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Externally added coniferyl alcohol at high concentrations reduces the growth of Nicotiana cells and seedlings. Coniferyl alcohol is metabolized by BY-2 cells to several compounds.

Coniferyl alcohol (CA) is a common monolignol and a building block of lignin. The toxicity of monolignol alcohols has been stated in the literature, but there are only few studies suggesting that this is true. We investigated the physiological effects of CA on living plant cells in more detail. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Bright yellow-2 cells (BY-2) and Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings both showed concentration-dependent growth retardation in response to 0.5–5 mM CA treatment. In some cases, CA addition caused cell death in BY-2 cultures, but this response was dependent on the growth stage of the cells. Based on LC–MS/MS analysis, BY-2 …