Cell wall disassembly accompanies many physiological processes. The disassembly can range from discrete modifications of cell wall architecture that take place during cell growth and expansion to major cell wall breakdown, which occurs in processes such as fruit ripening and abscission of plant organs. These degradative processes are mediated by cell wall hydrolases, which are regulated in a developmental and tissue-specific manner (Fischer and Bennett, 1991). The process of abscission takes place at precisely determined positions in a plant and is the result of cell separation mediated by cell wall dissolution (Sexton and Roberts, 1982). In many plants, organ abscission is associated with an increase in ethylene production and involves ethylenerelated changes in gene expression (Sexton and Roberts, 1982;Reid, 1985). Ethylene induces cell wall hydrolases and, in particular, EGase (Horton and Osborne, 1967;Lewis and Varner 1970;Tucker et al., 1988) and polygalacturonase (Tucker et al., 1984;Taylor et al., 1990;Kalaitzis et al.,