Thermotolerant cyclamen with reduced acrolein and methyl vinyl ketone

authored by

Hiroomi Kai, Keita Hirashima, Osamu Matsuda, Hidetoshi Ikegami, Traud Winkelmann, Takao Nakahara, Koh Iba

Abstract

Reduced levels of trienoic fatty acids (TAs) in chloroplast membranes induce thermotolerance in several plant species, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. TA peroxidation in plant cell membranes generates cytotoxic, TA-derived compounds containing α,β-unsaturated carbonyl groups. The relationship between low TA levels and the amounts of cytotoxic TA-derived compounds was examined using thermotolerant transgenic cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum Mill.) with low TA contents. Changes in the levels of the cytotoxic TA-derived acrolein (ACR), methyl vinyl ketone (MVK), (E)-2-hexenal, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, and malondialdehyde were analysed in the leaf tissues of wild-type (WT) and thermotolerant transgenic cyclamen under heat stress. Levels of ACR and MVK in the WT increased in parallel with the occurrence of heat-induced tissue damage, whereas no such changes were observed in the thermotolerant transgenic lines. Furthermore, exogenous ACR and MVK infiltrated into leaves to concentrations similar to those observed in heat-stressed WT leaves caused similar disease symptoms. These results suggest that thermotolerance in transgenic cyclamen depends on reduced production rates of ACR and MVK under heat stress, due to the low level of TAs in these plants.

Organisation(s)

Section Reproduction and Development

External Organisation(s)

Fukuoka Agricultural Research Center
Kyushu University

Type

Article

Journal

Journal of experimental botany

Volume

63

Pages

4143-4150

No. of pages

8

ISSN

0022-0957

Publication date

06.2012

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physiology, Plant Science

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ers110 (Access: Open)