Abstract
To obtain insight into interspecies interactions mediated by allelochemicals, the response of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv Jinyan No.4) and figleaf gourd (Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché) seedlings to trans-cinnamic acid (CA) (1) was investigated. While trans-CA is an autotoxin in cucumber root exudates, figleaf gourd is resistant to it. Cucumber, however, had a high rate of trans-CA uptake by the roots, leading to reduced root growth. The trans-CA treatment also resulted in an intracellular release of Ca2+ from the vacuole to the cytoplasm, and, thus, an increased [Ca2+]cyt level accompanied by gradual loss of cell viability in cucumber roots. Taken together, these results suggest that [Ca2+]cyt homeostatic disturbance is one of the primary triggers for trans-CA phytotoxicity in cucumber.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful for the assistance of Dr. Hong J and Dr. Chen J in confocal and transmission electron microscopy. We also thank Dr. Margot P and Dr. Ye H for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB119000) and National Key Technology R&D Program of China (2008BADA6B02).
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Yu, J., Sun, Y., Zhang, Y. et al. Selective trans-Cinnamic Acid Uptake Impairs [Ca2+]cyt Homeostasis and Growth in Cucumis sativus L.. J Chem Ecol 35, 1471–1477 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-009-9726-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-009-9726-1