Abstract
Carbon is essential for plant growth. Starch, the main storage carbohydrate, plays an important role in the plant life cycle. When poplar cells cultured normally at 25°C were subjected to low-temperature stress (at 4°C), their growth rate was dramatically inhibited. The growth rate was restored by transferring those cells to culture at room temperature. The effects of low-temperature stress on intracellular starch granules were also analyzed using an electron microscope. Under low-temperature conditions, starch within plastids rapidly decreased. As with the growth rate, when the growth environment was restored to the normal culture temperature (25°C), starch degradation in the cells was immediately suppressed and starch granules were newly synthesized in the plastids. The amount of starch in the cells was maintained at a constant level under normal conditions. The starch levels also rapidly decreased at low temperatures, as shown by their cellular aspects. Changes in the soluble sugar content of cells subjected to low temperature were determined. There was little change in the contents of glucose, sucrose, or fructose with cold stress. Only maltose showed a noticeable increase under low-temperature conditions. In summary, the results indicate that low-temperature stress induces starch degradation in poplar cells, resulting in increased maltose content.
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The author thanks Dr. Mamiko Sato (Laboratory of Electron Microscope, Japan Women’s University) for the support in using electron microscopy.
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Maki, H. Degradation of starch in poplar cells at low temperatures. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 58, 781–786 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-022-10282-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-022-10282-9