Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Flavanol binding of nuclei from tree species

  • Physiology and Biochemistry
  • Published:
Plant Cell Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Light microscopy was used to examine the nuclei of five tree species with respect to the presence of flavanols. Flavanols develop a blue colouration in the presence of a special p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMACA) reagent that enables those nuclei loaded with flavanols to be recognized. Staining of the nuclei was most pronounced in both Tsuga canadensis and Taxus baccata, variable in Metasequoia glyptostroboides, faint in Coffea arabica and minimal in Prunus avium. HPLC analysis showed that the five species contained substantial amounts of different flavanols such as catechin, epicatechin and proanthocyanidins. Quantitatively, total flavanols were quite different among the species. The nuclei themselves, as studied in Tsuga seed wings, were found to contain mainly catechin, much lower amounts of epicatechin and traces of proanthocyanidins. Blue-coloured nuclei located centrally in small cells were often found to maximally occupy up to 90% of a cell’s radius, and the surrounding small rim of cytoplasm was visibly free of flavanols. A survey of 34 gymnosperm and angiosperm species indicated that the first group has much higher nuclear binding capacities for flavanols than the second group.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14 Fig. 15 Fig. 16 Fig. 17 Fig. 18 Fig. 19 Fig. 20 Fig. 21 Fig. 22 Fig. 23 Fig. 24 Fig. 25 Fig. 26 Fig. 27 Fig. 28

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DMACA :

p-Dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde

References

  • Beckman CH (2000) Phenolic-storing cells: keys to programmed cell death and periderm formation in wilt disease and in general defence responses in plants? Physiol Mol Pathol 57:101–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feucht W, Polster J (2001) Nuclei of plants as a sink for flavanols Z Naturforsch 56c:479–481

    Google Scholar 

  • Feucht W, Polster J (2002) Nuclei of tree species as targets for flavanols. BIOforum Int 6:309–311

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geiger H (1985) The identification of phenolic compounds by colour reactions. In: van Sumere CF, Lea P (eds) Annu Proc Phytochem Soc Eur, vol 25. Clarendon Press, Oxford, pp 45–56

  • Gerlach D (1969) Botanische Mikrotechnik. Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart

  • Grandmaison J, Ibrahim R H (1996) Evidence for nuclear binding of flavanol sulfate ester in Flaveria chloraefolia. J Plant Physiol 147:653–660

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hagerman AE, Butler LG (1981) The specificity of proanthocyanidin-protein interactions. J Biol Chem 256:4494–4497

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haslam E (1998) Practical polyphenols. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

  • Hutzler P, Fischbach R, Heller W, Jungblut TP, Reuber S, Schmitz R, Veit M, Weissenböck G, Schnitzler J-P (1998) Tissue localization of phenolic compounds in plants by confocal laser scanning microscopy. J Exp Bot 49:953–965

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leshem YY, Halevi AH, Frenkel C (1986) Processes and control of plant senescence. Elsevier, Amsterdam

  • Murashige T, Skoog F (1962) A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco tissue cultures. Physiol Plant 15:473–497

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Polster J, Feucht W, Bauer J (2002) Nuclei of bovine tissues as a sink for flavanols and flavonols. Adv Food Sci 24:73–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Polster J, Dithmar H, Feucht W (2003) Are histones the targets for flavan-3-ols (catechins) in nuclei? Biol Chem 384:997-1006

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos-Buelga C, Kolodziej H, Treutter D (1995) Procyanidin trimers possessing a doubly linked structure from Aesculus hippocastanum. Phytochemistry 38: 99–504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarma AD, Sharma R (1999) Anthocyanin-DNA copigmentation complex: mutual protection against oxidative damage. Phytochemistry 52:1313–1318

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swain T, Hillis WE (1959) The phenolic constituents of Prunus domestica. The quantitative analysis of phenolic constituents. J Sci Food Agric 10:63–68

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas T, Thomas TJ (2001) Polyamines in cell growth and cell death: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic applications. CMLS, Cell Mol Life Sci 58:244–258

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Treutter D (1989) Chemical reaction detection of catechins and proanthocyanidins with 4-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde. J Chromatogr 467:185–193

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Treutter D, Santos-Buelga C, Gutmann M, Kolodziej K (1994) Identification of flavan-3-ols and procyanidins by high performance liquid chromatography and chemical reaction detection. J Chromatogr A 667:290–297

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wink M (1997) Compartmentation of secondary metabolites and xenobiotics in plant vacuoles. Adv Bot Res 25:141–169

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yeo AR (1983) Salinity resistance: physiologies and prices. Physiol Plant 58:214–222

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department für Pflanzenwissenchaften, Lehrstuhl für Obstbau, WZW, TU München, 85350, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany

    W. Feucht & D. Treutter

  2. Department für Biowissenschaftliche Grundlagen, Lehrstuhl für Biologische Chemie, Fachgebiet Physikalische Biochemie, WZW, TU München, 85350, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany

    J. Polster

Authors
  1. W. Feucht
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. Treutter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. Polster
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by W. Barz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Feucht, W., Treutter, D. & Polster, J. Flavanol binding of nuclei from tree species. Plant Cell Rep 22, 430–436 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-003-0705-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-003-0705-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation