The impact of tocochromanols on early seedling development and NO release.
Plant seeds and fruits are the main source for tocochromanols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) collectively known as Vitamin E in human nutrition. Seeds are particularly rich in gamma-tocopherol. The reason for the abundance of gamma-tocopherol in seeds is not yet clear. We analysed the influence of endogenous gamma-tocopherols on early development of seedlings from various barley cultivars. For this purpose progression of seedling development was monitored by the mean root length 48 h after imbibition. Our observations suggest that endogenous gamma-tocopherol has a negative impact on seedling development by controlling germination and postgermination events. We propose that gamma-tocopherol exerts its influence on seedling development by controlling the content of nitric oxide (NO) in germinating seeds.
Desel
Christine
C
Institute of Botany, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany. cdesel@bot.uni-kiel.de
Krupinska
Karin
K
D018525:Germination / Q000502:physiology; D001467:Hordeum / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D036226:Seedlings / Q000254:growth & development*; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development; D015398:Signal Transduction; D024504:gamma-Tocopherol / Q000378:metabolism*
D009569:Nitric Oxide; D024504:gamma-Tocopherol