• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.119-126
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• 2005

${\alpha}$-Expansins are bound to the cell wall of plants and can be solubilized with an extraction buffer containing 1 M NaCl. Localization of ${\alpha}$-expansins in the cell wall was confirmed by immunogold labeling and electron microscopy. The subcellular localization of vegetative ${\beta}$-expansins has not yet been studied. Using antibodies specific for OsEXPB3, a vegetative ${\beta}$-expansin of rice (Oryza sativa L.), we found that OsEXPB3 is tightly bound to the cell wall and, unlike ${\alpha}$-expansins, cannot be solubilized with extraction buffer containing 1 M NaCl. OsEXPB3 protein could only be extracted with buffer containing SDS. The subcellular localization of the OsEXPB3 protein was confirmed by immunogold labeling and electron microscopy. Gold particles were mainly distributed over the primary cell walls. Immunohistochemistry showed that OsEXPB3 is present in all regions of the coleoptile and root tissues tested.