Incorporation of kaempferol 3-O-glucoside into the cell walls of Norway spruce needles.

(14)C-Labelled CO2 fed to young Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) twigs was rapidly incorporated into kaempferol 3-O-glucoside (astragalin) of the needles. The patterns of the time course of total (per needle weight) and specific radioactivity (per amount of compound) of soluble and insoluble (cell wall-bound) astragalin indicate its transport from a soluble pool within the protoplast to an extraprotoplastic cell wall-bound pool within the needle. This conclusion is supported by measurements of the distribution of radioactivity between the aglycone (kaempferol) and the sugar part (glucose) of the molecule after various chase periods as well as by control experiments to determine the localization of [(14)C]astragalin in the cell wall preparations.