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Discovery of an extended bundle sheath in Ricinus communis L. and its role as a temporal storage compartment for the iron chelator nicotianamine

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Abstract

The extended bundle sheath (EBS) is a specialized layer of cells that enhances the lateral transport of photoassimilates within the leaf. This little-known tissue is often considered to be legume-specific. We identified an EBS in cotyledons and leaves of the non-legume Ricinus communis L. By means of cytological and immunological studies and using the localization of the iron-chelator nicotianamine as an established indicator for mass transport, we confirmed its role as a transport tissue and a temporal sink. Observations on cotyledons of Ricinus seedlings further proved that the EBS carries out these tasks from a very early stage of development onwards. This is the first time that information has been obtained on the physiological role of an EBS in a non-legume. Our results support the idea of its widespread occurrence among higher plants.

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Fig. 1a, b. Fig. 2a, b.
Fig. 3a–i.
Figs. 4–8. Fig. 5a–c. Fig. 6a–c. Fig. 7a–c. Fig. 8a–c.
Fig. 9a–d.

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Abbreviations

EBS:

extended bundle sheath

NA:

nicotianamine

PVM:

paraveinal mesophyll

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Acknowledgement

The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. R. Manteuffel (IPK Gatersleben, Germany) for kindly providing the antibody against nicotianamine and for helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Corrensstraße 3, 06466, Gatersleben, Germany

    T. Rutten, C. Krüger, M. Melzer, U. W. Stephan & R. Hell

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  1. T. Rutten
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  2. C. Krüger
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  3. M. Melzer
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  4. U. W. Stephan
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  5. R. Hell
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Correspondence to T. Rutten.

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Rutten, T., Krüger, C., Melzer, M. et al. Discovery of an extended bundle sheath in Ricinus communis L. and its role as a temporal storage compartment for the iron chelator nicotianamine. Planta 217, 400–406 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-003-1010-y

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