Visualization of Root Exudates from Pea Roots Using Sheets with Immobilized Bovine Serum Albumin

Abstract

In leguminous plants, rhizobium symbiotically forms nodules, which are responsible for nitrogen fixation and obtaining nutrients necessary for growth. Plant roots are thought to secrete chemicals that signal the formation of nodules. In this study, we attempted to visualize the concentration distribution of the exudates from pea roots by using the phenomenon that the fluorescence intensity decreases due to the interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with phenolic compounds. BSA was immobilized on a glass microfiber filter (sheets with immobilized BSA), and the quenched fluorescence of BSA due to the interaction with root exudates was visualized. The correlation coefficient between the quenched fluorescence intensity per sheet and the amount of kaempferol in hydrolyzed sample recovered from six sheets with immobilized BSA was 0.8 (p < 0.05), indicating a high correlation.