title: Wax and cutin mutants of Arabidopsis: Quantitative characterization of the cuticular transport barrier in relation to chemical composition.
abstract: Using (14)C-labeled epoxiconazole as a tracer, cuticular permeability of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves was quantitatively measured in order to compare different wax and cutin mutants (wax2, cut1, cer5, att1, bdg, shn3 and shn1) to the corresponding wild types (Col-0 and Ws). Mutants were characterized by decreases or increases in wax and/or cutin amounts. Permeances [ms(-1)] of Arabidopsis cuticles either increased in the mutants compared to wild type or were not affected. Thus, genetic changes in wax and cutin biosynthesis in some of the investigated Arabidopsis mutants obviously impaired the coordinated cutin and wax deposition at the outer leaf epidermal cell wall. As a consequence, barrier properties of cuticles were significantly decreased. However, increasing cutin and wax amounts by genetic modifications, did not automatically lead to improved cuticular barrier properties. As an alternative approach to the radioactive transport assay, changes in chlorophyll fluorescence were monitored after foliar application of metribuzine, an herbicide inhibiting electron transport in chloroplasts. Since both, half-times of photosynthesis inhibition as well as times of complete inhibition, in fact correlated with (14)C-epoxiconazole permeances, different rates of decline of photosynthetic yield between mutants and wild type must be a function of foliar uptake of the herbicide across the cuticle. Thus, monitoring changes in chlorophyll fluorescence, instead of conducting radioactive transport assays, represents an easy-to-handle and fast alternative evaluating cuticular barrier properties of different genotypes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Plant Lipid Biology edited by Kent D. Chapman and Ivo Feussner.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sadler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schroll
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Viktoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zeisler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Waßmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Rochus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: lukas.schreiber@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schreiber
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics; D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000235:genetics; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000737:chemistry; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000235:genetics*; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005838:Genotype; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014230:Triazoles / Q000737:chemistry; D019755:Carbon-Carbon Lyases
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D000217:Acyltransferases; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014230:Triazoles; C512167:BDG protein, Arabidopsis; C493174:CER5 protein, Arabidopsis; C493656:Shn1 protein, Arabidopsis; C493658:Shn3 protein, Arabidopsis; C000521:cutin; C120018:CUT1 protein, Arabidopsis; C109476:epoxiconazole; C103487:At5g57800 protein, Arabidopsis; D019755:Carbon-Carbon Lyases
keywords: Cuticle; Cutin; Leaf; Mutants; Permeability; Permeance; Transport; Wax