INDUCTION OF A TRANSIENT ENHANCEMENT OF LOW LEVEL CHEMILUMINESCENCE IN INTACT LEAVES BY ANAEROBIC TREATMENT

Leaf wound induced ultraweak photon emission is suppressed under anoxic stress: Observations of Spathiphyllum under aerobic and anaerobic conditions using novel in vivo methodology

Plants have evolved a variety of means to energetically sense and respond to abiotic and biotic environmental stress. Two typical photochemical signaling responses involve the emission of volatile organic compounds and light. The emission of certain leaf wound volatiles and light are mutually dependent upon oxygen which is subsequently required for the wound-induced lipoxygenase reactions that trigger the formation of fatty acids and hydroperoxides; ultimately leading to photon emission by chlorophyll molecules. A low noise photomultiplier with sensitivity in the visible spectrum (300–720 nm) is used to continuously measure long duration ultraweak photon emission of dark-adapting whole Spathiphyllum leaves (in vivo). Leaves were mechanically wounded after two hours of dark adaptation in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. It was found that (1) nitrogen incubation did not affect the pre-wound basal photocounts; (2) wound induced leaf biophoton emission was significantly suppressed when under anoxic stress; and (3) the aerobic wound induced emission spectra observed was > 650 nm, implicating chlorophyll as the likely emitter. Limitations of the PMT photocathode’s radiant sensitivity, however, prevented accurate analysis from 700–720 nm. Further examination of leaf wounding profile photon counts revealed that the pre-wounding basal state (aerobic and anoxic), the anoxic wounding state, and the post-wounding aerobic state statistics all approximate a Poisson distribution. It is additionally observed that aerobic wounding induces two distinct exponential decay events. These observations contribute to the body of plant wound-induced luminescence research and provide a novel methodology to measure this phenomenon in vivo.

Application of ultra-weak photon emission measurements in agriculture

Here we report our two applications of ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) measurements in agriculture. One is to find new types of agrochemicals that potentiate plants' defense, so-called "plant activator". We first analyzed the relation between plant defense and Elicitor-Responsive Photon Emission (ERPE) using a combination of rice cells and a chitin elicitor. Pharmacological analyses clarified that ERPE was generated as a part of the chitin elicitor-responsive defense in close relation with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Then we successfully detected the activity of plant activators as the potentiation of ERPE, and developed a new screening system for plant activators based on this principle. Another UPE application is to distinguish herbicide-resistant weeds from susceptible ones by measuring UPE in weeds. In our study, it was revealed that the weed biotypes resistant to sulfonylurea (SU) herbicides, one of the major herbicide groups, showed stronger UPE than susceptible ones after an SU herbicide treatment. By further analysis with a pharmacological and RNAi study, we found that the detoxifying enzyme P450s contributed to the UPE increase in SU herbicide resistant weeds. It is considered that weeds resistant to herbicides other than SU might also be able to be distinguished from susceptible ones by UPE measurement, as long as the herbicides are subject to detoxification by P450s.

New perspective in cell communication: potential role of ultra-weak photon emission

Evolution has permitted a wide range of medium for communication between two living organism varying from information transfer via chemical, direct contact or through specialized receptors. Past decades have evidenced the existence of cell-to-cell communication in living system. Several studies have demonstrated the existence of one cell system influencing the other cells by means of electromagnetic radiations investigated by the stimulation of cell division, neutrophils activation, respiratory burst induction and alteration in the developmental stages, etc. The responses were evaluated by methods such as chemiluminescence, ultra-weak photon emission, generation of free oxygen radicals, and level of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). The cellular communication is hypothesized to occur via several physical phenomenon's, however the current review attempts to provide thorough information and a detailed overview of experimental results on the cell-to-cell communication observed in different living system via ultra-weak photon emission to bring a better understanding and new perspective to the phenomenon.

Ultraweak photon emission from herbivory-injured maize plants

Following perception of herbivory or infection, plants exhibit a wide range of inducible responses. In this study, we found ultraweak photon emissions from maize leaves damaged by Helicoverpa armigera (Noctuidae). Interestingly, mechanically damaged maize leaves treated with caterpillar regurgitants emitted the same intensity and pattern of photon emissions as those from maize leaves damaged by caterpillars. Furthermore, two-dimensional imaging of the leaf section treated with the oral secretions clearly shows that photon emissions were observed specifically at the lip of the wound exposed to the secretions. These results suggest that the direct interaction between maize leaf cells and chemicals contained in caterpillar regurgitants triggers these photon emissions.

Spectral shift of ultraweak photon emission from sweet potato during a defense response

Consecutive spectral analyses of ultraweak photon emission from sweet potato showing a defense response were conducted to observe the process of physiological transition. The spectrum showed a drastic transition from 2 to 10 h after inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum, during which the emission intensity increased slowly. The spectrum was stable from 10 to 36 h after inoculation, whereas the emission intensity peaked approximately 20 h after inoculation. A change in the physiological state connected with the synthesis of defense-related substances is suggested as contributing to this phenomenon. The spectral transition was also detected in sweet potato treated with growth hormone or exposed to alternating temperature, although with an extremely weak emission intensity. This spectral analysis of ultraweak photon emission can be used as a new means for identifying the physiological state.