Betaxanthins as pigments responsible for visible fluorescence in flowers

被引:74
作者
Gandía-Herrero, F [1 ]
Escribano, J [1 ]
García-Carmona, F [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Murcia, Fac Vet, Dept Bioquim & Biol Mol A, Unidad Docente Biol, E-30100 Murcia, Spain
关键词
plant pigments; visible fluorescence; betalains; betaxanthins; Caryophyllales;
D O I
10.1007/s00425-005-0004-3
中图分类号
Q94 [植物学];
学科分类号
071001 ;
摘要
Betalains are water-soluble nitrogen-containing pigments present in flowers and fruits of plants of the order Caryophyllales, where they replace anthocyanins. This article describes how flowers containing yellow betaxanthins are fluorescent. Betaxanthins exhibit spectra with excitation maxima between 463 nm and 474 nm and emission maxima between 509 nm and 512 nm. Thus, betaxanthins are able to absorb blue light and emit green light. Relations between fluorescence and the structural properties of the pigments are discussed. For the first time, pictures of flowers naturally emitting light are presented. Yellow flowers of the ornamental plant Portulaca grandiflora were chosen as a model for the studies in fluorescence due to the existence of the white phenotype, which was used as a control. Studies were also performed in Lampranthus productus flowers, which contain dopaxanthin as a single pigment. The visible fluorescence of betaxanthins inside the petal cells was detected in a confocal microscope after laser excitation.
引用
收藏
页码:586 / 593
页数:8
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