Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Plants in Alpine Regions pp 99–120Cite as

Specificities of Metabolite Profiles in Alpine Plants

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

Given that plants cannot escape their environment, they have evolved many strategies to survive, grow, and reproduce, including the capability to synthesise over 200,000 specialized and highly variable metabolites (Yonekura-Sakakibara and Saito 2009). In the severe alpine environment plants experience particularly low and high temperature extremes, intense solar radiation under clear conditions, strong wind effects, and variable mean dates for snow melting depending on slope and exposure (Körner 2003). Demanding environmental conditions have long been shown to exert a profound influence on the soluble metabolite composition of plants, although plants from high elevation habitats have been poorly analysed (Harborne 1982; Alonso-Amelot 2008).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

Glcn-6-P:

gluconate 6-phosphate

L-AA:

L-ascorbic acid

m asl:

metres above sea level

MeG:

methyl-β-D-glucopyranoside

PCA:

perchloric acid

PP-pathway:

pentose phosphate pathway

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

References

  • Alonso-Amelot ME (2008) High altitude plants, chemistry of acclimation and adaptation. In: Atta-ur-Rahman (ed) Studies in natural products chemistry, vol 34. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 883–981

    Google Scholar 

  • Apel K, Hirt H (2004) Reactive oxygen species: metabolism, oxidative stress, and signal transduction. Ann Rev Plant Biol 55:373–399

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Asada K (1994) Mechanisms for scavenging reactive molecules generated in chloroplasts under light stress. In: Baker NR, Bowyer JR (eds) Photoinhibition of photosynthesis. Bios Scientific Publishers, Oxford, pp 129–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Asada K (1996) Radical production and scavenging in the chloroplasts. In: Baker NR (ed) Advances in Photosynthesis: photosynthesis and the environment, vol 5. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 123–150

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Aubert S, Bligny R, Douce R (1996) NMR studies of metabolism in cell suspensions and tissue cultures. In: Shachar-Hill Y, Pfeffer P (eds) Nuclear magnetic resonance in plant biology. Am Soc Plant Physiol, Rockville, pp 109–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Aubert S, Hennion F, Bouchereau A, Gout E, Bligny R, Dorne AJ (1999) Subcellular compartmentation of proline in the leaves of the subantarctic Kerguelen cabbage Pringlea antiscorbutica R-Br. in vivo 13C-NMR study. Plant Cell Environ 22:255–259

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aubert S, Choler P, Pratt J, Douzet R, Gout E, Bligny R (2004) Methyl-β-D-glucopyranoside in higher plants: accumulation and intracellular localization in Geum montanum L. leaves and in model systems studied by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. J Exp Bot 406:2179–2189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aubert S, Juge C, Boisson A-M, Gout E, Bligny R (2007) Metabolic processes sustaining the reviviscence of lichen Xanthoria elegans (Link) in high mountain environments. Planta 226:1287–1297

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bacic A, Harris PJ, Stone BA (1988) Structure and function of plant cell walls. In: Preiss J (ed) Encyclopedia of plant physiology, vol 14. Springer, Berlin, pp 297–371

    Google Scholar 

  • Bewley JD (1979) Physiological aspects of desiccation tolerance. Ann Rev Plant Physiol 30:195–238

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bewley JD (1997) Seed germination and dormancy. Plant Cell 9:1055–1066

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bilger W, Rimke S, Schreiber U, Lange OL (1989) Inhibition of energy transfer to photosystem II in lichens by dehydration: different properties of reversibility with green and blue-green photobionts. J Plant Physiol 134:261–268

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bligny R, Douce R (1980) A precise localization of cardiolipin in plant cells. Biochim Biophys Acta 617:254–263

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bligny R, Douce R (2001) NMR and plant metabolism. Curr Opin Plant Biol 4:191–196

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bonnier G, Douin R (1911–1935) Flore complète illustrée en couleurs de la France, Suisse et Belgique. Paris, Neuchâtel, Bruxelles

    Google Scholar 

  • Colquhoun I (2007) Use of NMR for metabolic profiling in plant systems. J Pestic Sci 32:200–212

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Conklin PL (2001) Recent advances in the role and biogenesis of ascorbic acid in plants. Plant Cell Environ 24:383–476

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Connolly JD, Hill RA (1991) Cardenolides. In: Charlwood BV, Harborne DV (eds) Methods in plant biochemistry. Academic, New York, pp 361–368

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham AB, Garnett S, Gorman J, Courtenay K, Boehme D (2009) Eco-Enterprises and Terminalia ferdinandiana: “Best Laid Plans” and Australian policy lessons. Econ Bot 63:16–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davey MW, Van Montagu M, Inzé D, San Martin M, Kanellis A, Smirnoff N, Benzie IJJ, Strain JJ, Favell D, Fletcher J (2000) Plant L-ascorbic acid: chemistry, function, metabolism, bioavailability, and effects of processing. J Sci Food Agric 80:825–860

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Detrich HW, Parker SK, Williams RC, Nogales E, Downing KH (2000) Cold adaptation of microtubule assembly and dynamics. Structural interpretation of primary sequence changes in the alpha- and beta-tubulin of Antarctic fishes. J Biol Chem 275:37038–37047

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dudley S, Lechowicz MJ (1987) Losses of polyol through leaching in subarctic lichens. Plant Physiol 83:813–815

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dulermo T, Rascle C, Billon-Grand G, Gout E, Bligny R, Cotton P (2010) Novel insights into mannitol metabolism in the fungal plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Biochem J 427:323–332

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fall R, Benson AA (1996) Leaf methanol – the simplest natural product from plants. Trends Plant Sci 1:296–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan TW-M (1996) Metabolic profiling by one- and two-dimentional NMR analysis of complex mixtures. Progr NMR Spectrosc 28:161–169

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Farrar JF (1988) Physiological buffering. In: Galun M (ed) Handbook of lichenology II. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 101–105

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrar JF, Smith DC (1976) Ecological physiology of the lichen Hypogymnia physodes. III. The importance of the rewetting phase. New Phytol 77:115–125

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foyer CH (1993) Ascorbic acid. In: Alscher RG, Hess JL (eds) Antioxidants in higher plants. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 32–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Foyer CH, Halliwell B (1976) Presence of glutathione and glutatione reductase in chloroplasts: a proposed role in ascorbic acid metabolism. Planta 133:21–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foyer CH, Lelandais M, Kunert KJ (1994) Photooxidative stress in plants. Physiol Plant 92:696–717

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser PD, Pinto ME, Holloway DE, Bramley PM (2000) Application of high-performance liqid chromatography with photoperiod array detection to the metabolic profiling of plant isoprenoids. Plant J 24:551–558

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaff DF (1997) Mechanisms of desiccation-tolerance in resurrection vascular plants. In: Basra AS, Basra RK (eds) Mechanisms of environmental stress resistance in plants. Harwood Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, pp 43–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser BL, Brown DH (1955) Purification and properties of D-glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase. J Biol Chem 216:67–79

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gout E, Bligny R, Pascal N, Douce R (1993) 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of malate and citrate synthesis and compartmentation in higher plant cells. J Biol Chem 268:3986–3992

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gout E, Aubert S, Bligny R, Rébeillé F, Nonomura AR, Benson AA, Douce R (2000) Metabolism of methanol in plant cells. Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance studies. Plant Physiol 123:287–296

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guenther A, Hewitt CN, Erickson D et al (1995) A global model of natural volatile organic compound emissions. J Geophys Res 100:8873–8892

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guy CL (1990) Cold acclimation and freezing stress tolerance: role of protein metabolism. Ann Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 41:187–223

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harborne JB (1982) Introduction to ecological biochemistry, 2nd edn. Academic, London, 278 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Heber U, Bilger W, Bligny R, Lange OL (2000) Phototolerance of lichens, mosses and higher plants in an alpine environment: analysis of photoreactions. Planta 211:770–780

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heber U, Lange OL, Shuvalov VA (2005) Conservation and dissipation of light energy as complementary processes: homoiohydric and poikilohydric autotrophs. J Exp Bot 57:1211–1223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helms GWF (2003) Taxonomy and symbiosis in associations of Physciaceae and Trebouxia. Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Biologischen Fakultät der Georg-August Universität Göttingen 156 p 141 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoekstra FA, Golovina EA, Buitink J (2001) Mechanisms of plant desiccation tolerance. Trends Plant Sci 6:431–438

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Honegger R (1991) Functional aspects of the lichen symbiosis. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 42:553–578

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ichimura K, Mukasa Y, Fujiwara T, Kohata K, Goto R, Suto K (1999) Possible roles of methyl glucoside and myo-inositol in the opening of cut rose flowers. Ann Bot 83:551–557

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jennings DB, Ehrenshaft M, Pharr DM, Williamson JD (1998) Roles of Mannitol and Mannitol dehydrogenase in active oxygen-mediated plant defense. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:15129–15133

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joyard J, Block MA, Malherbe A, Maréchal E, Douce R (1993) Origin of the synthesis of galactolipids and sulfolipid head groups. In: Moore TS Jr (ed) Lipid metabolism in plants. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 231–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Kappen L (1988) Ecophysiological relationships in different climatic regions. In: Galun M (ed) Handbook of lichenology II. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 37–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Körner C (2003) Alpine plant life. Functional plant ecology of high mountain ecosystems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Körner E, von Dahl CC, Bonaventure G, Baldwin IT (2009) Pectin methylesterase NaPME1 contributes to the emission of methanol during insect herbivory and to the helicitation of defence responses in Nicotiana attenuata. J Exp Bot 60:2631–2640

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kranner I, Grill D (1994) Rapid change of the glutathione status and the enzymes involved in the reduction of glutathione-disulfide during the initial stage of wetting of lichens. Crypt Bot 4:203–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Lange OL (1980) Moisture content and CO2 exchange of lichens. Oecologia 45:82–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lange OL, Bilger W, Rimke S, Schreiber U (1989) Chlorophyll fluorescence of lichens containing green and blue green algae during hydration by water vapour uptake and by addition of liquid water. Bot Acta 102:306–313

    Google Scholar 

  • Lange OL, Pfanz H, Kilian E, Meyer A (1990) Effect of low water potential on photosynthesis in intact lichens and there liberated algal components. Planta 182:467–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larson DW (1981) Differential wetting in some lichens and mosses: the role of morphology. Bryologist 84:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Last RL, Jones AD, Shachar-Hill Y (2007) Towards the plant metabolome and beyond. Mol Cell Biol 8:167–174

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis NG, Yamamoto E (1990) Lignin: occurrence, biogenesis and biodegradation. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 41:455–496

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Longton RE (1988) The biology of polar bryophytes and lichens. Studies in polar research. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 391 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Lütz C (2010) Cell physiology of plants growing in cold environments. Protoplasma. doi:10.1007/s00709-010-0161-5

  • Manuel N, Cornic G, Aubert S, Choler P, Bligny R, Heber U (1999) Adaptation to high light and water stress in the alpine plant Geum montanum L. Oecologia 119:149–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mapson LW, Ischerwood FA, Chen YT (1954) Biological synthesis of L-ascorbic acid: the conversion of L-galactono-gamma-lactone into L-ascorbic acid by plant mitochondria. Biochem J 56:21–28

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Masakapalli SK, Le Lay P, Huddleston JE, Pollock NL, Kruger NJ, Ratcliffe RG (2010) Subcellular flux analysis of central metabolism in a heterotrophic Arabidopsis cell suspension using steady-state stable isotope labelling. Plant Physiol 152:602–619

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McNeil PL, Steinhardt RA (1997) Loss, restoration, and maintenance of plasma membrane integrity. J Cell Biol 137:1–4

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McNeil PL, Katsuya M, Vogel SS (2003) The endomembrane requirement for cell surface repair. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:4592–4597

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moller IM, Jensen PE, Hansson A (2007) Oxidative modifications to cellular components in plants. Annu Rev Plant Biol 58:459–481

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nemecek-Marshall M, MacDonald RC, Franzen JJ, Wojciechowski CL, Fall R (1995) Methanol emission from leaves. Enzymatic detection of gas-phase methanol and relation of methanol fluxes to stomatal conductance and leaf development. Plant Physiol 108:1359–1368

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Noctor G, Foyer CH (1998) Ascorbate and glutathione: keeping active oxygen under control. Ann Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 49:249–279

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver MJ, Dowd SE, Zaragoza J, Mauget SA, Payton PR (2004) The rehydration transcriptome of the desiccation-tolerant bryophyte Tortula ruralis: Transcript classification and analysis. BMC Genom 5(89):1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Popp M, Smirnoff N (1995) Polyol accumulation and metabolism during water deficit. In: Smirnoff N (ed) Environment and plant metabolism: flexibility and acclimation. Bios Scientific Publishers, Oxford, pp 199–215

    Google Scholar 

  • Pugin A, Frachisse J-M, Tavernier E, Bligny R, Gout E, Douce R, Guern J (1997) Early events induced by the elicitor cryptogein in tobacco cells: involvement of a plasma membrane NADPH oxidase and activation of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. Plant Cell 9:2077–2091

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rascio N, La Rocca N (2005) Resurrection plants: the puzzle of surviving extreme vegetative desiccation. Crit Rev Plant Sci 24:209–225

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ratcliffe RG (1994) In vivo nuclear magnetic resonance studies of higher plants and algae. Adv Bot Res 20:43–123

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ratcliffe RG, Shachar-Hill Y (2001) Probing plant metabolism with NMR. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 52:499–526

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts JKM (2000) NMR adventures in the metabolic labyrinth within plants. Trends Plant Sci 5:30–34

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roessner U, Luedemann A, Brust D, Fiehn O, Linke T, Willmitzer L, Fernie AR (2001) Metabolic profiling allows comprehensive phenotyping of genetically or environmentally modified plant systems. Plant Cell 13:11–29

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rundel PW (1988) Water relations. In: Galun M (ed) Handbook of lichenology II. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 17–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroeter B, Jacobsen P, Kappen L (1991) Thallus moisture and microclimatic control of CO2 exchange of Peltigera aphthosa (L) Willd on Disco Island (West Greenland). Symbiosis 11:131–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharkey TD (1996) Emission of low molecular mass hydrocarbons from plants. Trends Plant Sci 1:78–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith DC, Molesworth S (1973) Lichen Physiology. XIII. Effects of rewetting dry lichens. New Phytol 72:525–533

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith AE, Phillips DV (1981) Identification of methyl β-D-glucopyranoside in white clover foliage. J Agric Food Chem 29:850–852

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spitaler R, Schlorhaufer PD, Ellmerer EP, Merfort I, Bortenschlager S, Stuppner H, Zidorn C (2006) Altitudinal variation of secondary metabolite profiles in flowering heads of Arnica Montana cv. ARBO. Phytochemistry 67:409–417

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Streb P, Feierabend J (1999) Significance of antioxidants and electron sinks for the cold-hardening-induced resistance of winter rye leaves to photo-oxidative stress. Plant Cell Environ 22:1225–1237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Streb P, Feierabend J, Bligny R (1997) Resistance to photoinhibition of photosystem II and catalase and antioxidative protection in high mountain plants. Plant Cell Environ 20:1030–1040

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Streb P, Shang W, Feierabend J, Bligny R (1998) Divergent strategies of photoprotection in high-mountain plants. Planta 207:313–324

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Streb P, Aubert S, Gout E, Bligny R (2003) Reversibility of cold- and light-stress tolerance and accompanying changes of metabolite and antioxidant levels in the two high mountain plant species Soldanella alpina and Ranunculus glacialis. J Exp Bot 54:405–418

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sumner LW, Mendes P, Dixon R (2003) Plant metabolomics: large-scale phytochemistry in the functional genomics era. Phytochemistry 62:817–836

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi S, Murata N (2008) How do environmental stresses accelerate photoinhibition? Trends Plant Sci 13:178–182

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van der Rest B, Boisson A-M, Gout E, Bligny R, Douce R (2002) Glycerophosphocholine metabolism in higher plant cells. Evidence of a new glyceryl-phosphodiester phosphodiesterase. Plant Physiol 130:244–255

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vicente C, Legaz ME (1988) Lichen enzymology. In: Galun M (ed) Handbook of lichenology I. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 239–284

    Google Scholar 

  • von Dahl CC, Hävecker M, Schlögl R, Baldwin IT (2006) Caterpillar-elicited methanol emission: a new signal in plant-herbivore interactions? Plant J 46:948–960

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, He W, Huang H, An L, Wang D, Zhang F (2009) Antioxidative responses to different altitudes in leaves of alpine plant Polygonum viviparum in summer. Acta Physiol Plant 31:839–848

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weissman L, Garty J, Hochman A (2005) Characterization of enzymatic antioxidant in the lichen Ramalina lacera and their response to rehydration. Appl Environ Microbiol 71:6508–6514

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler GL, Jones MA, Smirnoff N (1998) The biosynthetic pathway of vitamin C in higher plants. Nature 393:365–369

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wildi B, Lütz C (1996) Antioxidant composition of selected high alpine plant species from different altitudes. Plant Cell Environ 19:138–146

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yonekura-Sakakibara K, Saito K (2009) Functional genomics for plant natural product biosynthesis. Nat Prod Rep 26:1466–1487

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zidorn C (2009) Altitudinal variation of secondary metabolites in flowering heads of Asteraceae: trends and causes. Phytochem Rev 9:197–203, 7 p

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Elisabeth Gout and to Dr. Peter Streb for critical reading of the manuscript, and to Anne-Marie Boisson for the preparation of cell extracts. We acknowledge Pr. Claude Roby and Jean-Luc Le Bail for NMR facilities.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire & Végétale, Unité Mixte de Recherche, Institut de Recherche en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant, Grenoble cedex 9, France

    Richard Bligny

  2. Station Alpine Joseph Fourier, Unité Mixte de Service, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble cedex 9, France

    Serge Aubert

Authors
  1. Richard Bligny
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Serge Aubert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Serge Aubert .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fak. Naturwissenschaften, Inst. Botanik, Univ. Innsbruck, Sternwartestr. 15, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria

    Cornelius Lütz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer-Verlag/Wien

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bligny, R., Aubert, S. (2012). Specificities of Metabolite Profiles in Alpine Plants. In: Lütz, C. (eds) Plants in Alpine Regions. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0136-0_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation