Abstract
A coiling-inducing factor was isolated from tendrils of Bryonia dioica Jacq. and identified by infrared, 1H-, 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry as α-linolenic acid. When applied to detached tendrils, exogenous α-linolenic acid, but not linoleic acid or oleic acid, induced tendril coiling. Further investigations showed that metabolites of α-linolenic acid, jasmonic acid and, even more so, methyljasmonate, are highly effective inducers of tendril coiling in B. dioica. Methyljasmonate was most active when administered by air and, in atmospheric concentrations as low as 40–80 nM, induced a full free-coiling response with kinetics similar to mechanical stimulation. Even atmospheric levels as low as 4–5 nM methyljasmonate were still found to be significantly active. Methyljasmonate could be one of the endogenous chemical signals produced in mechanically stimulated parts of a tendril and, being highly volatile, act as a diffusible gaseous mediator spreading through the intracellular spaces to trigger free coiling of tendrils.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- EI-MS:
-
electron impact-mass spectrometry
- HPLC:
-
high-performance liquid chromatography
- IAA:
-
indole-3-acetic acid
- NMR:
-
nuclear magnetic resonance
- TFA:
-
trifluoroacetic acid
References
Bangerth, F. (1974) Interaktionen von Auxin und Äthylen bei der thigmotropen Bewegung der Ranken von Cucumis sativus. Planta 117, 329–338
English, J. Jr., Bonner, J., Haagen-Smit, A. J. (1939) The wound hormones of plants. II. The isolation of a crystalline active substance. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 25, 323–329
Farmer, E.E., Ryan, C.A. (1990) Interplant communication: Airborne methyljasmonate induces synthesis of proteinase inhibitors in plant leaves. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 7713–7716
Galun, E. (1959) The cucumber tendril: a new test organ for gibberellins. Experientia 15, 184–185
Gerlach, H., Künzler, P. (1978) Michael-Addition von Thiocarbonsäureestern. Anwendung bei der Synthese von (±)-Jasminketolacton. Helv. Chim. Acta 61, 2503–2509
Haberlandt, G. (1924) Physiologische Pflanzenanatomie, Wilhelm Engelmann Verl., Leipzig
Jaffe, M.J. (1970) Physiological studies of pea tendrils. VII. Evaluation of a technique for the asymmetrical application of ethylene. Plant Physiol. 41, 631–633
Jaffe, M.J. (1975) The role of auxin in the early events of the contact coiling of tendrils. Plant Sci. Lett. 5, 217–225
Jaffe, M.J., Galston, A.W. (1966) Physiological studies on pea tendrils. I. Growth and coiling following mechanical stimulation. Plant Physiol. 41, 1014–1025
Jaffe, M.J., Galston, A.W. (1968a) Physiological studies on pea tendrils. V. Membrane changes and water movement associated with contact coiling. Plant Physiol. 43, 537–542
Jaffe, M.J., Galston, A.W. (1968b) The physiology of tendrils. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 19, 417–434
Junker, S. (1976) Auxin transport in tendril segments of Passifloracaerulea. Physiol. Plant. 37, 258–262
Junker, S. (1977) Thigmotropic coiling of tendrils of Passiflora quadrangularis L. is not caused by lateral redistrubution of auxin. Physiol. Plant. 41, 51–54
Kates, M. (1986) Techniques of lipidology: Isolation, analysis and identification of lipids, Elsevier, Amsterdam
Kelly, R.A., O'Hara, D.S., Mitch, W.E., Smith, T.W. (1986) Identification of NaK-ATPase inhibitors in human plasma as nonesterified fatty acids and lysophospholipids. J. Biol. Chem. 261, 11704–11711
Knöfel, H.-D., Gross, D. (1988) Synthesis of racemic [2-14C]jasmonic acid. Z. Naturforsch. 43c, 29–31
Mertens, R., Eberle, J., Arnscheidt, A., Ledebur, A., Weiler, E.W. (1985) Monoclonal antibodies to plant growth regulators. II. Indole-3-acetic acid. Planta 166, 389–393
Meyer, A., Miersch, O., Büttner, C., Dathe, W., Sembdner, G. (1984) Occurrence of the plant growth regulator jasmonic acid in plants. J. Plant Growth Regul. 3, 1–8
Miersch, O., Meyer, A., Vorkefeld, S., Sembdner, G. (1986) Occurrence of (+)-7-iso-jasmonic acid in Vicia faba L. and its biological activity. J. Plant Growth Regul. 5, 91–100
Parthier, B. (1990) Jasmonates: hormonal regulators or stress factors in leaf senescence. J. Plant Growth Regul. 9, 57–63
Quinkert, G., Adam, F., Dürner, G. (1982) Asymmetrische Synthese von Methyljasmonat. Angew. Chem. 94, 866–867
Reinhold, L. (1967) Induction of coiling in tendrils by auxin and carbon dioxide. Science 158, 791–793
Reinhold, L., Sachs, T., Vislovska, L. (1970) The role of auxin in thigmotropism. In: Plant growth substances, pp. 731–737, Carr, D. J., ed. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Saniewski, M., Nowacki, J., Czapski, J. (1987) The effect of methyljasmonate on ethylene production and ethylene-forming enzyme activity in tomatoes. J. Plant Physiol. 129, 175–180
Sembdner, G., Gross, D. (1986) Plant growth substances of plant and microbial origin. In: Plant growth substances, pp. 139–147, Bopp, M., ed. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Umrath, K. (1934) Über die elektrischen Erscheinungen bei thigmischer Reizung der Ranken von Cucumis melo. Planta 23, 47–50
Vick, B.A., Zimmerman, D.C. (1983) The biosynthesis of jasmonic acid: a physiological role for plant lipoxygenase. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 111, 470–477
Vick, B.A., Zimmerman, D.C. (1984) Biosynthesis of jasmonic acid by several plant species. Plant Physiol. 75, 458–461
Vick, B.A., Zimmerman, D.C. (1987) Pathways of fatty acid hydroperoxide metabolism in spinach leaf chloroplasts. Plant Physiol. 85, 1073–1078
Weiler, E.W. (1986) Plant hormone immunoassays based on monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. In: Immunology in plant sciences. Modern methods of plant analysis, vol. 4, pp. 1–17, Linskens, H. F., Jackson, J. F., eds. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Zeltner, H. (1932) Über Elektronastie und andere Reizbewegungen der Ranken. Z. Bot. 25, 97–172
Zimmerman, D.C., Coudron, C.A. (1979) Identification of traumatin, a wound hormone, as 12-oxo-trans-10-dodecenoic acid. Plant Physiol. 63, 536–541
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
We are indebted to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bonn and the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, Frankfurt (literature provision) for their support and to Dr. C. Brückner, Halle, for jasmonic-acid determinations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Falkenstein, E., Groth, B., Mithöfer, A. et al. Methyljasmonate and α-linolenic acid are potent inducers of tendril coiling. Planta 185, 316–322 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201050
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201050