Effect of water stress on abscisic acid levels in white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) fruit,leaves and phloem exudate

Abscisic acid (ABA) was identified by combined gas liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in sieve-tube exudate collected from the cut stylar ends of white lupin fruit. Water stress caused an increase in ABA levels in leaf, seed and pod tissues and phloem exudate. When compared with levels in extracts of these tissues, the concentration of ABA in sieve-tube sap was very high. It is suggested that ABA is actively transported out of mature leaves in the phloem and this finding is discussed in terms of the ABA balance of the plant.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - GLC gas liquid chromatography     

Turnover and transport of quinolizidine alkaloids. Diurnal fluctuations of lupanine in the phloem sap,leaves and fruits of Lupinus albus L.

Quinolizidine alkaloids formed in the leaves of Lupinus albus L. are translocated via the phloem to the other plant organs, especially the maturing fruits. Compared with amino-acid transport in the phloem, the alkaloids contribute about 8% to the overall nitrogen being exported from the leaf. Since it is likely that the alkaloids are subsequently degraded in the target tissues a minor role of quinolizidine alkaloids might be nitrogen transport. A marked diurnal fluctuation of alkaloids was observed in the leaves, the phloem sap, the roots and the fruits with an increase during the day and an amplitude of several hundred percent thus providing evidence for a rapid turnover of endogenous alkaloids.Abbreviations QA quinolizidine alkaloids - GLC gas-liquid chromatography     

Somatic embryogenesis of agriculturally important lupin species (Lupinus angustifolius,L. albus,L. mutabilis)

Somatic embryos were obtained from immature cotyledons of Lupinus angustifolius, L. albus and L. mutabilis but not from L. luteus. Different kinds of basal media and plant growth regulators in primary and secondary culture were tested. The best induction media were based on B5 and were supplemented with 5 mg I^-1 2,4-D alone or with 0.25 mg I^-1 kinetin. Mature stage somatic embryos were obtained on media containing ABA (0.1–0.5 mg I^-1) and a high NH₄/NO₃ ratio. Embryo germination and plantlet development occurred on MS media supplemented with glutamine or GA₃.     

Abscisic acid and related compounds in phloem exudate of Yucca flaccida haw. and coconut (Cocos nucifera L.)

Phloem sap collected from Yucca and coconut inflorescence stalks was shown to contain abscisic acid (ABA) and trace amounts of 2-trans ABA. In coconut sap, two compounds probably derived from ABA with mass spectra consistent with their being dihydrophaseic acid and either hydroxyphaseic acid or oxo-dihydrophaseic acid were also found to be present.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - TMSi trimethylsilyl - GLC(EC) gas chromatography (electron capture) - GC-MS gas chromatography=mass spectrometry     

Active chitinases in the apoplastic fluids of healthy white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) plants

Acidic exocellular class III chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) was previously identified in healthy white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) plants and suspension-cultured cells by N-terminal microse-quencing. In this study, the detection of chitinase activity with Remazol Brilliant Violet 5R (RBV)-labelled chitin derivatives is described. Chitinase activity was observed in protein fractions of cytoplasmic or exocellular origin from roots, hypocotyls, cotyledons, and leaves of healthy white lupin plants. Using isoelectrofocusing followed by a new overlay technique with carboxymethyl chitin-RBV conjugate-containing gel, up to six different chitinase isoforms were visualised. Their activity was distributed fairly evenly within a plant with acidic isoforms predominating in cell walls and basic (or neutral) ones found intracellularly. Exocellular location of some chitinase isoforms were also confirmed by detection of their activities in intercellular washing fluids from white lupin tissues. Chitinase activity was demonstrated in culture filtrates and cell walls of suspension-cultured white lupin cells.     

Transfer of exogenous auxin from the phloem to the polar auxin transport pathway in pea (Pisum sativum L.)

When [1-¹⁴C]indol-3yl-acetic acid ([1-¹⁴C]IAA) was applied to the upper surface of a mature foliage leaf of garden pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Alderman), ¹⁴C effluxed basipetally but not acropetally from 30-mm-long internode segments excised 4 h after the application of [1-¹⁴C]IAA. This basipetal efflux was strongly inhibited by the inclusion of 3.10^–6 mol· dm³ N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) in the efflux buffer. In contrast, when [¹⁴C] sucrose was applied to the leaf, the efflux of label from stem segments excised subsequently was neither polar nor sensitive to NPA. The [1-¹⁴C]IAA was initially exported from mature leaves in the phloem — transport was rapid and apolar; label was recovered from aphids feeding on the stem; and label was recovered in exudates collected from severed petioles in 20 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. No ¹⁴C was detected in aphids feeding on the stems of plants to which [1-¹⁴C]IAA had been applied apically, even though the internode on which they were feeding transported considerable quantities of label. Localised applications of NPA to the stem strongly inhibited the basipetal transport of apically applied [1-¹⁴C]IAA, but did not affect transport of [1-¹⁴C]IAA in the phloem. These results demonstrate for the first time that IAA exported from leaves in the phloem can be transferred into the extravascular polar auxin transport pathway but that reciprocal transfer probably does not occur. In intact plants, transfer of foliar-applied [1-¹⁴C]IAA from the phloem to the polar auxin transport pathway was confined to immature tissues at the shoot apex. In plants in which all tissues above the fed leaf were removed before labelling, a limited transfer of IAA occurred in more mature regions of the stem.Abbreviations IAA indol-3yl-acetic acid - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - NPA N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid We are grateful to the Nuffield Foundation for supporting this research under the NUF-URB95 scheme and for the provision of a bursary to A.J.C. We thank Professor Dennis A. Baker for constructive comments on a draft of this paper and Mrs. Rosemary Bell for her able technical assistance.     

Aminoacylation of four tRNA species in lupin (Lupinus luteus) cotyledons

During germination of lupin seeds, the levels of in-vivo tRNA aminoacylation increase in different ways, depending on the species of tRNA. Column chromatography of tRNA on reverse-phase-chromatography (RPC-5) has shown the presence of 4 peaks of isoleucyl-tRNA, 5 of leucyl-tRNA, 5 of lysyl-tRNA, 2 of tyrosyl-tRNA, and 4 of valyl-tRNA. Cochromatography of periodate treated and control tRNA preparations, labeled with radioactive amino acids, indicates identical aminoacylation in vivo of isoaccepting tRNAs during plant development. One isoacceptor of isoleucine tRNA changes its elution profile after periodate treatment.Abbreviation RPC-5 reverse-phase-chromatography     

Evidence of phloem boron transport in response to interrupted boron supply in white lupin (Lupinus albus L. cv. Kiev Mutant) at the reproductive stage

The present study investigates whether previously acquired boron(B) in mature leaves in white lupin can be retranslocated intothe rapidly growing young reproductive organs, in response toshort-term (3 d) interrupted B supply. In a preliminary experimentwith white lupin in soil culture, B concentrations in phloemexudates remained at 300–500 µM, which were substantiallyhigher than those in the xylem sap (10–30 µM). Thehigh ratios of B concentrations in phloem exudates to thosein the xylem sap were close to values published for potassiumin lupin plants. To differentiate ‘old’ B in theshoot from ‘new’ B in the root, an experiment wascarried out in which the plants were first supplied with 20µM ¹¹B (99.34% by weight) in nutrient solution for 48d after germination (DAG) until early flowering and then transferredinto either 0.2 µM or 20 µM ¹⁰B (99.47% by weight)for 3 d. Regardless of the ¹⁰B treatments, significant levelsof ¹¹B were found in the phloem exudates (200–300 µMin 20 µM ¹⁰B and 430 µM in 0.2 µM ¹⁰B treatment)and xylem sap over the three days even without ¹¹B supply tothe root. In response to the 0.2 µM ¹⁰B treatment, thetranslocation of previously acquired ¹¹B in the young (the uppermostthree leaves), matured, and old leaves was enhanced, coincidingwith the rise of ¹¹B in the xylem sap (to >15 µM) andphloem exudates (430 µM). The evidence supports the hypothesisthat previously acquired B in the shoot was recirculated tothe root via the phloem, transferred into the xylem in the root,and transported in the xylem to the shoot. In addition, somepreviously acquired ¹¹B in the leaves may have been translocatedinto the rapidly growing inflorescence. Phloem B transport resultedin the continued net increment of ¹¹B in the flowers over 3d without ¹¹B supply. However, it is still uncertain whetherthe amount of B available for recirculation is adequate to supportreproductive growth until seed maturation. Key words: ¹⁰B, ¹¹B, B recirculation, Lupinus albus L., phloem exudate, xylem sap Received 9 October 2007; Revised 28 November 2007 Accepted 30 November 2007     

Microelectrode-recorded development of the symplasmic autonomy of the sieve element/companion cell complex in the stem phloem of Lupinus luteus L.

From the cambial stage onwards, the symplasmic autonomy of sieve element/companion cell complexes (SE/CC-complexes) was followed in stems of Lupinus luteus L. by microinjection techniques. The membrane potential and the symplasmic autonomy of the mature SE/CC-complex was measured in successive internodes. A microelectrode was inserted into SE/CC-complexes or phloem parenchyma cells (PPs) and, after stabilization of the membrane potential, the membrane-impermeant fluorescent dye Lucifer Yellow CH (LYCH) was injected intracellullary. The plasmodesmata of the cambial SE/ CC precursor were gradually shut off at all interfaces beginning at the walls to be transformed into sieve plates. In the course of maturation, symplasmic discontinuity was maintained at the longitudinal walls of the complex. In the transverse walls of the SE, wide sieve pores were formed giving rise to longitudinal multicellular symplasmic domains of SE/CC-complexes. Symplasmic isolation of the files of mature SE/CC-complexes was demonstrated in several ways: (i) the membrane potential of the SE/CC-complexes (between -100 mV and -130 mV) was consistently more negative than that of the PPs (between-50 and -100 mV), (ii) No exchange of LYCH was observed between SE/CC-complexes and the PPs. Lucifer Yellow CH injected into the SEs exclusively moved to the associated CCs and to other SE/CC-complexes whereas LYCH injected into the PPs was only displaced to other PPs. (iii) The electrical coupling ratio between adjacent PPs was ten times higher than that between SE/CC-complex and PP. A gradient in the membrane potential of the SE/CC-complexes along the stem was not conclusively demonstrated.Abbreviations LYCH Lucifer Yellow CH - membrane potential - PMF proton-motive force - PP phloem parenchyma cell - SE/CC-complex sieve element/companion cell complex - SR-G sulphorhodamine G     

Characterisation of a developmentally related polypeptide with glutelin solubility characteristics from Lupinus albus L.

Proteins from Lupinus albus L. cv. Rio Maior seeds were fractionated according to solubility criteria. Patterns of concanavalin A (ConA)-binding polypeptides from the different classes, albumins, globulins, glutelins and prolamins, were established by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two bands of apparent molecular masses of 29 and 23.5 kDa with glutelin solubility characteristics bound the lectin. The 23.5-kDa band was separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis into two components: one glycosylated and heterogeneous with an isoelectric point of approx. 10 (designated as G23) and another, not detected with ConA, precipitating in the first dimension. The amino acid and hexosamine analysis of G23 showed that it is particularly rich in Gly (11.2%), Glx (10.0%), Ser (9.0%), Leu (8.2%), Asx (7.5%), and Pro (6.7%) and that it has a considerable content of the sulphur-containing amino acids Met (2.0%) and Cys (5.8%) and contains glucosamine. The determined N-terminal amino acid sequence of G23 was: ¹KG(R)V⁵KGTGD¹⁰(T)PXXV¹⁵XLY(N)R²⁰T, and this had no significant similarity to any of the amino acid sequences contained in the data bank SWISS-PROT 26. The glycoprotein G23 was completely deglycosylated with peptide-N-glycosidase F, yielding a homogeneous 21-kDa polypeptide composed of approximately 191 amino acids. The structures of the major N-linked neutral oligosaccharides of G23, determined by exoglycosidase sequencing, were as follows: Man2Man6(Man3) Man6(Man2Man2Man3)Man4GlcNAc4GlcNAc (13%); ± Man2Man6(Man3)Man6(± Man2 Man2 Man3)Man4GlcNAc4GlcNAc (29%); Man6(Man3) Man6(Man2Man3)Man4GlcNAc4GlcNAc (13%); Man6(Man3)Man6(Man3)Man4GlcNAc4GlcNAc (16%); Man6(Man3)(Xyl2)Man4GlcNAc 4GlcNAc (28%). Changes in G23 abundance during seed development, germination and seedling growth were monitored with a specific antibody. The glycoprotein G23 started to accumulate appreciably during seed formation between the 40th and the 50th days after anthesis and was detected following seed imbibition, until the 9th day in cotyledons, the 2nd day in roots and the 4th day in hypocotyls and leaves.Abbreviations ConA concanavalin A - Endo H endo-N-acetyl--d-glucosaminidase H - GlcNAc N-acetylglucosamine - gu glucose unit - IEF isoelectric focusing - Man mannose - NEPHGE non-equilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis - PNGase F peptide-N-glycosidase F - PVDF polyvinylidenedifluoride - Xyl xylose We thank Geoffrey Guile (Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Oxford, UK) for help with HPLC separations and amino acid and hexosamine analysis, Terry Butters (Oxford Glycobiology Institute) for providing the exoglycosidases and advice in their use, Manuela Regala (Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica Oeiras, Portugal) and Paula Veríssimo (University of Coimbra, Portugal) for determining the N-terminal amino acid sequence of G20 and G23 and Dr. Jorge Lampreia (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal) for the computerised search of the SWISS-PROT data bank. Lupinus albus seeds were provided by Dr. João Neves Martins (Instituto Superior de Agronomia Lisbon, Portugal). We also thank J. Romão (Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal) for technical assistance in antibody production. This work was supported by Junta National de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica, Portugal.     

An examination of the peroxidases from Lupinus albus L. hypocotyls

Peroxidases (EC 1.11.1.7) from hypocotyls of Lupinus albus L. cv. Rio Maior have been characterised using one- and two-dimensional, native electrophoretic techniques. Data are presented showing the complexity in charge and molecular size or shape of these peroxidases. We report the finding of a new acidic peroxidase and several new basic peroxidases in these hypocotyls, and of their stability to treatments considered to break ligand-induced variants and conformational variants derived from differences in polypeptide folding. Densitometric data demonstrate that these new peroxidases contribute up to 60 of the total peroxidase activity in hypocotyls. Studies of intercellular fluid, cell-wall and soluble fractions, with assays of purity were conducted in an attempt to define the subcellular locations of these additional peroxidases. The acidic form (pI 4.1) is greatly enriched in soluble fractions, three of the basic peroxidases (pIs 9.5, 9.7 and >9.7) are strongly associated to the cell wall, ad a minor, basic component (pI 9.7) is enriched in the intercellular fluid. Individual peroxidase activities with the substrates coniferyl alcohol, ferulic acid or indole acetic acid were compared by densitometric analysis of zymograms with those for guaiacol, and notable differences between these peroxidases in their capacity to oxidise indole acetic acid in vitro were identified. The possible functions of these peroxidases in vivo and their implications to current understanding of peroxidases in L. albus are discussed.Abbreviations APAGE anionic polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - CA coniferyl alcohol - CPAGE cationic polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - IEF isoelectric focusin - NEIEF non-equilibrated isoelectric focusing - 2D two dimensional - pI isoelectric point - RCPAGE reversed current polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     

Enzymatic synthesis of quinolizidine alkaloid esters: a tigloyl-CoA: 13-hydroxylupanine O-tigloyltransferase from Lupinus albus L.

A tigloyl-CoA: 13-hydroxylupanine O-tigloyl-transferase could be demonstrated in crude enzyme preparations from Lupinus albus seedlings. The enzyme activity increases concomitantly with for formation of 13-tigloyloxylupanine in developing lupin seedlings. The transferase catalyzes specifically the transfer of an acyl group to 13-hydroxylupanine. The apparent Km-values are 140 M for tigloyl-CoA and 18 M for 13-hydroxylupanine. Other hydroxylated compounds, e.g., lupinine, 4-hydroxylupanine, and cholesterol are not acylated. The transferase shows optimal activity at pH 7–8 and at 30°C. It is activated by dithioerythritol and inhibited by thiol reagents. Tigloyl-CoA can be replaced as acyl donor by benzoyl-CoA and to a lesser extent by valeroyl-CoA, 3-methylbutyryl-CoA, butyryl CoA and propionyl-CoA but not acetyl-CoA. Preliminary evidence indicates that the transfer of the tigloyl and benzoyl moieties is catalyzed by different enzymes. The transferase activity could only be demonstrated in plants which produce quinolizidine alkaloids.Abbreviations DIECA diethyldithiocarbamate - DTE dithioerythritol - GLC gas-liquid chromatography     

A high amount of satellite DNA in the genome of Lupinus angustifolius L.

Embryo DNA, isolated from ungerminated seeds of Lupinus angustifolius L., contains an exceptionally high amount of guanine-cytosine-rich satellite DNA. The thermal denaturation curve of total embryo DNA is biphasic with an inflexion point at 62% denaturation, indicating the presence of satellite DNA. The satellite fraction could be separated from the mainband DNA by three successive preparative CsCl-gradient centrifugations. The densities of the DNA fractions are 1.7045 g cm^-3 and 1.6925 g cm^-3, respectively. The percentages of guanine-cytosine calculated from these densities are comparable to the percentages of GC calculated from the melting temperatures. Finally, ressociation studies prove that foldback DNA and highly repeated sequences are much more frequent in the satellite DNA fraction than in the mainband DNA.Abbreviation C _o t the product of the DNA concentration (mol nucleotides l^-1) and the time (s) of incubation in a DNA reassociation reaction - GC guanine-cytosine - np nucleotide parirs - T temperature interval between 16 and 84% denaturation     

The isolation and some properties of a lectin (Haemagglutinin) from Cucurbita phloem exudate

The occurrence of high haemagglutinating (lectin) activity in phloem exudate from three cucurbit species is reported. The protein responsible for this lectin activity in Cucurbita maxima Duch. has been isolated by cation exchange chromatography on Sepharose and identified by gel electrophoresis. The lectin showed agglutinating activity at concentrations as low as 0.1 g/ml. No sugar, including those transported in the phloem of these species, interacted with agglutination. The lectin could not be extracted from cucurbit seed, but appeared in 5-day old seedlings. The possible role of a lectin in the sieve element is discussed.     

Lateral diffusion of polarly transported indoleacetic acid and its role in the growth of Lupinus albus L. hypocotyls

The transport and metabolism of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was studied in etiolated lupin (Lupinus albus L, cv. Multolupa) hypocotyls, following application of dual-isotope-labelled indole-3-acetic acid, [5-³H]IAA plus [1-¹⁴C]IAA, to decapitated plants. To study the radial distribution of the transported and metabolized IAA, experiments were carried out with plants in which the stele was separated from the cortex by a glass capillary. After local application of labelled IAA to the cortex, radioactivity remained immobilized in the cortex, near the application point, showing that polar transport cannot occur in the outer tissues. However, following application of IAA to the stele, radioactivity appeared in the cortex in those hypocotyl sections below the first 1 cm (in which the capillary was inserted), and the basipetal IAA movement was similar to that observed after application of IAA to the complete cut surface. In both assays, longitudinal distribution of ¹⁴C and ³H in the stele outside the first 1 cm was positively correlated with that of cortex, indicating that there was a lateral migration of IAA from the transport pathway (in the stele) to the outer tissues and that this migration depended on the amount of IAA in the stele. Both tissues (stele and cortex) exhibited intensive IAA metabolism, decarboxylation being higher in the stele than in the cortex while IAA conjugation was the opposite. Decapitation of the seedlings caused a drastic reduction of hypocotyl growth in the 24 h following decapitation, unless the hypocotyls were treated apically with IAA. Thus, exogenous IAA, polarly transported, was able to substitute the endogenous source of auxin (cotyledons plus meristem) to permit hypocotyl growth. It is proposed that IAA escapes from the transporting cells (in the stele) to the outer tissues in order to reach the growth-responsive cells. The IAA metabolism in the outer tissues could generate the IAA gradient necessary for the maintenance of its lateral flow, and consequently the auxin-induced cell elongation.     

Variability of globulin composition in cultivars and individually tested seeds of yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.)

A study on globulins, major storage proteins in yellow lupin seeds, called conglutins, was conducted using SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In this paper, an extensive and not yet published list of yellow lupin conglutins is presented. The patterns of subunits of major conglutins in seeds of three yellow lupin cultivars were similar to each other, varying only in the level of some polypeptides. Investigations of seeds of cultivar Parys showed considerable quantitative differences in major subunits. Some minor subunits occurred only in some seeds and were absent in the others. Great differences were shown between single individuals in the amount of subunits of conglutin which is of the most nutritional value due to high content of methionine.     

Effects of intercropping of oat (Avena sativa L.) with white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) on the mobility of target elements for phytoremediation and phytomining in soil solution

This study aims to investigate how intercropping of oat (Avena sativa L.) with white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) affects the mobile fractions of trace metals (Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, Th, U, Sc, La, Nd, Ge) in soil solution. Oat and white lupin were cultivated in monocultures and mixed cultures with differing oat/white lupin ratios (11% and 33% lupin, respectively). Temporal variation of soil solution chemistry was compared with the mobilization of elements in the rhizosphere of white lupin and concentrations in plant tissues. Relative to the monocrops, intercropping of oat with 11% white lupin significantly increased the concentrations of Fe, Pb, Th, La and Nd in soil solution as well as the concentrations of Fe, Pb, Th, Sc, La and Nd in tissues of oat. Enhanced mobility of the mentioned elements corresponded to a depletion of elements in the rhizosphere soil of white lupin. In mixed cultures with 33% lupin, concentrations in soil solution only slightly increased. We conclude that intercropping with 11% white lupin might be a promising tool for phytoremediation and phytomining research enhancing mobility of essential trace metals as well as elements with relevance for phytoremediation (Pb, Th) and phytomining (La, Nd, Sc) in soil.     

Study of sucrose and mannitol transport in plasma-membrane vesicles from phloem and non-phloem tissues of celery (Apium graveolens L.) petioles

The mature petiole of celery is an organ with versatile sink/source capacities where sucrose and mannitol are unloaded from and reloaded into the phloem cells. Plasma-membrane vesicles were purified by twophase partitioning either from phloem strands isolated from mature petioles of celery (Apium graveolens L.) or from mature petioles devoid of vascular bundles. Both types of vesicle were comparable in purity (more than 86% of plasma-membrane origin), size (135 nm diameter) and orientation (72% right-side-out). Plasma-membrane vesicles from phloem tissues had a higher vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity than plasma-membrane vesicles from petioles. Plasma-membrane vesicles from phloem tissues accumulated mannitol and sucrose in response to an artificial proton-motive force, in agreement with the existence of proton/substrate carriers. Plasma-membrane vesicles from petioles devoid of vascular bundles accumulated only mannitol following application of an artificial proton-motive force. The data suggest the volvement of apoplasmic transport events. The pathway for sucrose uptake in storage parenchyma cells is discussed in the light of the available physiological data.     

Secondary plasmodesmata formation in the minor-vein phloem of Cucumis melo L. and Cucurbita pepo L.

Numerous branched plasmodesmata (pd) are present between bundle-sheath cells (BSCs) and specialized companion cells known as intermediary cells (ICs) in the minor-vein phloem of melon (Cucumis melo L.) and squash (Cucurbita pepo L.). These pd were found to be secondary, i.e., they form across existing walls. Sink, sink-source transition, and source tissues were sampled from developing and mature leaves. In sink tissue, IC precursors divide to produce the two to four ICs and associated sieve elements which are present by the time of the sink-source transition. Plasmodesmata along the interface between the IC precursor and adjacent BSCs in sink tissue are unbranched and few in number. Before the leaf tissue undergoes the sink-source transition, the number of pd channels (individual branches of pd) becomes more numerous. This increase in number of pd channels occurs at least in part and perhaps entirely by branching, resulting in more channels on the IC-side than on the BSC-side. In melon there is a 12-fold increase in the number of pd channels within the IC-side of the interface and a corresponding 9-fold increase in pd channels within the BSC-side. Thus, secondary pd form by the time of the sink-source transition and may be involved in phloem loading and photoassimilate export. The system described is well-defined and amenable to experimental manipulation: secondary pd form in large numbers, at a particular interface, over a short period of time, and in a highly predictable manner.Abbreviations BSC bundle-sheath cell - DAP days after planting - IC intermediary cell - LPI leaf plastochron index - pd plasmodesmata - PI plastochron interval We thank Edith Haritatos, Rich Medville, Esther Gowan, and Nancy Dussault for expert technical assistance. This research was supported by an NSF/DOE/USDA Cornell Plant Science Center fellowship (G.M.V.), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Grant GP0138401 and Université de Montréal, Fonds internes de recherche (D.U.B.), and NSF grant IBN-9419703 (R.T.).     

The chromosomal location of factors determining the presence of phenolic compounds in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Summary Using thin-layer chromatography and nulli-tetrasomic and ditellosomic series of Triticum aestivum L. cv. Chinese Spring, it has been possible to relate the phenolic compounds found in adult plant leaves and 12 day-old seedling leaves with the chromosomes or chromosome arms 1 B, 2 BL, 3 BL, 5 A, 6 AL, 7 B and 7 DS.