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Elucidation of rubber biosynthesis and accumulation in the rubber producing shrub, guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray)

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Guayule biosynthesizes and accumulates rubber particles predominantly in epithelial cells in the parenchyma tissue, and this biosynthesis and accumulation is accompanied by remodeling of the roles of epithelial cells.

The mechanism underlying the biosynthesis and accumulation of large quantities of rubber particles and resin in the parenchyma tissue of the stem bark of guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray) remained unanswered up to now. Here, we focused on rubber particle biosynthesis and accumulation in guayule and performed histochemical analyses using a lipophilic fluorescent dye specific for lipids and spectral confocal laser scanning microscopy. Unmixing images were constructed based on specific spectra of cis-polyisoprene and resin and showed that guayule accumulates a large amount of resin in the resin canals in parenchyma tissue and in pith. Interestingly, the fluorescence signals of rubber were predominantly detected in a specific single layer of epithelial cells around the resin canals. These epithelial cells accumulated large rubber particles and essentially no resin. Immunoblotting and immunostaining of guayule homologue of small rubber particle proteins (GHS), which contributes to the biosynthesis of rubber in guayule, showed that GHS is one of several small rubber particle proteins and is localized around rubber particles in epithelial cells. De novo sequencing of the rubber particle proteins showed the presence of all known organelle proteins, suggesting that epithelial cells biosynthesize rubber particles, followed by remodeling of the cells for the accumulation of rubber particles with subsequent decomposition of the organelles. These results indicate that epithelial cells around resin canals are bifunctional cells dedicated to the biosynthesis and accumulation of rubber particles.

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Abbreviations

GHS:

Guayule homologue of SRPP

Guayule LRP:

Large rubber particle

RP:

Rubber particle

RPP:

Rubber particle protein

SCLSM:

Spectral confocal laser scanning microscopy

SRP:

Small rubber particle

(W)SRPP:

(Washed) Small rubber particle protein

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Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Kazuhito Fujiyma (The International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, Japan) for help with nanoLC-MS/MS analysis and helpful discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Hiroyuki Kajiura, Nobuaki Suzuki & Yoshihisa Nakazawa

  2. Bridgestone Corporation, 3-1-1, Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8531, Japan

    Hiroshi Mouri & Norie Watanabe

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  1. Hiroyuki Kajiura
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  2. Nobuaki Suzuki
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  3. Hiroshi Mouri
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  4. Norie Watanabe
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  5. Yoshihisa Nakazawa
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Correspondence to Yoshihisa Nakazawa.

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Kajiura, H., Suzuki, N., Mouri, H. et al. Elucidation of rubber biosynthesis and accumulation in the rubber producing shrub, guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray). Planta 247, 513–526 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-017-2804-7

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