ABSTRACT
The tocopherols, and most specifically α-tocopherol, vitamin E, continues to receive remarkable attention in literature associated with mammalian research. The functions of vitamin E as an antioxidant and as a singlet-oxygen trap are well documented in a variety of symposia and monographs. The role of vitamin E in normal plant development is not understood, and the response of vitamin E to oxidative and other environmental stress is documented with only limited experimental evidence. Vitamin E has been found in all photosynthetic organisms, and because of its hydrophobic nature, it is always located in membranes of the cell. Vitamin E belongs to a family of antioxidants that includes four methylated tocols, substituted with a phytyl chain, and the analogous tocotrienols, substituted with a geranylgeranyl chain. Model plant systems that allow careful control of environmental parameters are becoming better described, and their use should provide a clearer understanding of vitamin E function in plant metabolism.
