Plant Nucleases. II. Properties of Corn Ribonucleases I and II and Corn Nuclease I

Three enzymes with ribonuclease activity, one of which also had deoxyribonuclease activity, have been isolated and partially purified from corn seeds and seedlings. The purification of Ribonuclease I from mature seed was previously reported. This enzyme has a pH optimum near 5.0, is loosely adsorbed to carboxymethyl-cellulose, and has a molecular weight of 23,000, determined by gel filtration.

Ribonuclease II was isolated from the microsomes of corn roots, and was partially purified by gel filtration. It has a pH optimum plateau from 5.4 to 7.0, and molecular weight of 17,000.

Nuclease I hydrolyzes both RNA and DNA. It was isolated from the large particles of a corn root homogenate and was partially purified on a carboxymethyl-cellulose column. It has a pH optimum at 6.2 and a molecular weight of 31,000.

The relative activities of the 3 enzymes for deoxyribonuclease and at pH 5 and pH 6.2 for ribonuclease may be used to characterize them during purification operations. Assays on homogenates of corn roots, and especially of the root tips, suggested that a fourth enzyme, which possesses deoxyribonuclease activity, is also present.