Thigmonasticity of thistle staminal filaments

Summary Touching stimulates thistle (Cirsium horridulum Michx.) staminal filaments to rapidly shorten to approximately 70% of their original length. The filaments subsequently re-elongate and regain contractibility within 10min. This thigmonastic movement can be repeated at least 10 times in detached flowers. Filament length is reduced by bathing in 1 M sorbitol, indicating that length change depends on variation in turgor pressure, as is also indicated by plasmolysis observed in contracted filaments. Contraction also depends upon elastic properties of the cuticle. These properties of the cuticle are resistant to boiling in water, chloroform or acid, and treatment with proteases, protein denaturants, sulfatases, and many cell wall degrading enzymes, but are sensitive to cutinase, -glucuronidase, and boiling in 1 M NaOH. Analysis of carbohydrates from flowers boiled in 1 N NaOH showed that most galacturonic acid residues were extracted from filaments but not from petals (which are inelastic). The filament galacturonic acid residues may form a part of the cuticular contractile mechanism, and/or they may facilitate the bending of the vascular and cortical cells that occurs during contraction. Our results indicate that the elasticity of the stretched cuticle provides the force for the contraction of the filaments and the build-up of turgor causes re-elongation.     

Thigmonasticity of thistle staminal filaments

Investigations of the longitudinal distribution of the extensibility of staminal filaments of the common thistle (Cirsium horridulum Michx.) showed that the base of the filaments (attachment to corolla) is almost twice as elastic as the apical portion (next to anthers). Boiling leads to a more uniform distribution of extensibility. Using a stress-strain analyzer we investigated the elastic properties of fresh, water-boiled, partially hydrolyzed (acid-boiled), and dehydrated filaments. Stress-strain curves of sinusoidally stretched sets of filaments revealed complex, non-linear behavior with an average modulus of elasticity of 5 MPa·m^–2. The phase angle varied from approximately 18 degrees for 0.01-Hz deformations to 84 degrees at 2 Hz, indicating strong viscoelastic components. The viscoelasticity of the filaments indicates that the cell walls have a high ratio of pectin to cellulose. Boiling does not affect Young's modulus, but dehydration does. The technique of applying sinusoidal loads and the analysis of the stress-strain curves proves useful for the assessment of mechanical properties of cell walls, especially for non-growing or contractile tissues.We thank Dr. Paul Russo, Louisiana State University, for allowing us to use the stress-strain analyzer. This work was supported by National Science Foundation grant IBN-9118094.