title: Tissue distribution and intracellular localization of catechins in tea leaves.
abstract: We investigated the leaf tissue and cellular morphology of tea (Camellia sinensis). Osmiophilic material, presumably catechins, was present in mesophyll cells, but not in epidermal cells. Electron microscopy showed that catechins were localized to restricted regions within the central vacuoles. In addition, two kinds of small vacuoles of 0.5-3 microm were present in mesophyll cells. One vacuole had catechins within its whole lumen, while the other had an electron-lucent lumen. We found fusion profiles between a large central vacuole and these small vacuoles. We propose that after catechins are synthesized, they are incorporated into small vacuoles and transported to the large central vacuoles.
authors.affiliation: School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Yasutoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sada
authors.forename: Itaro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oguni
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriyasu
mesh_terms: D028241:Camellia sinensis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002392:Catechin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D002392:Catechin