The fatty acid composition of phosphatidylglycerol and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol of higher plants in relation to chilling sensitivity

• Published in: Plant physiology (Bethesda) Vol. 81; no. 4; pp. 946 - 949
• Main Authors: Kenrick, J.R, Bishop, D.G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rockville, MD American Society of Plant Physiologists 01.08.1986
• Subjects: ACIDE GRAS; ACIDOS GRASOS; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical composition; CHEMICOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES; Chloroplasts; COOLING; ENFRIAMIENTO; FATTY ACIDS; FEUILLE; FONCTION PHYSIOLOGIQUE; FUNCION FISIOLOGICA; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GLICEROL; GLYCEROL; HOJAS; LEAVES; LIPIDE; LIPIDOS; LIPIDS; MELTING POINT; Melting points; Metabolism; Metabolism. Physicochemical requirements; Phosphatidic acids; Phosphatidylglycerols; PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS; Plant physiology and development; PLANTAS; PLANTE; PLANTS; POINT DE FUSION; PROPIEDADES FISICO-QUIMICAS; PROPRIETE PHYSICO-CHIMIQUE; PUNTO DE FUSION; REFROIDISSEMENT; Chemical composition; Spermatophyta; Cold resistance; Fatty acids
• ISSN: 0032-0889; 1532-2548
• DOI: 10.1104/pp.81.4.946

The fatty acid composition of phosphatidylglycerol and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol has been measured in the leaves of 27 species of higher plants from six families whose members differed in their degrees of chilling sensitivity. The content of high melting point fatty acids (represented by the sum of hexadecanoic, trans-3-hexadecenoic and octadecanoic acids) in phosphatidylglycerols varied little between members of the same plant family and was not obviously related to the relative chilling sensitivity of members of that family. The saturated fatty acid content (hexadecanoic + octadecanoic acids) of sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols also appeared to be characteristic of a plant family, although some exceptions were found. In one case, (Carica papaya) the content of saturated fatty acids in sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol was sufficiently high to suggest that this lipid could undergo phase separations above 0°C. It is concluded that the content of high melting point fatty acids in leaf phosphatidylglycerol is not a direct indication of the chilling sensitivity of a plant, but rather may be a reflection of the genetic origin of that plant.