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Effect of methyl jasmonate on gummosis in petioles of culinary rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum L.) and the determination of sugar composition of the gum

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Abstract

This study aimed to know the key chemical compound influencing gummosis in petioles of intact growing culinary rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum L.) with special emphasis on its sugar composition. The application of methyl jasmonate (JA-Me, 0.5 and 1% in lanolin, w/w) in the middle of intact petiole of growing rhubarb substantially induced gummosis in the entire petioles, below and above the treatment, within several days. JA-Me at 0.5% in lanolin greatly stimulated ethylene production in intact petiole of growing rhubarb, on the 3rd day after JA-Me treatment, ethylene level being increased five times or more. However, an ethylene-releasing compound, ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid, 1 and 2% in lanolin, w/w) alone had no effect on gummosis. Analysis of gum polysaccharides by a gel permeation chromatography with a Tosho TSK-gel G5000PW gel permeation column revealed that almost all of rhubarb gum polysaccharides were eluted near the void in this gel chromatography system, suggesting that molecular mass of rhubarb gum polysaccharides are more than 500 kDa, while precise mass has not been decided in this study. Analysis of gum sugar composition after hydrolysis revealed that rhubarb gums is rich in galactose (ca. 30%), arabinose (ca. 20%), and galacturonic acid (15–20%), although other sugars also existed in small quantities. These results suggest that the key chemical compound of gummosis in petioles of rhubarb is jasmonates rather than ethylene, and gum polysaccharides consist of not only pectic arabinogalactans but also homogalacturonans.

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Abbreviations

HPAEC-PAD:

High performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Prof. Dr. Takayuki Hoson, Dr. Kouichi Soga and Dr. Kazuyuki Wakabayashi (Osaka City University, Japan) for the analysis of molecular mass distribution of rhubarb gum. We also thank Prof. Dr. Toshihisa Kotake (Saitama University, Japan) for the analysis of sugar composition with HPAEC-PAD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute of Horticulture, Konstytucji 3 Maja 1/3, 96-100, Skierniewice, Poland

    Justyna Góraj-Koniarska & Marian Saniewski

  2. Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531, Japan

    Junichi Ueda

  3. Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka, 599-8531, Japan

    Kensuke Miyamoto

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  1. Justyna Góraj-Koniarska
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  2. Marian Saniewski
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Correspondence to Kensuke Miyamoto.

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Communicated by MH Walter.

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Góraj-Koniarska, J., Saniewski, M., Ueda, J. et al. Effect of methyl jasmonate on gummosis in petioles of culinary rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum L.) and the determination of sugar composition of the gum. Acta Physiol Plant 40, 30 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-018-2609-8

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