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Cell wall‐bound trans ‐ and cis ‐ferulic acids in growing maize roots
Author(s) -
Locher Roland,
Martin Hilary V.,
Grison René,
Pilet PaulEmile
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1994.tb02531.x
Subject(s) - ferulic acid , chemistry , stele , elongation , cell wall , hydrolysis , biochemistry , botany , biology , materials science , metallurgy , ultimate tensile strength
The levels of cell wall‐bound trans ‐ and cis ‐ferulic acids in roots of dark grown Zea mays cv. LG11 plants were measured. They were quantified after alkaline hydrolysis of purified cell walls by reversed phase HPLC using trans ‐cinnamic acid as internal standard. The total amount of ferulic acid ( trans ‐ and cis ‐ferulic acid) in the root base was 3–4 times higher than in the root tip. Cis ‐ferulic acid represented between 2% (tip) and 18% (base) of the total ferulic acid content. The total content of trans ‐ and cis ‐ferulic acids was approximately the same in the stele and the cortex, but the level of cis ‐ferulic acid in the stele was 5–6 times higher than in the cortex. Trans ‐ and cis ‐ferulic acid levels as well as the percentage of cis ‐ferulic acid in the elongation zone were steady between 48 and 96 h after the beginning of germination. Slowly growing roots contained more wall‐bound ferulic acids, particularly cis ‐ferulic acid, than fast growing roots. This relationship was found in the differentiation zone but not in the elongation zone. The importance of cell wall‐bound trans ‐ and cis ‐ferulic acids is discussed in the context of root growth and differentiation.