Plants have created many well characterized defense mechanisms against environmental stress however new compounds involved in these processes are still discovered [1].

Polyisoprenoid alcohols (dolichols and polyprenols) are linear five-carbon unit polymers occurring in almost all living cells constituting families of prenologues.

In this study the effect of salinity, heavy metals, lower temperature and phosphate and nitrogen starvation on polyisoprenoid alcohol accumulation were tested.

In vitro root cultures of Cucumis sativus and Coluria geoides were applied as models. Dolichols were extracted and analyzed as described previously [2]. Roots of both plants accumulate a mixture of dolichols from Dol-15 to 22, with Dol-16 or Dol-17 dominating for Coluria geoides and Cucumis sativus, respectively.

Dolichol content was increased upon all abiotic stress conditions tested. In the presence of NaCl (60-100mM) dolichol content was doubled in comparison to the control while when the medium was supplemented with CdCl₂ (80μM) the content of dolichol reached approx. 130% of the control. Prolonged cultivation of Coluria roots at 7°C resulted in significant elevation (approx. 200% of control) of the dolichol content.

On the contrary to the above mentioned stress conditions starvation resulted in the decreased dolichol accumulation (approx. 75% and 60% level of the control for phosphate and nitrogen deficiency, respectively). Estimation of dolichol content in membrane fractions of plant cells is in progress.

[1] Mittler R. Trends Plant Sci. 11,15,2006

[2] Skorupinska-Tudek K. et al., Lipids 38, 981, 2003

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1. Effect of biotic and abiotic stress factors on the content of isoprenoids in the tobacco leaves
2. Raman spectroscopy and morphology investigation of porous GaAs