Cuticular membrane of Fuyu persimmon fruit is strengthened by triterpenoid nano-fillers

PLoS One. 2013 Sep 24;8(9):e75275. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075275. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

The mechanical defensive performance of fruit cuticular membranes (CMs) is largely dependent on the molecular arrangement of their constituents. Here, we elucidated nano-sized interactions between cutin and triterpenoids in the cuticular matrix of Fuyu persimmon fruits (Diospyroskaki Thunb. cv. Fuyu), focusing on the mechanical properties using a combination of polymer analyses. The fruit CMs of Fuyu were primarily composed of wax (34.7%), which was predominantly triterpenoids followed by higher aliphatic compounds, and cutin (48.4%), primarily consisting of 9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid and 9,10,18-trihydroxyoctadecanoic acid. Based on the tensile tests of the CM, the removal of wax lead to a considerable decrease in the maximum stress and elastic modulus accompanied by an increase in the maximum strain, indicating that wax is of significant importance for maintaining the mechanical strength of the CM. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction and relaxation time measurements using solid-state (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that the triterpenoids in the cuticular matrix construct a nanocomposite at a mixing scale below 20-24 nm; however, the higher aliphatic compounds did not exhibit clear interactions with cutin. The results indicated that the triterpenoids in the cuticular matrix endow toughness to the CM by functioning as a nanofiller.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Diospyros / chemistry*
  • Elastic Modulus
  • Fruit / chemistry*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Membrane Lipids / analysis*
  • Membrane Lipids / metabolism
  • Tensile Strength
  • Triterpenes / analysis*
  • Triterpenes / metabolism
  • Waxes / analysis
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Membrane Lipids
  • Triterpenes
  • Waxes
  • cutin

Grants and funding

This work was supported in part by Grant for Environmental Research Projects from the Sumitomo Foundation. No additional external funding was received for this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.