EFFECTS OF MODERATELY ENHANCED LEVELS OF OZONE ON THE ACYL LIPID-COMPOSITION OF LEAVES OF GARDEN PEA (PISUM-SATIVUM)

Plants of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) were exposed to charcoal-filtered air with or without addition of 65 +/- 5 nl l(-1) ozone. Plants were harvested daily for 9 days and lipids were extracted from the second-oldest leaf. Visible injury of this leaf was evident from day 5 on, while the differences in lipids between ozone and control treatments were observed earlier. Ozone caused large decreases in the contents of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG), a slower decrease in the content of phosphatidylcholine (PC) but an increase in the content of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) per leaf area, compared with exposure to charcoal-filtered air. The content of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was unaffected by ozone. Compared with charcoal-filtered air, fumigation with ozone resulted in a decrease in the proportion of linolenic acid (18:3) of the total lipid extract, with a concomitant increase in the proportion of linoleic acid (18:2). For individual lipids, ozone caused a similar pattern of decreased 18:3 and increased 18:2 in MGDG, SQDG, PC and PE, while the fatty acid composition of DGDG was unaffected. In PG, ozone decreased the proportions of 18:3 and trans-Delta(3)-decenoic acid (16:1(trans)), balanced by increased proportions of palmitic and oleic acids. The contents of chlorophylls and carotenoids were unaffected by ozone. Out results show that moderately elevated levels of ozone cause significant changes in the polar lipid composition of garden pea leaves and in the level of unsaturation of the lipid acyl groups and, furthermore, that ozone has different effects, which could be direct or indirect, on chloroplast Lipids (MGDG, DGDG, SQDG, PG acylated with 16:1(trans)) and cytosolic membrane lipids.