Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (41)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rolletschek, H.
Right arrow Articles by Weber, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rolletschek, H.
Right arrow Articles by Weber, H.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Rolletschek, H.
Right arrow Articles by Weber, H.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 53, No. 371, pp. 1099-1107, May 2002
© 2002 Oxford University Press

Original Papers

Legume embryos develop in a hypoxic environment

Hardy Rolletschek1, Ljudmilla Borisjuk1, Matthias Koschorreck2, Ulrich Wobus1 and Hans Weber1 3

1Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung (IPK), D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany
2Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig/Halle, Aussenstelle Magdeburg, Brückstr. 3a, D-39114 Magdeburg, Germany

Specific morphological and biochemical characteristics of seeds can cause oxygen deficiency within maternal and embryonic tissues. In this study, optical sensors were used to measure O2 profiles across developing seeds of Vicia faba and Pisum sativum and developmental and environmental modulations of internal O2 levels were studied. In addition, the metabolic state of developing embryos was analysed by monitoring adenylate energy charge, adenylate nucleotides and the levels of nucleotide sugars. Within the seed coat O2 concentration decreased sharply to ~3% towards the inner border. Lowest O2 levels were detected within the endospermal cavity between the seed coat and embryo. It is probable that low seed coat permeability provides an hypoxic environment for legume embryo development. The O2 concentration in embryonic tissue changed during development with the lowest levels in the early stages. Measured in darkness, the levels were below 3%, but increased upon illumination indicating that photosynthesis significantly contributes to internal O2 levels. Only in very young embryos were ATP levels and energy charge low. Otherwise they were maintained at a constant higher value. ADP-glucose and UDP-glucose did not show large fluctuations. Throughout embryo development fermentative activity did not play a major role. Obviously, specific mechanisms prevent seed tissues from becoming anoxic during development. The possible role of low oxygen on seed metabolism and on the control of seed development in legumes is discussed.

Key words: Energy charge, hypoxia, optical oxygen sensors, photosynthesis, seed development.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
A. Zabalza, J. T. van Dongen, A. Froehlich, S. N. Oliver, B. Faix, K. J. Gupta, E. Schmalzlin, M. Igal, L. Orcaray, M. Royuela, et al.
Regulation of Respiration and Fermentation to Control the Plant Internal Oxygen Concentration
Plant Physiology, February 1, 2009; 149(2): 1087 - 1098.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ANN BOT (LOND)Home page
A. U. Igamberdiev and R. D. Hill
Plant mitochondrial function during anaerobiosis
Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 259 - 268.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ANN BOT (LOND)Home page
J. T. van Dongen, A. Frohlich, S. J. Ramirez-Aguilar, N. Schauer, A. R. Fernie, A. Erban, J. Kopka, J. Clark, A. Langer, and P. Geigenberger
Transcript and metabolite profiling of the adaptive response to mild decreases in oxygen concentration in the roots of arabidopsis plants
Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 269 - 280.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
E. Grafahrend-Belau, F. Schreiber, D. Koschutzki, and B. H. Junker
Flux Balance Analysis of Barley Seeds: A Computational Approach to Study Systemic Properties of Central Metabolism
Plant Physiology, January 1, 2009; 149(1): 585 - 598.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
E. R. Morley-Smith, M. J. Pike, K. Findlay, W. Kockenberger, L. M. Hill, A. M. Smith, and S. Rawsthorne
The Transport of Sugars to Developing Embryos Is Not via the Bulk Endosperm in Oilseed Rape Seeds
Plant Physiology, August 1, 2008; 147(4): 2121 - 2130.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
M. C. Baier, A. Barsch, H. Kuster, and N. Hohnjec
Antisense Repression of the Medicago truncatula Nodule-Enhanced Sucrose Synthase Leads to a Handicapped Nitrogen Fixation Mirrored by Specific Alterations in the Symbiotic Transcriptome and Metabolome
Plant Physiology, December 1, 2007; 145(4): 1600 - 1618.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Exp BotHome page
H. Rolletschek, L. Borisjuk, A. Sanchez-Garcia, C. Gotor, L. C. Romero, J. M. Martinez-Rivas, and M. Mancha
Temperature-dependent endogenous oxygen concentration regulates microsomal oleate desaturase in developing sunflower seeds
J. Exp. Bot., September 27, 2007; (2007) erm154v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
I. Horst, T. Welham, S. Kelly, T. Kaneko, S. Sato, S. Tabata, M. Parniske, and T. L. Wang
TILLING Mutants of Lotus japonicus Reveal That Nitrogen Assimilation and Fixation Can Occur in the Absence of Nodule-Enhanced Sucrose Synthase
Plant Physiology, June 1, 2007; 144(2): 806 - 820.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
P. Cloetens, R. Mache, M. Schlenker, and S. Lerbs-Mache
Quantitative phase tomography of Arabidopsis seeds reveals intercellular void network
PNAS, September 26, 2006; 103(39): 14626 - 14630.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
R. Radchuk, V. Radchuk, W. Weschke, L. Borisjuk, and H. Weber
Repressing the Expression of the SUCROSE NONFERMENTING-1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE Gene in Pea Embryo Causes Pleiotropic Defects of Maturation Similar to an Abscisic Acid-Insensitive Phenotype
Plant Physiology, January 1, 2006; 140(1): 263 - 278.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
S. A. Ruuska, J. Schwender, and J. B. Ohlrogge
The Capacity of Green Oilseeds to Utilize Photosynthesis to Drive Biosynthetic Processes
Plant Physiology, September 1, 2004; 136(1): 2700 - 2709.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
J. T. van Dongen, G. W. Roeb, M. Dautzenberg, A. Froehlich, H. Vigeolas, P. E. H. Minchin, and P. Geigenberger
Phloem Import and Storage Metabolism Are Highly Coordinated by the Low Oxygen Concentrations within Developing Wheat Seeds
Plant Physiology, July 1, 2004; 135(3): 1809 - 1821.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Exp BotHome page
H. Rolletschek, W. Weschke, H. Weber, U. Wobus, and L. Borisjuk
Energy state and its control on seed development: starch accumulation is associated with high ATP and steep oxygen gradients within barley grains
J. Exp. Bot., June 1, 2004; 55(401): 1351 - 1359.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
H. Vigeolas, J. T. van Dongen, P. Waldeck, D. Huhn, and P. Geigenberger
Lipid Storage Metabolism Is Limited by the Prevailing Low Oxygen Concentrations within Developing Seeds of Oilseed Rape
Plant Physiology, December 1, 2003; 133(4): 2048 - 2060.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
H. Rolletschek, H. Weber, and L. Borisjuk
Energy Status and Its Control on Embryogenesis of Legumes. Embryo Photosynthesis Contributes to Oxygen Supply and Is Coupled to Biosynthetic Fluxes
Plant Physiology, July 1, 2003; 132(3): 1196 - 1206.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
J. T. van Dongen, U. Schurr, M. Pfister, and P. Geigenberger
Phloem Metabolism and Function Have to Cope with Low Internal Oxygen
Plant Physiology, April 1, 2003; 131(4): 1529 - 1543.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Exp BotHome page
L. Borisjuk, H. Rolletschek, U. Wobus, and H. Weber
Differentiation of legume cotyledons as related to metabolic gradients and assimilate transport into seeds
J. Exp. Bot., January 3, 2003; 54(382): 503 - 512.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.