title: Cistus creticus subsp. eriocephalus as a Model for Studying Plant Physiological and Metabolic Responses to Environmental Stress Factors.
abstract: Variations in physiology and metabolic products of Cistus creticus subsp. eriocephalus along an altitudinal gradient (350-750 m.a.s.l.) within the Monti Lucretili Regional Natural Park (central Italy) were studied. The results showed that the phenol production was in relationship with the net photosynthetic rates and the chlorophyll content. In particular, the increasing caffeic acid (CA) content with altitude suggested its role in providing an additional photo-protection mechanism, by its ability to consume photochemical reducing power and acting as an alternative C-atom sink under high light conditions. The metabolic production was tested by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprint analysis, highlighting the potential of this technique in biologic studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, IT-00185 Rome, (phone: +39-06-49912358). paola.paolessi@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paolessi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, IT-00185 Rome, (phone: +39-06-49912358). marcello.nicoletti@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, IT-00185 Rome, (phone: +39-06-49912358). rosangela.catoni@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Rosangela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Catoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, IT-00185 Rome, (phone: +39-06-49912358). giacomo.puglielli@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Puglielli
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, IT-00185 Rome, (phone: +39-06-49912358). chiara.toniolo@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Toniolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le A. Moro 5, IT-00185 Rome, (phone: +39-06-49912358). loretta.gratani@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Loretta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gratani
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000032:analysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D029758:Cistus / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D019800:Phenol / Q000378:metabolism; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D002734:Chlorophyll; D019800:Phenol
keywords: Caffeic acid content; Carotenoid content; Chlorophyll content; Cistus creticus; High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC); Phenylpropanoids; Photosynthesis