Nature, intracellular distribution and formation of terpenoid quinones in maize and barley shoots

1. Maize and barley shoots have been shown to contain phylloquinone, plastoquinone, α-tocopherol (and γ-tocopherol in maize), α-tocopherolquinone and ubiquinone-9. 2. No solanesol was detected in any tissue examined. 3. In maize shoots plastoquinone and α-tocopherolquinone were localized in the chloroplast; ubiquinone was in the mitochondria. 4. Etiolated (dark-grown) shoots contained smaller amounts of phylloquinone and plastoquinone; α-tocopherolquinone was entirely absent; ubiquinone and α-tocopherol concentrations were unaffected. 5. On illumination of etiolated shoots the chloroplastidic quinones phylloquinone, plastoquinone and α-tocopherolquinone were synthesized in step with chloroplast development. α-Tocopherolquinone was not formed at the immediate expense of α-tocopherol.