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In vivo redox state of the ubiquinone pool in the spadices of the thermogenic skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus renifolius

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Abstract

In vivo ubiquinone (UQ) reduction levels were determined in thermogenic stigma and post-thermogenic male stages of spadices of the skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus renifolius. In contrast to Arum maculatum, in which the UQ pool is almost fully reduced during thermogenesis, the reduction levels of UQ9 and UQ10 were not affected by the thermogenic status or developmental stage of individual S. renifolius spadices. Moreover, these levels were controlled within the ranges 40–75% and 35–60%, respectively. These results suggest that the reduction state of the UQ pool per se is not primarily involved in thermoregulation in S. renifolius.

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Abbreviations

UQ:

Ubiquinone

AOX:

Alternative oxidase

UCP:

Uncoupling protein

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tsuyoshi Segawa for sampling the skunk cabbages. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (Grant no. 18380196) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), by the Program for the Promotion of Basic Research Activities for Innovative Biosciences, by the 21st Century COE program from JSPS, and by the Sekisui Chemical Grant Program for Research on Manufacturing Based on Learning from Nature.

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Correspondence to Kikukatsu Ito.

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10265_2009_240_MOESM1_ESM.ppt

Figure S1. Total amounts of ubiquinone in the spadices of S. renifolius. Levels of total ubiquinone 9 (UQ9) and 10 (UQ10) extracted from stigma (gray bars) or male (open bars) spadices. Data shown are the means ± SD (stigma, n = 14; male, n = 13) (PPT 122 kb)

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Kamata, T., Matsukawa, K., Kakizaki, Y. et al. In vivo redox state of the ubiquinone pool in the spadices of the thermogenic skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus renifolius . J Plant Res 122, 645–649 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-009-0240-x

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