Abstract
In angiosperms, after pollination and fertilization has taken place, the ovules change into seeds and the ovaries into fruits. Tomatoes are known to form various types of different tissues, such as the locular tissue, inside a fruit during this transition, which is followed by the ripening process that includes the softening of the pericarp. Although cell wall polysaccharides are known to play an important role in this developmental process, their distributional alterations during this transition has not been well-researched. In our research, we have attempted to visualize the changes of polysaccharide distribution in a whole fruit during this transitional phase by using cell wall staining reagents and monoclonal antibodies, which recognize specific cell wall epitopes. In 1, 5, and 10 days post anthesis (DPA) fruit, the inner tissue of the ovule seems to have increased in methylesterified pectin, when in contrast, the demethylesterified pectin increased in the seed coat. Also, the development of the locular tissue was visible during the latter stages, and the pectin in the locular tissue immediately adjacent to the ovule was largely demethylesterified.
