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Color and chirality: carotenoid self-assemblies in flower petals
1Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Chemistry, CRC, Budapest, Hungary. zsferi@chemres.hu
Planta
|November 28, 2001
Summary
Living flowers exhibit strong optical activity, a novel phenomenon detected using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. This optical activity in carotenoid-containing plants arises from chiral self-assemblies of xanthophyll esters, demonstrable in vitro.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Spectroscopy
- Biophysics
Background:
- Optical activity has been observed in living flowers, particularly those containing carotenoids.
- Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is a technique used to study chiral molecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phenomenon of optical activity in living flowers.
- To determine the molecular basis of optical activity in carotenoid-containing plant tissues.
- To assess the utility of CD spectroscopy for analyzing intact plant samples.
Main Methods:
- Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was employed to measure optical activity in living flowers.
- In vitro experiments were conducted using natural pure xanthophyll esters to analyze their self-assembly properties.
Main Results:
- Strong optical activity was detected in living flowers of various species using CD spectroscopy.
- Xanthophyll esters were shown to form chiral self-assemblies in vitro, producing similar CD spectra.
- A correlation between chromoplast ultrastructure, chemical composition, and observed optical activity was discussed.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates that chiral self-assembly of xanthophyll esters is responsible for the observed optical activity in flowers.
- Circular dichroism spectroscopy is a valuable tool for studying the optical properties of intact plant tissues.