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Initiation Of Terpenoid Synthesis In Osmophores Of Stanhopea Anfracta (Orchidaceae): A Cytochemical Study, Kenneth J. Curry
Initiation Of Terpenoid Synthesis In Osmophores Of Stanhopea Anfracta (Orchidaceae): A Cytochemical Study, Kenneth J. Curry
Faculty Publications
The terpenoid component of the osmophore fragrance in Stanhopea species is composed of isoprene units synthesized via the mevalonic acid pathway. Localization of hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA synthase in the pathway was achieved using a technique which elicits the formation of an electron- dense precipitate of uranyl ferrocyanide at the point where an acetyl group from acetyl CoA is transferred to acetoacetyl CoA, releasing free CoA-SH. Applying this technique to cells of the osmophore of S. anfracta resulted in a precipitate between the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes, in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and, to a lesser extent, on the outer surface …
Osmophores Of Stanhopea (Orchidaeceae), William Louis Stern, Kenneth J. Curry, Alec M. Pridgeon
Osmophores Of Stanhopea (Orchidaeceae), William Louis Stern, Kenneth J. Curry, Alec M. Pridgeon
Faculty Publications
Species of the Neotropical orchid genus Stanhopea produce a fragrance comprising terpenoids and aromatics which attracts euglossine bee pollinators. The secretory tissue, called an osmo- phore, is located in the adaxial region of a sac formed near the proximal portion of the floral lip. This region is easily recognized in Stanhopea oculata and S. wardii because it is papillate. The osmophore in these two species includes all the cells of the papillae and those directly below, that grade into fundamental tissue. Osmophore cells are more densely cytoplasmic than cells in the adjacent tissue. Numerous amyloplasts and mitochondria are seen in …