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Developmental regulation of sterol biosynthesis inCucurbita maxima L.

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Lipids

Abstract

Twenty-two sterols were identified by capillary gas chromatography and capillary gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy inCucurbita maxima grown under green-house conditions. Both whole plants and individual tissues (leaves, stems, roots, cotyledons, flowers) were analyzed at weekly intervals during the 12-week development of the plant. In whole plants, sterol accumulation parallels plant growth except for a period in the mid-life cycle where there is a reduction in the amount of sterol accumulated on a total sterol/plant and mg sterol/g dry wt basis. This reduction in the amount of sterol is coincident with the visual onset of flowering. During development, the percent contribution of each class of sterol (Δ5_, Δ7_, Δ0_-sterols) remains relatively constant. However, the percent contribution of an individual sterol species varies depending on the tissue examined and the developmental period selected for analysis. While the young plant (<2 weeks) possesses elevated levels of sterols with the Δ25(27)-double bond, the trend was toward a reduction in the amounts of these sterols with development. Leaves and stems accumulate large quantities of 24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholesta-7,22-dien-3β-ol (7,22-stigmastadienol) and 24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholest-7-en-3β-ol (7-stigmastenol), while roots accumulate only 7,22-stigmastadienol as their principal sterol. Male flowers and roots were found to contain elevated levels of Δ5_-sterols.

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Abbreviations

Cycloartenol:

4,4,14-trimethyl-9,19-cyclo-5α-cholest-24-en-3β-ol

24-methylene cycloartenol:

4,4,14-trimethyl-9,19-cyclo-5α-campest-24(28)-en-3β-ol

obtusifoliol:

4α,14α-dimethyl-5α-campesta-8,24(28)-dien-3β-ol

4α-methyl-7-stigmastenol:

4α-methyl-5α-stigmast-7-en-3β-ol

citrostadienol:

4α-methyl-5α-stigmasta-7,24(28)-dien-3β-ol

codisterol:

24β-methyl-cholesta-5,24-dien-3β-ol

24-methylenecholesterol:

24-methylenecholesta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol

campesterol:

24ζ-methyl-cholest-5-en-3β-ol

campestanol:

24ζ-methyl-5α-cholesta-3β-ol

stigmasterol:

24α-ethylcholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol

22-dehydrostigmastenol:

24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholest-22-en-3β-ol

clerosterol:

24β-ethylcholesta-5,25-dien-3β-ol

sitosterol:

24α-ethyl-cholest-5-en-3β-ol

stigmastanol:

24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholest-3β-ol

gramisterol:

4α-methyl-5α-campesta-7,24(28)-dien-3β-ol

7-campestenol:

24ζ-methyl-5α-cholest-7-en-3β-ol

7,22,25-stigmastatrienol:

24β-ethyl-5α-cholesta-7,22,25-trien-3β-ol

7,22-stigmastadienol:

24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholesta-7,22-dien-3β-ol

7,25-stigmastadienol:

24β-ethyl-5α-cholesta-7,25-dien-3β-ol

7-stigmastenol:

24ζ-ethyl-5α-cholest-7-en-3β-ol

7-avenasterol:

24-ethylidine-5α-cholesta-7,24(28Z)-dien-3β-ol

7,24(28)-campestadienol:

24-methylene-5α-cholesta-7,24(28)-dien-3β-ol

TMSE:

trimethyl silyl ether

FID:

flame ionization detection

GC:

gas chromatography

MS:

mass spectroscopy

RRT:

relative retention times

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Author notes

  1. Gregeory P. Fenner

    Present address: Reproduction Laboratory, ARS, USDA, Building 200, BARC-East, 20705, Beltsville, MD

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Maryland, 20742, College Park, Maryland

    Gregeory P. Fenner & Glenn W. Patterson

  2. Insect and Nematode Hormone Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Building 467, BARC-East, 20705, Beltsville, MD

    William R. Lusby

Authors
  1. Gregeory P. Fenner
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  2. Glenn W. Patterson
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  3. William R. Lusby
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Fenner, G.P., Patterson, G.W. & Lusby, W.R. Developmental regulation of sterol biosynthesis inCucurbita maxima L.. Lipids 24, 271–277 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02535162

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02535162

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