In vitro nuclear run-off transcription has been used to monitor transcriptional activation of defense-related genes in carrot cell suspensions challenged with oligogalacturonide elicitors. The response of the cells depended on the size and the conformation of the elicitors. Only oligogalacturonides with a degree of polymerization (DP) greater than 9 in a calcium-induced conformation triggered a massive accumulation of RNA transcripts. Polygalacturonic acid had only a small effect on gene activation. Oligomers with a DP < 9 did not induce RNA polymerase activity associated with defense gene sequences.
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Messiaen et al. (1993) studied this question.