1995 Volume 77 Issue 4 Pages 358-365
Shoot elongation and flower bud formation of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. DON) are promoted by exogenous gibberellins (GAs). This suggests that these physiological events are regulated by endogenous GAs, too. Little is known about the endogenous GAs of conifers. GAs are characterized from only four species of Pinaceae. Although the occurrence of GA-like substances in C. japonica was shown by bioassay using dwarf rices, their identification has not been reported. As the first step to study the relationship between endogenous GAs and the physiological and morphological changes in the growth of C. japonica, we analyzed endogenous GAs in the pollen of this plant. The occurrence of GA1 and/or GA3, GA4, GA9, GA12, and GA15 was suggested by combination of bioassays using dwarf rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Tan-ginbozu) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after purification by high performance liguid chromatography (HPLC). Eventually, GA9, GA12, and GA15 were conclusively identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). However, the identification of GA1 and/or GA3 and GA4 by either GC/MS or gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring (GC/SIM) was unsuccessful, because these amounts were too small for the detection. This result shows that GAs in the earlynon-hydroxylation biosynthetic pathway are predominant in the pollen of C. japonica.
