Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipes
Colleters are trichomes or emergencies that produce a sticky exudate consisting of a mixture of mucilage, lipids, terpenes, and phenolic compounds. Colleters occur in at least 60 families of angiosperms; however, reports of them are scarce for the Orchidaceae. Elleanthus brasiliensis is distinguishe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2019.00518/full |
| _version_ | 1818419213036945408 |
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| author | Fábio Cassola Fábio Cassola Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes Makeli Garibotti Lusa Makeli Garibotti Lusa Vera Lúcia Garcia Juliana Lischka Sampaio Mayer |
| author_facet | Fábio Cassola Fábio Cassola Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes Makeli Garibotti Lusa Makeli Garibotti Lusa Vera Lúcia Garcia Juliana Lischka Sampaio Mayer |
| author_sort | Fábio Cassola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Colleters are trichomes or emergencies that produce a sticky exudate consisting of a mixture of mucilage, lipids, terpenes, and phenolic compounds. Colleters occur in at least 60 families of angiosperms; however, reports of them are scarce for the Orchidaceae. Elleanthus brasiliensis is distinguished by the presence of an abundant gelatinous secretion that covers almost all of its inflorescences. We aimed to describe the histology of colleters in inflorescences of E. brasiliensis and Elleanthus crinipes, and to analyze the chemical composition of their secretion to better understand the functions of these secretory structures. Due to the low frequency of colleters and lack of visible secretion in E. crinipes, histochemical tests and chemical analyses were not performed for this species. Colleters are of a brush type and their secretion has, at the same time, hydrophilic and lipophilic components. Histochemical tests further revealed the presence of pectin, mucilage, lipids, terpenes, phenolic compounds, and proteins. The GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of γ-sitosterol and palmitic, linoleic, and stearic acids in the secretion of E. brasiliensis. Infrared analysis indicated the possible presence of polysaccharides in the secretion. The occurrence of colleters in both species studied and in other orchids described in the literature suggests that these structures are common in the inflorescences of tropical orchids. In these environments, the hydrated polysaccharides in the secretion form a dense matrix that can act as a physical barrier, and terpenes may help to protect against herbivores and pathogenic microorganisms. This information broadens our knowledge of the morphological and chemical diversity of the secretions produced by orchid colleters. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:34:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-994eacbf52b44909ad536ce63f7f0d26 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T12:34:59Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-994eacbf52b44909ad536ce63f7f0d262022-12-21T23:01:05ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2019-04-011010.3389/fpls.2019.00518445265Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipesFábio Cassola0Fábio Cassola1Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes2Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes3Makeli Garibotti Lusa4Makeli Garibotti Lusa5Vera Lúcia Garcia6Juliana Lischka Sampaio Mayer7Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, BrazilDepartment of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Pluridisciplinary Research Center, Paulínia, BrazilInstitute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, BrazilDepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, ScotlandInstitute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, BrazilCenter of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, BrazilDepartment of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Pluridisciplinary Research Center, Paulínia, BrazilInstitute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, BrazilColleters are trichomes or emergencies that produce a sticky exudate consisting of a mixture of mucilage, lipids, terpenes, and phenolic compounds. Colleters occur in at least 60 families of angiosperms; however, reports of them are scarce for the Orchidaceae. Elleanthus brasiliensis is distinguished by the presence of an abundant gelatinous secretion that covers almost all of its inflorescences. We aimed to describe the histology of colleters in inflorescences of E. brasiliensis and Elleanthus crinipes, and to analyze the chemical composition of their secretion to better understand the functions of these secretory structures. Due to the low frequency of colleters and lack of visible secretion in E. crinipes, histochemical tests and chemical analyses were not performed for this species. Colleters are of a brush type and their secretion has, at the same time, hydrophilic and lipophilic components. Histochemical tests further revealed the presence of pectin, mucilage, lipids, terpenes, phenolic compounds, and proteins. The GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of γ-sitosterol and palmitic, linoleic, and stearic acids in the secretion of E. brasiliensis. Infrared analysis indicated the possible presence of polysaccharides in the secretion. The occurrence of colleters in both species studied and in other orchids described in the literature suggests that these structures are common in the inflorescences of tropical orchids. In these environments, the hydrated polysaccharides in the secretion form a dense matrix that can act as a physical barrier, and terpenes may help to protect against herbivores and pathogenic microorganisms. This information broadens our knowledge of the morphological and chemical diversity of the secretions produced by orchid colleters.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2019.00518/fullAtlantic ForestEpidendroideaehistochemistry analysismicrostructureplant anatomy and morphologysecretory structure |
| spellingShingle | Fábio Cassola Fábio Cassola Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes Carlos Eduardo Pereira Nunes Makeli Garibotti Lusa Makeli Garibotti Lusa Vera Lúcia Garcia Juliana Lischka Sampaio Mayer Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipes Frontiers in Plant Science Atlantic Forest Epidendroideae histochemistry analysis microstructure plant anatomy and morphology secretory structure |
| title | Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipes |
| title_full | Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipes |
| title_fullStr | Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipes |
| title_short | Deep in the Jelly: Histochemical and Functional Aspects of Mucilage-Secreting Floral Colleters in the Orchids Elleanthus brasiliensis and E. crinipes |
| title_sort | deep in the jelly histochemical and functional aspects of mucilage secreting floral colleters in the orchids elleanthus brasiliensis and e crinipes |
| topic | Atlantic Forest Epidendroideae histochemistry analysis microstructure plant anatomy and morphology secretory structure |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2019.00518/full |
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