[Development of aloin cells and accumulation of anthraquinone in aloe leaf]

The development of aloin cells and its relationship with the accumulation of anthraquinone in aloe leaf were investigated with the methods of paraffin section, semi-thin section, histochemistry and fluorescent microscopy. The results showed: cells rounded the procambium bundle differentiated into bundle sheath at the initial stage of procambium bundle developing into vascular bundle. When the sieve tube members appeared in protophloem, there were a lay of procambium bundle cells reserved between the sieve tube members and bundle sheath. These cells began to devise, then developed into aloin cells through enlargement of volume and vacuolization with the differentiation of metaphloem and metaxylem. So the aloin cells were special phloem parenchyma cells because they shared the same origin with the other phloem cells. The investigation of histochemistry reflected that there were aloin precipitate in the central vacuole of aloin cells after the material was soaked in the liquid of 1% lead acetate [Pb (CH3COO)2]. In addition, the yellow fluorescence was observed in aloin cells when the section of fresh material was investigated under the fluorescent microscope with blue light, which suggested the aloin cells of vascular bundles were the mainly storage site of anthraquinone.