Cell wall composition and ultrastructural immunolocalization of pectin and arabinogalactan protein during Olea europaea L. fruit abscission

Cell wall modification is integral to many plant developmental processes where cells need to separate, such as abscission. However, changes in the cell wall composition during natural fruit abscission are poorly understood. In olive (Olea europaea L), some cultivars such as 'Picual' undergo massive natural fruit abscission after fruit ripening. This study investigates the differences in cell wall polysaccharide composition and the localization of pectins and arabinogalactan protein (AGP) in the abscission zone (AZ) during cell separation in order to understand fruit abscission control in 'Picual' olive. To this end, immunogold labeling employing a suite of monoclonal antibodies to cell wall components (JIM13, LM5, LM6, LM19 and LM20) were investigated in olive fruit AZ. Cell wall polysaccharide extraction revealed that the AZ cell separation is related to the de-esterification and degradation of pectic polysaccharides. Moreover, ultrastructural localization showed that both esterified and unesterified homogalacturonans localize mainly in the AZ cell walls, including the middle lamella and tricellular junction zones. Our results indicate that unesterified homogalacturonans are likely to contribute to cell separation in the olive-fruit AZ. Likewise, immunogold labeling demonstrated a decrease of both galactose-rich and arabinose-rich pectins in AZ cell walls during ripe-fruit abscission. In addition, AGPs were localized in the cell wall, plasma membrane, and cytoplasm of AZ cells with lower levels of AGPs during ripe-fruit abscission. This detailed temporal profile of the cell wall polysaccharide composition, and the pectins and AGP immunolocalization in the olive-fruit AZ offers new insights into cell wall remodeling during ripe-fruit abscission.