Steryl glucoside concentration declines with Cycas micronesica seed age

Functional Plant Biology : FPB
Thomas E MarlerChristopher A Shaw

Abstract

Neurotoxins contained in the seeds of Cycas micronesica K.D. Hill have been implicated in the Guam neurological disease cluster, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS-PDC). Some of these neurotoxins remain in the washed cycad seed flour that was historically an important part of the Chamorro diet. Of these, variant steryl glucosides have been identified by us as a possible etiological factor in the disease. In vitro and in vivo animal studies have strongly supported a role for these molecules in some forms of neurodegeneration. As part of a series of studies, we have now determined the concentrations of several steryl glucosides and their sterol precursors as affected by the age of C. micronesica seeds. The concentration of these molecules declined with seed age from 2.0 to 30.5 months. Following log-transformation of both axes, the decline was linear. Similarly, concentration of all but one of the molecules declined with age when samples were restricted to gametophyte tissue. Factors suspected of influencing phenotypic plasticity must be addressed when interpreting plant physiology data. Our results confirm for the first time that tissue age must be documented and reported in cycad seed biochemistry ...Continue Reading

References

Jul 1, 1996·Acta Neurologica Scandinavica·Z X ZhangG C Román
Jan 5, 2002·Science·Liangcai PengDeborah Delmer
Sep 11, 2002·Cell Structure and Function·Shohko KunimotoKimiko Murakami-Murofushi
Mar 20, 2003·Plant Physiology·Jun-Xian HeJyan-Chyun Jang

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Citations

May 31, 2011·American Journal of Botany·Thomas E Marler

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