Open Access

ARTICLE

Morphological and immunochemical characterization of the pollen grains of Chenopodium album L. (Chenopodiaceae) in a temperate urban area in Argentina

Bianchimano AS¹, MG Murray^2,3, ME Aztiria¹, B Montes^2,3, ML Calfuán², MI Prat¹

1 Laboratorio de Inmunología. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Universidad Nacional del Sur.
2 Laboratorio de Diversidad de Plantas Vasculares. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Universidad Nacional del Sur.
3 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. INBIOSUR (CCT- Bahía Blanca).

* Corresponding Author:Address Correspondence to: María Gabriela Murray. Universidad Nacional del Sur. San Juan 670, Bahía Blanca. C.P. 8000. Argentina. e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2014, 83(all), 9-15. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2014.83.009

Abstract

Chenopodium album is a very polymorphic, cosmopolitan, annual herb that grows spontaneously in modified soils in wasteland in the outlying urban zones of Bahía Blanca. In this city, the flowering period is mainly during February and March, which coincides with the highest concentrations of this pollen type in the atmosphere of the city. The objective of this study was to characterize the pollen grains of Chenopodium album, both morphologically and immunochemically, that were obtained from three different zones in the urban area of Bahía Blanca. Samples were collected from the three separate zones in the city that were far apart. The structure and morphology of the grains were analyzed using light and electron microscopy. The protein and antigenic profiles were studied with Tricine- SDS-PAGE and western blot with a polyclonal rabbit serum, respectively. The morphological analysis showed significant differences in relation to the diameters of the pollen grains in one of the studied areas. Differences in the protein expression were seen for the same area although the antigenic profile was conserved. The variations in the morphology and the protein profile may be caused by the effect of environmental conditions on the pollen, and the presence of urban contaminants from vehicular traffic.

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