植物の就眠ならびに補虫運動の制御機構の化学的解明(学会賞,受賞業績)

抄録

Chemical aspects of the circadian leaf movement known as nyctinasty are discussed in this article. Each of nyctinastic plants of five different genera so far examined contained a pair of factors, one of which induces leaf closure and another induces leaf opening. The relative contents of the closing and opening factors changed correlating with the nyctinastic leaf movement. We focused on the leaf-closing chemical factor, jasmonic acid glucoside (JAG), for bioorganic studies on nyctinasty in Samanea saman. Use of fluorescence-labeled and photoaffinity-labeled factors revealed that JAG targeted extensor motor cells in pulvinus and bound to a membrane target protein on the cells. Another function of JAG as a trap-closing chemical factor of Dionaea muscipula is also described.