Polysaccharide component in the stigmatic exudate from Lilium longiflorum

The polysaccharide component of the stigmatic exudate from Lilium longiflorum has the composition, arabinose (26%), rhamnose (6%), galactose (57%) and glucuronic acid (11%). The highly branched polysaccharide bears a striking resemblance to the acidic polysaccharide exudate from Araucaria bidwillii in belonging to the galactan group and in carrying outer chains terminated by arabinofuranose, rhamnopyranose, galactopyranose and glucuronic acid residues. Both polysaccharides contain the sequence O-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-glucopyranosyluronic acid-(1→6)-galactopyranose in some of the outer chains.     

Accumulation and transport of abscisic Acid and its metabolites in ricinus and xanthium

When intact plants of Xanthium strumarium L. were water stressed, the youngest leaves accumulated the highest levels of abscisic acid (ABA). On the other hand, when leaves of different ages were detached and then stressed, the capacity to produce ABA was highest in the mature leaves. Radioactive ABA was transported from mature leaves to the shoot tips and young leaves, as well as to the roots, as evidenced by the presence of radioactive ABA and phaseic acid in the xylem exudate coming from the roots. Thus, ABA was recirculated in the plant, moving down the stem in the phloem and back up in the transpiration stream to the mature leaves. Phloem exudate collected by the use of the EDTA technique had a high concentration of ABA and phaseic acid which increased several-fold after water stress. The high ABA levels in immature leaves and apical buds are, therefore, mainly due to import from older leaves, rather than to in situ synthesis.     

Production and Partial Characterization of Stylet Exudate from Adult Females of Meloidogyne incognita

Adult females of Meloidogyne incognita were excised from tomato roots and incubated in 0.04 M phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.4 for 18-72 hours to allow accumulation of stylet exudate. Twenty-four percent of the females produced exudate during the initial 18-hour incubation period; 70% of those females producing exudate initially produced additional exudate during the subsequent 54-hour incubation period. Analysis of exudate by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of at least nine major protein bands. Differential staining with silver and Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 stains indicated that three of the bands were glycoproteins. Upon acid hydrolysis, 14 amino acids were detected in the stylet exudate. The basic amino acids lysine, histidine, and arginine comprised 21.8% of the total amino acids detected. No peroxidase activity was detected in the stylet exudates. Data presented extend and generally confirm prior work on the chemical composition of stylet exudate.     

Biochemical composition of stigmatic exudate of Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) solms

The stigmatic exudate of Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms is moderately soluble in water, but is readily soluble in 80% ethanol. Soluble sugars, fructose, sucrose, total phenol, hydroxy phenol, free amino acids, soluble proteins and free fatty acids were found in the exudate. The exudate is devoid of organic acids and alkaloids, while proteins, soluble sugars, free fatty acids and free amino acids were the principal constituents. The stigma possesses detectable quantities of these compounds and shows a progressive increase in the amount of these substances up to the stage just prior to anthesis. The ultraviolet absorption profile of the stigmatic exudate in ethanol shows characteristic absorption peaks and bathochromatic shifts on addition of NaOH. The peaks probably correspond to those of simple phenolic compounds.     

Role of amides, amino acids, and ureides in the nutrition of developing soybean seeds

The various nitrogenous solutes important to embryo development in symbiotic soybean plants were determined during the midpodfilling stage. Glutamine was the principal form of nitrogen, contributing 55% of the embryo nitrogen requirement. Asparagine was the second most important, contributing 20%. The ureides allantoin and allantoic acid directly contributed only insignificantly to the total nitrogen requirement of the embryo. These conclusions were based upon analyses of tissue extracts, translocation studies of radiolabeled solutes, analysis of in vivo seed coat exudate collected from the freespace of attached, surgically altered seeds, and the in vitro culture of isolated immature soybean embryos.     

Free amino Acid composition of leaf exudates and Phloem sap : a comparative study in oats and barley

Comparisons were made between the free amino acid composition in leaf exudates and that in pure phloem sap, using twin samples taken from a single leaf of two oat (Avena sativa L.) and three barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties. Leaf exudate was collected in a 5 mm EDTA-solution (pH 7.0) from cut leaf blades and phloem sap was obtained through excised aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.) stylets. Fluorescent derivatives of amino acids were obtained using 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate and were separated by means of high performance liquid chromatography. The total concentration of free amino acids varied considerably in the exudate samples. There was no correlation between the total amino acid content in the exudate samples and that of the corresponding phloem sap samples, but the amino acid composition of the corresponding samples was highly correlated (median R²-value 0.848). There was only limited between-plant variation in phloem sap amino acid composition. Nevertheless, in comparisons involving all samples, many of the amino acids showed significant correlations between their relative amounts in exudate and phloem sap. The results presented here indicate that the exudate technique holds great promise as an interesting alternative to the laborious and time-consuming stylet-cutting technique of obtaining samples for comparative studies of phloem sap.     

Analysis of the Exudate Produced by Streptococcus mutans SL-1 Colonies on Sucrose-Containing Agar Media

The watery exudate produced by Streptococcus mutans SL-1 colonies on sucrose-containing agar media was found to contain about 7% (wt/vol) of a water-soluble, branched dextran, 4% sucrose, and smaller (less than 1%) amounts of fructose, Folin-phenol-positive material, and lactic acid.     

Enhanced Hatching of Globodera tabacum solanacearum Juveniles by Root Exudates of Flue-cured Tobacco

Stimulation of hatching of a tobacco cyst nematode (Globodera tabacum solanacearum) by root exudates from resistant NC 567 and susceptible K 326 cultivars of flue-cured tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, was investigated. Root exudates were collected by soaking seedlings in deionized water for 2 hours at 22 °C in the dark. Fifteen mature and uniformly sized cysts were exposed at 15, 20, or 25 °C to undiluted root exudate, root exudate diluted 1:1 or 1:3 with deionized water, or deionized water alone. Hatched juveniles were counted and removed at weekly intervals during 42 and 53 days of exposure in experiments conducted in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Root exudates from both susceptible cultivar K 326 and resistant cultivar NC 567 stimulated more hatching than deionized water at 25 °C in 1994, and at all three tested temperatures in 1995. In 1994, dilution of root exudates 1:3 reduced stimulation of hatching at 25 °C compared to undiluted exudate. Hatching at 25 °C was similarly stimulated by exposure to undiluted root exudate and exudate diluted 1:1. In 1995, both dilutions reduced stimulation of hatching by root exudates at all the temperatures.     

Factors which affect the amount of inorganic phosphate, phosphorylcholine, and phosphorylethanolamine in xylem exudate of tomato plants

Phosphate in the xylem exudate of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants was 70 to 98% inorganic phosphate (Pi), 2 to 30% P-choline, and less than 1% P-ethanolamine. Upon adding ³²Pi to the nutrient, Pi in xylem exudate had the same specific activity within 4 hours. P-choline and P-ethanolamine reached the same specific activity only after 96 hours. The amount of Pi in xylem exudate was dependent on Pi concentration in the nutrient and decreased from 1700 to 170 micromolar when Pi in the nutrient decreased from 50 to 2 micromolar. The flux of 0.4 nmoles organic phosphate per minute per gram fresh weight root into the xylem exudate was not affected by the Pi concentration in the nutrient solution unless it was below 1 micromolar. During 7 days of Pi starvation, Pi in the xylem exudate decreased from 1400 to 130 micromolar while concentrations of the two phosphate esters remained unchanged.

The concentration of phosphate esters in the xylem exudate was increased by addition of choline or ethanolamine to the nutrient solution, but Pi remained unchanged. Upon adding [¹⁴C]choline to the nutrient, 10 times more [¹⁴C]P-choline than [¹⁴C]choline was in the xylem exudate and 85 to 90% of the ester phosphate was P-choline. When [¹⁴C]ethanolamine was added, [¹⁴C]P-ethanolamine and [¹⁴C]ethanolamine in the xylem sap were equal in amount. P-choline and P-ethanolamine accumulated in leaves of whole plants at the same time and the same proportion as observed for their flux into the xylem exudate. No relationship between the transport of P-choline and Pi in the xylem was established. Rather, the amount of choline in xylem exudate and its incorporation into phosphatidylcholine in the leaf suggest that the root is a site of synthesis of P-choline and P-ethanolamine for phospholipid synthesis in tomato leaves.

     

Directional Guidance of Nicotiana alata Pollen Tubes in Vitro and on the Stigma

Pollen tubes navigate the route from stigma to ovule with great accuracy, but the cues that guide them along this route are not known. We reproduced the environment on the stigma of Nicotiana alata by immersing pollen in stigma exudate or oil close to an interface with an aqueous medium. The growth of pollen in this culture system mimicked growth on stigmas: pollen grains hydrated and germinated, and pollen tubes grew toward the aqueous medium. The rate-limiting step in pollen germination was the movement of water through the surrounding exudate or oil. By elimination of other potential guidance cues, we conclude that the directional supply of water probably determined the axis of polarity of pollen tubes and resulted in growth toward the interface. We propose that a gradient of water in exudate is a guidance cue for pollen tubes on the stigma and that the composition of the exudate must be such that it is permeable enough for pollen hydration to occur but not so permeable that the supply of water becomes nondirectional. Pollen tube penetration of the stigma may be the most frequently occurring hydrotropic response of higher plants.     

Transfer of amino acids and nitrate from the roots into the xylem of Ricinus communis seedlings

The loading of amino acids and nitrate into the xylem was investigated by collection and analysis of root-pressure exudate from the cut hypocotyl stumps of seedlings of Ricinus communis L. Glutamine was found to be the dominant amino acid in the exudate and also to be the amino acid which is transferred to the xylem most rapidly and accumulated to the greatest extent. The comparison between uptake and xylem loading showed significant differences in specificity between these two transport reactions, indicating a different set of transport systems. Nitrate is transferred to the xylem at a higher relative rate than any amino acid despite the great nitrate-storage capacity of the root system. Thus the supply of nitrate to Ricinus plants leads to enhanced nitrogen allocation to the shoots.     

Evaluation of a novel tool for sampling root exudates from soil-grown plants compared to conventional techniques

The release of low molecular weight (LMW) organic compounds (e.g. organic acids, amino acids, sugars, etc.) by living plant roots significantly contributes to the development of chemical, physical as well as microbial rhizosphere gradients. Suitable and accurate sampling procedures are crucial for enhancing our understanding of the dynamics of related rhizosphere processes. Here we compare common sampling techniques with a novel tool for root exudate collection that allows non-destructive and repetitive sampling from soil-grown roots. Root exudates from Zea mays L. were collected using the following techniques: (i) hydroponic growth and sampling, (ii) soil growth and hydroponic sampling and (iii) rhizoboxes fitted with a novel in situ root exudate collecting tool. Furthermore, rhizosphere soil solution for the analysis of exudates and microbial metabolites was sampled using micro-suction cups (iv). The effect of different sampling solutions (deionised water and 0.5 mM CaCl₂) on organic acid and amino acid exudation patterns was also investigated. The novel exudate collecting tool was successfully tested for root exudate sampling. Results showed that particularly amino acid exudation rates were significantly affected by growth conditions and sampling procedures, while organic acid exudation patterns varied less across the different sampling setups. Despite qualitative and quantitative differences, exudation rates were in the same order of magnitude across the different sampling procedures. Soil solution concentrations obtained from micro-suction-cup sampling at defined distance to the root surface showed no distinct gradient, highlighting the importance of soil microorganisms in regulating the soil solution concentration of LMW C compounds either via microbial degradation or the release of microbial metabolites. The exudate collector offers new opportunities to assess root exudation rates and composition from soil-grown plants and thus enhances our knowledge of fundamental rhizosphere processes.     

Cyclic fatty acyl glycosides in the glandular trichome exudate of Silene gallica

Chemical investigation of the glandular trichome exudate from Silene gallica L. (Caryophyllaceae) resulted in isolation of 10 cyclic fatty acyl glycosides (gallicasides A–J). The cyclic structures were characterized by a glycosidic linkage of the glucose moiety to either the C-12 or the C-13 position of the octadecanoyl moiety, and by an ester linkage between the C-2 hydroxy group of the glucose moiety and the carboxyl group of the oxygenated octadecanoic acid. The structures of the cyclic fatty acyl glycosides were further distinguished from one another by acetylation and/or malonylation on the glucose moiety. Of these compounds, the 1,2′-cyclic ester of 12(R)-(6-O-acetyl-3-O-malonyl-β-d-glucopyranosyloxy)octadecanoic acid (gallicaside J) was the most abundant (30.7%). These secondary metabolites were found specifically in the glandular trichome exudate rather than in other aerial parts.     

The regulation of gelation of Phloem exudate from cucurbita fruit by dilution, glutathione, and glutathione reductase

The average glutathione equivalent concentration in phloem exudate collected from squash fruit (Cucurbita moschata [Duchesne] Poir. var Butternut) and pumpkin fruit (Cucurbita pepo [L.] var Jack-o-lattern) was 1.02 and 0.60 millimolar, respectively. Glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2) activity in phloem exudate from squash and pumpkin fruit averaged 0.48 and 1.74 micromole NADPH oxidized per minute per milliliter, respectively. Protein concentrations in fruit phloem exudates averaged 67 milligrams per milliliter for squash and 57 milligrams per milliliter for pumpkin. The phloem-specific P-proteins account for most of the protein content of exudate. Pure exudate from fruit does not gel for hours or days, but when diluted with neutral or alkaline aqueous solutions, exudate gels rapidly. Exudate solutions undergo biphasic pH changes with dilution. We suggest that P-protein undergoes conformational change upon dilution, exposing titratable groups and sulfhydryl residues. Oxidation of the latter forms the intermolecular disulfide bridges of the gel. The gelation of diluted exudate is regulated by factors (oxygen, pH, glutathione, NADPH) which affect the maintenance of reduced sulfhydryl residues and the activity of glutathione reductase. While these factors may also act in vivo to regulate redox conditions in phloem, their relationship to hypothetical sol/gel transitions or motile and nonmotile phases in the transport conduit is unknown.     

Terpenes from Cantinoa (Lamiaceae) native to Rio Grande do Sul,South Brazil

Cantinoa althaeifolia, C. heterodon, C. mutabilis, C. stricta and C. sylvularum were investigated for the essential oil and exudate composition. The essential oils of these species, previously placed in the genus Hyptis, demonstrated the presence of at least 46 compounds, being β-pinene, δ-3-carene, β-caryophyllene, bicyclogermacrene, caryophyllene oxide and globulol the compounds present in higher amounts. Besides monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, three species presented diterpenes. Kaurenoic acid was isolated from C. heterodon exudate and detected by gas chromatography in C. stricta and C. mutabilis. Although kaurane diterpenes are widely found in nature, their occurrence in Lamiaceae seems to be restricted to few genera.     

The effect of manganese and EDTA on the balance of nitrogen in maize xylem exudate

The effect of manganese chloride (10 mg Mn l^-1), EDTA (18 mg l^-1) and a mixture of these compounds on the nitrogen balance in maize xylem exudate was investigated. The compounds were applied as experimental solutions to the roots of 20 day old plants 24 h before excision. Application of Mn resulting in a lowered nitrogen level in the xylem exudate increased the relative content of the organic N-compounds in the exudate, particularly that of free amino acids. EDTA appreciably enhanced the content of total nitrogen in xylem exudate, however no significant changes were found in the proportion of inorganic and organic N-compounds in comparison with the water control. The significant features of the free amino acid exudate fraction of all experimental variants were, among others, the relatively high lysine content and the absence of proline arid sulphur containing amino acids. By gel filtration on Sephadex G-25 of xylem exudates UV (254 nm) absorbing fractions, four in the water control, five in Mn and six in EDTA variants were isolated. The UV absorbing fractions with the exception of one in each experimental variant (K_av 0.73 in water control, K_av 0.61 in Mn-variant, K_av 0.75 in EDTA and Mn + EDTA variant) were of peptide character, proline and sulphur-containing amino acids were missing in them. In the exceptional UV absorbing fractions (K_av 0.61–0.75) in spite of their high N-content (10.23%) after hydrolysis practically no amino acid could be detected.     

Metal Complexation in Xylem Fluid : I. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF TOMATO AND SOYBEAN STEM EXUDATE

Xylem fluid was analyzed for numerous solutes to characterize chemically the sap as a medium for forming and transporting metal complexes. The stem exudate was collected hourly for 8 hours from topped 31-day-old soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) and 46-day-old tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants grown in normal (0.5 micromolar) and Za-phytotoxic nutrient solutions. Soybean plants were grown in the normal and high-Zn solutions for 24 days; tomato plants were grown for 32 days. The exudate was analyzed for seven organic acids, 22 amino acids, eight inorganic solutes, apparent ionic strength, and pH. Significant changes in many solutes occurred over the 8-hour sampling period. These fluctuations depended on plant species, individual solute, and Zn treatment, and demonstrated that extrapolation of xylem-fluid analyses to whole-plant xylem sap is valid only for sap samples collected shortly after topping a plant. Exudate pH decreased over the 8-hour period for both species; exudate ionic strength increased for tomato and decreased for soybean. At the normal-Zn treatment (0 to 1 hour), the highest acid micromolar concentrations in soybean exudate were: asparagine, 2,583; citric, 1,706; malic, 890; and malonic, 264. Under the same conditions, the highest acid micromolar concentrations in tomato exudate were: maleic, 1,206; malic, 628; glutamine, 522; citric, 301; and asparagine, 242. Cysteine and methionine were above detection limits only in soybean exudate. Zinc phytotoxicity caused significant changes in many solutes. The analyses reported here provide a comprehensive data base for further studies on metal-complex equilibria in xylem fluid.     

Allantoin and Allantoic Acid in Tissues and Stem Exudate from Field-grown Soybean Plants

Samples of stem exudate and plant tissue collected from field-grown soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) plants were analyzed for allantoin and allantoic acid. Nitrogen in nitrate plus amino acids exceeded ureide N concentration in stem exudate prior to flowering. During all of reproductive development (from about 40 days after planting until maturity), ureide N concentration was two to six times greater than amino acid plus nitrate N concentration. Allantoin and allantoic acid, not asparagine, are the principal forms of nitrogen transported from nodulated roots to shoots of the soybean plant. During pod and seed development ureide N comprised as high as 2.3, 37.7, and 15.8% of total N in leaf blades, stems + petioles, and fruits, respectively. The concentration of ureide in stems and fruits declined to nearly zero at maturity.     

Abnormal stomatal behavior and root resistance,and hormonal imbalance in three wilty mutants of tomato

Three wilty mutants of tomato, flacca, sitiens, and notabilis, were compared with two control normal cultivars, Rheinlands Ruhm and Lukullus, for concentration of abscisic acid and root resistance to water flow. In addition, the three mutants treated with abscisic acid during development were compared with control mutant plants for stomatal opening and root resistance. The hormonal concentration was estimated by coleoptile assay and gas chromatography. Stomatal opening was estimated by measuring rate of transpiration and by examining leaf imprints. Root resistance was estimated by measuring the amount of exudate from roots of decapitated plants and the difference between the osmotic pressure of the exudate and the root medium. A lower level of abscisic acid was found in all three mutants as compared with the control normal plants. In addition, root resistance to water flow was higher in the three mutants than in the control normal types. All three mutants completely reverted to normal phenotypically, including stomatal and root resistances, when treated with abscisic acid. It has been suggested that the first hormonal change in the mutants is that of abscisic acid, and from it proceed the other changes.This work was supported in part by a research grant from the Ford Foundation (Ford-6, A-VII).     

The pectic disaccharides lepidimoic acid and β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-d-galacturonic acid occur in cress-seed exudate but lack allelochemical activity

Background and aims Cress-seed (Lepidium sativum) exudate exerts an allelochemical effect, promoting excessive hypocotyl elongation and inhibiting root growth in neighbouring Amaranthus caudatus seedlings. We investigated acidic disaccharides present in cress-seed exudate, testing the proposal that the allelochemical is an oligosaccharin—lepidimoic acid (LMA; 4-deoxy-β-l-threo-hex-4-enopyranuronosyl-(1→2)-l-rhamnose).Methods Cress-seed exudate was variously treated [heating, ethanolic precipitation, solvent partitioning, high-voltage paper electrophoresis and gel-permeation chromatography (GPC)], and the products were bioassayed for effects on dark-grown Amaranthus seedlings. Two acidic disaccharides, including LMA, were isolated and characterized by electrophoresis, thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and then bioassayed.Key Results Cress-seed exudate contained low-M_r, hydrophilic, heat-stable material that strongly promoted Amaranthus hypocotyl elongation and inhibited root growth, but that separated from LMA on electrophoresis and GPC. Cress-seed exudate contained ∼250 µm LMA, whose TLC and electrophoretic mobilities, susceptibility to mild acid hydrolysis and NMR spectra are reported. A second acidic disaccharide, present at ∼120 µm, was similarly characterized, and shown to be β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-d-galacturonic acid (Xyl→GalA), a repeat unit of xylogalacturonan. Purified LMA and Xyl→GalA when applied at 360 and 740 µm, respectively, only slightly promoted Amaranthus hypocotyl growth, but equally promoted root growth and thus had no effect on the hypocotyl:root ratio, unlike total cress-seed exudate.Conclusions LMA is present in cress seeds, probably formed by rhamnogalacturonan lyase action on rhamnogalacturonan-I during seed development. Our results contradict the hypothesis that LMA is a cress allelochemical that appreciably perturbs the growth of potentially competing seedlings. Since LMA and Xyl→GalA slightly promoted both hypocotyl and root elongation, their effect could be nutritional. We conclude that rhamnogalacturonan-I and xylogalacturonan (pectin domains) are not sources of oligosaccharins with allelochemical activity, and the biological roles (if any) of the disaccharides derived from them are unknown. The main allelochemical principle in cress-seed exudate remains to be identified.