Abstract
TRIPHENYLTETRAZOLIUM chloride has been used recently for indicating enzymatic reducing systems in several tissues1–5 under aerobic as well as anaerobic conditions, and many other similar applications have been reviewed by Smith6. We have found that sections of petioles or stems of tomato, cauliflower, swede, kale, clover and other plants are characteristically stained by reduction of solutions of triphenyltetrazolium chloride to the insoluble red formozan pigment. Staining is intense in phloem and strong in cambium and vascular parenchyma, and often in endodermis. It is weak in cortex and epidermis, and negligible or absent in xylem and semi-lignified tissues, for example, pericycle. In leaves the mesophyll stains less than the phloem and vascular parenchyma. Our results confirm closely those of Gall7 (with bean stems) and others6 unknown to us until this work was well advanced.
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HEWITT, E., AGARWALA, S. Reduction of Triphenyltetrazolium Chloride by Plant Tissues and its Relation to Molybdenum Status. Nature 169, 545–546 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/169545a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/169545a0
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