关键词: 维生素E, 生育酚, 抗氧化, 信号转导, 光合同化物, 逆境

Abstract: Vitamin E, known as tocochromanol, is a lipid soluble vitamin which is essential for human and animal health. Vitamin E is synthesized only in plants and photosynthetic bacteria, thereof humans and animals intake vitamin E only from plant foods or supplements. Vitamin E function in humans and animals has been clearly illustrated, however, the biological function of vitamin E in plants makes tardy progress. In recent years, with generation of transgenic plants and obtaining of various vitamin E mutant, the biological role of vitamin E in plants has been made important progress. This paper reviewed the recent progress of vitamin E in seed germination, plant growth, transport of photoassimilates, leaf senescence, signal transduction and response to abiotic stresses, and prospected the research direction in the future, which was expected to provide reference for the basic research and application of vitamin E.

Key words: vitamin E, tocopherol, antioxidant, signal transduction, photoassimilate, stress