Scopoletin uptake from culture medium and accumulation in the vacuoles after conversion to scopolin in 2,4-D-treated tobacco cells.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. Bright Yellow) T-13 cell line has the ability to produce scopoletin endogenously and release some of it into the culture medium. We investigated the mechanism of scopoletin uptake following treatment of a tobacco culture with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Addition of [14C]-labeled scopoletin showed that scopoletin was taken up by 2,4-D-treated cells and converted to scopolin, a 7-O-glucoside of scopoletin. This uptake of scopoletin began 6 h after 2,4-D addition to the cells. Experiments using several inhibitors showed that this uptake was energy-dependent. The phenomenon of 2,4-D-stimulated uptake was observed only for 7-hydroxycoumarins, such as scopoletin, umbelliferone and esculetin. To further investigate the site for scopoletin accumulation, we separated the vacuoles from T-13 cells and quantified the coumarin contents in this fraction. Most of the scopoletin in the vacuoles was present as glucoconjugate, scopolin. Moreover, glucosylation activity was absent from isolated vacuoles and, therefore, is likely to be located in the cytosol. Therefore, we can state that 2,4-D treatment of tobacco cells stimulated scopoletin uptake. The scopoletin was converted into scopolin in the cytoplasm, and then transferred into the vacuoles.