Lipids in xylem sap of woody plants across the angiosperm phylogeny

Abstract

Lipids have been observed attached to lumen-facing surfaces of mature xylem conduits of several plant species, but there has been little research on their functions or effects on water transport, and only one lipidomic study of the xylem apoplast. Therefore, we conducted lipidomic analyses of xylem sap from woody stems of seven plants representing six major angiosperm clades, including basal magnoliids, monocots, and eudicots, to characterize and quantify phospholipids, galactolipids, and sulfolipids in sap using mass spectrometry. Locations of lipids in vessels of Laurus nobilis were imaged using TEM and confocal microscopy. Xylem sap contained the galactolipids di- and mono-galactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG and MGDG), as well as all common plant phospholipids, but only traces of sulfolipids, with total lipid concentrations in extracted sap ranging from 0.18 to 0.63 nmol / mL across all seven species. Contamination of extracted sap from lipids in cut living cells was found to be negligible. Lipid composition of sap was compared to wood in two species and was largely similar, suggesting that sap lipids, including galactolipids, originate from cell content of living vessels. Seasonal changes in lipid composition of sap were observed for one species. Lipid layers coated all lumen-facing vessel surfaces of Laurus nobilis, and lipids were highly concentrated in inter-vessel pits. The findings suggest that apoplastic, amphiphilic xylem lipids are a universal feature of angiosperms. The findings require a reinterpretation of the cohesion-tension theory of water transport to account for the effects of apoplastic lipids on dynamic surface tension and hydraulic conductance in xylem.