, play a major part in determining functional properties. We have developed a high-throughput method of analysing pectic polymers by combining microarray-technology, pectin lyase (PL) and anti-HG monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The technique demonstrates that pectins immobilised in a microarray format are effective substrates for PL, and that epitope loss or degradation can be tracked by the deletion of mAb binding.