Secretion dynamics of the latex in Moraceae species

• Grant number: 24/04556-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany
• Principal Investigator: Simone de Pádua Teixeira
• Grantee: Felipe Paulino Ramos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Secretory structures are responsible for the production, isolation and/or release of secondary metabolites in plant species, and are of immense importance in chemistry and biology due to their applications in various areas of scientific knowledge. The laticifer is an example of a secretory structure, characterized by a complex latex secretion system. Latex is a suspension of secondary metabolites, whose main described functions are defense against herbivory and wound sealing. In the Moraceae family, whose best-known species are fig trees (Ficus sp.), mulberry trees (Morus nigra L.) and jackfruit trees (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), there are reports associating latex production with a role in the pollination of fig trees by fig wasps and, therefore, its importance in the mutualism of these organisms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to comparatively study the dynamics of latex secretion and metabolomics in the inflorescences of four entomophilous Moraceae species in order to better understand the secretory system and verify its relationship with plant pollination. To this end, samples of the inflorescences of Brosimum gaudichaudii Trécul, Castilla elastica Cerv., Dorstenia cayapia Vell. and Ficus citrifolia Mill., at various stages of development, will be collected and processed for analysis of anatomy, histolochemistry, x-ray microtomography, and ultrastructural cytochemistry. We hope to characterize the diversity of forms and the processes involved in the differentiation of the secretory cells of the systems and associate them with pollination by insects. With the addition of new information, we hope to enrich future research and update data on the variety of secretory cells in Rosales.