Differential expression of two spermidine synthase genes during early fruit development and in vegetative tissues of pea

Two cDNAs from young pea fruits coding for functional spermidine synthases (EC 2.5.1.16) were isolated. The corresponding genes were named psSPDSYN1 and psSPDSYN2. Both cDNAs complemented spe3 gene when introduced into the Y480 strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is a null mutant for the spermidine synthase gene. psSPDSYN1 and psSPDSYN2 are regulated differentially. psSPDSYN1 is up-regulated early after fruit set whereas psSPDSYN2 is expressed later. Spermidine synthase activity was detected in pea ovaries, and correlates with the pattern of expression of psSPDSYN1. In the pea plant, psSPDSYN1 is highly expressed in actively growing tissues, whereas the highest level of psSPDSYN2 mRNA was detected in fully elongated stem.     

Tissue-specific expression of SORBITOL DEHYDROGENASE in apple fruit during early development

Sorbitol, the primary photosynthate and translocated carbohydrate in apple (Malusxdomestica Borkh.), is converted to fructose by sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH; EC 1.1.1.14) which is active in apple fruit throughout development. In the apple genome, nine SDH genes have been isolated and their sequences characterized, but their individual expression patterns during apple fruit set and development have not been determined. The objective of this work was to ascertain if SDH genes are differentially expressed and how their patterns of expression may relate to SDH activity in apple seed and cortex during early fruit development. Seed SDH activity was found to be much higher than cortex SDH activity per mg and g fresh weight (FW), and seed SDH activity contributed significantly to whole fruit SDH activity during weeks 2-5 after bloom. Five of the nine SDH genes present in the apple genome were expressed in apple fruit. Two SDH genes, SDH1 and SDH3, were expressed in both seed and cortex tissues. SDH2 expression was limited to cortex, while SDH6 and SDH9 were expressed in seed tissues only. SDH isomeric proteins of different pI values were detected in apple fruit. SDH isomers with pI values of 4.2, 4.8, 5.5, and 6.3 were found in seeds, and SDH isomers with pI values of 5.5, 6.3, 7.3, and 8.3 were found in cortex. The present work is the first to show that SDH is highly active in apple seed and that SDH genes are differentially expressed in seed and cortex during early development.     

Temporal and transient expression of olive enoyl-ACP reductase gene during flower and fruit development.

Enoyl-ACP reductase is a catalytic component of the fatty acid synthetase (FAS) type II system in plants that is involved in the de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in plastids. A cDNA encoding an enoyl-ACP reductase responsible for the removal of the trans-unsaturated double bonds to form saturated acyl-ACP has been isolated from a library made from ripening fruits of Olea europaea L. The predicted protein contains 393 amino acid residues including a consensus chloroplast specific transit peptide. A strong homology was observed when olive enoyl-ACP reductase aligned with other plant sequences. Southern hybridization analysis revealed that enoyl-ACP reductase is encoded by a single gene in olives. Northern hybridization showed a transient expression of the enoyl-ACP reductase (ENR) gene at early stages of drupe (5-7 weeks after flowering, WAF), embryo and endosperm (13-16 WAF) while in mesocarp (13-19 WAF) the expression remained at high levels. In situ hybridization showed particularly prominent expression in the palisade and vascular tissue of young leaves, the tapetum, developing pollen grains and vascular tissue of anthers and to less extent in the embryo sac and transmitting tissue of the carpel. The distinctive spatial and temporal regulation of the ENR gene is consistent with major roles, not only in thylakoid membrane formation and fatty acid deposition, but also in the provision of precursor molecules for the biosynthesis of oxilipins that are important in plant tissues involved in transportation and reproduction.     

Polyamine synthesis during lymphocyte activation : Induction of ornithine decarboxylase and S-adenosyl methionine decarboxylase

Lymphocyte stimulation by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) is accompanied by marked increases in the activities of ornithine decarboxylase and S-adenosyl methionine decarboxylase, two key enzymes for the synthesis of polyamines. Both enzymes increase in a biphasic manner, with the rises in S-adenosyl methionine decarboxylase preceding the increases in ornithine decarboxylase. The initial rises precede the initiation of DNA synthesis, and seem to correlate with the increased rate of ribosomal RNA synthesis. Selective inhibition of ribosomal RNA synthesis inhibits the increases in the activity of both enzymes, especially ornithine decarboxylase, more than the increase in the overall rate of protein synthesis.Both enzymes are metabolically unstable and have half-lives of less than 1 h, although the half-life of ornithine decarboxylase depends on the amino acid concentration in the culture medium. While effects of PHA on the stability of the enzymes have not been ruled out, at least part of the PHA-dependent increases in activity are due to increased synthesis or activation of the enzymes. The synthesis of S-adenosyl-methionine decarboxylase declines rapidly after inhibition of RNA synthesis, but ornithine decarboxylase activity declines at about the same rate as protein synthesis as a whole.The activities of both enzymes also increase during lymphocyte stimulation by concanavalin A, lentil extract and staphylococcal filtrate.     

Gibberellin and spermidine synergistically regulate polyamine metabolism during the development of Rhododendron flowers

Plant Growth Regulation - Polyamines (PAs) are involved in various developmental processes, especially plant flowering. Their significant influences have been established; however, the exact...     

Regulation of polyamine metabolism and biosynthetic gene expression during olive mature-fruit abscission

Exogenous ethylene and some inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis can induce mature-fruit abscission in olive, which could be associated with decreased nitric oxide production as a signaling molecule. Whether H?O? also plays a signaling role in mature-fruit abscission is unknown. The possible involvement of H?O? and polyamine in ethylene-induced mature-fruit abscission was examined in the abscission zone and adjacent cells of two olive cultivars. Endogenous H?O? showed an increase in the abscission zone during mature-fruit abscission, suggesting that accumulated H?O? may participate in abscission signaling. On the other hand, we followed the expression of two genes involved in the polyamine biosynthesis pathway during mature-fruit abscission and in response to ethylene or inhibitors of ethylene and polyamine. OeSAMDC1 and OeSPDS1 were expressed differentially within and between the abscission zones of the two cultivars. OeSAMDC1 showed slightly lower expression in association with mature-fruit abscission. Furthermore, our data show that exogenous ethylene or inhibitors of polyamine encourage the free putrescine pool and decrease the soluble-conjugated spermidine, spermine, homospermidine, and cadaverine in the olive abscission zone, while ethylene inhibition by CoCl? increases these soluble conjugates, but does not affect free putrescine. Although the impact of these treatments on polyamine metabolism depends on the cultivar, the results confirm that the mature-fruit abscission may be accompanied by an inhibition of S-adenosyl methionine decarboxylase activity, and the promotion of putrescine synthesis in olive abscission zone, suggesting that endogenous putrescine may play a complementary role to ethylene in the normal course of mature-fruit abscission.     

Effect of aldehydes on polyamine metabolism. III. Inhibition of S-adenosyl methionine decarboxylase (SAMD) by CCl4 and by aldehydes produced during lipid peroxidation

In isolated rat liver cells in which lipid peroxidation is stimulated by CCl4, a strong inhibition of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMD) activity occurs. Some purified aldehydes, which are produced during lipid peroxidation, are able to inhibit SAMD activity in Yoshida hepatoma cells. The most active aldehyde is hydroxypentenal (HPE). It inhibits by 50% SAMD activity at 0.5 mM concentration in entire hepatoma cells, or in hepatoma cell sap, and at 0.1 mM concentration in partially purified hepatoma cell sap fractions.     

A combined model of hepatic polyamine and sulfur amino acid metabolism to analyze S-adenosyl methionine availability

Many molecular details remain to be uncovered concerning the regulation of polyamine metabolism. A previous model of mammalian polyamine metabolism showed that S-adenosyl methionine availability could play a key role in polyamine homeostasis. To get a deeper insight in this prediction, we have built a combined model by integration of the previously published polyamine model and one-carbon and glutathione metabolism model, published by different research groups. The combined model is robust and it is able to achieve physiological steady-state values, as well as to reproduce the predictions of the individual models. Furthermore, a transition between two versions of our model with new regulatory factors added properly simulates the switch in methionine adenosyl transferase isozymes occurring when the liver enters in proliferative conditions. The combined model is useful to support the previous prediction on the role of S-adenosyl methionine availability in polyamine homeostasis. Furthermore, it could be easily adapted to get deeper insights on the connections of polyamines with energy metabolism.     

Expression of polyamine biosynthesis genes during parthenocarpic fruit development in Citrus clementina

Polyamines have been attributed a general role in fruit development in several plants like pea and tomato. To investigate the involvement of these compounds in parthenocarpic fruit development in Citrus clementina, we have isolated three genes encoding aminopropyl transferases in this species: CcSPDS, CcSPM1 and CcACL5. The unambiguous identity of the proteins encoded by these genes was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis and by heterologous expression in yeast mutants deficient in aminopropyl transferase activity. The expression of these genes in C. clementina is not restricted to ovaries and fruits, but it is also detectable all throughout the plant. More importantly, gibberellin-induced parthenocarpic fruit set caused a decrease in CcSPDS expression in ovaries, paralleled by a decrease in spermidine; while the expression of CcSPM1 and CcACL5 was basically unaffected, resulting in the maintenance of spermine concentration during early fruit development. In addition, the variation in putrescine content was paralleled by changes in the expression of one of the two putative CcODC paralogs.     

1-Aminooxy-3-aminopropane, a new and potent inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis that inhibits ornithine decarboxylase, adenosylmethionine decarboxylase and spermidine synthase

1-Aminooxy-3-aminopropane was shown to be a potent competitive inhibitor (Ki = 3.2 nM) of homogenous mouse kidney ornithine decarboxylase, a potent irreversible inhibitor (Ki = 50 microM) of homogeneous liver adenosylmethionine decarboxylase and a potent competitive (Ki = 2.3 microM) of homogeneous bovine brain spermidine synthase. It did not inhibit homogeneous bovine brain spermine synthase and it did not serve as a substrate for spermidine synthase. The compound did not inhibit tyrosine aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase, which are pyridoxal phosphate-containing enzymes like ornithine decarboxylase. The inactivation of adenosylmethionine decarboxylase was partially prevented by pyruvate, which is the coenzyme of adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, and by the substrate, adenosylmethionine. 1-Aminooxy-3-aminopropane at 0.5 mM concentration inhibited the growth of HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells and this inhibition was prevented by spermidine but not by putrescine.     

Genome-wide analysis of gene expression during early Arabidopsis flower development

Detailed information about stage-specific changes in gene expression is crucial for the understanding of the gene regulatory networks underlying development. Here, we describe the global gene expression dynamics during early flower development, a key process in the life cycle of a plant, during which floral patterning and the specification of floral organs is established. We used a novel floral induction system in Arabidopsis, which allows the isolation of a large number of synchronized floral buds, in conjunction with whole-genome microarray analysis to identify genes with differential expression at distinct stages of flower development. We found that the onset of flower formation is characterized by a massive downregulation of genes in incipient floral primordia, which is followed by a predominance of gene activation during the differentiation of floral organs. Among the genes we identified as differentially expressed in the experiment, we detected a significant enrichment of closely related members of gene families. The expression profiles of these related genes were often highly correlated, indicating similar temporal expression patterns. Moreover, we found that the majority of these genes is specifically up-regulated during certain developmental stages. Because co-expressed members of gene families in Arabidopsis frequently act in a redundant manner, these results suggest a high degree of functional redundancy during early flower development, but also that its extent may vary in a stage-specific manner.     

Computational annotation of genes differentially expressed along olive fruit development

Background  

Olea europaea L. is a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean basin with a worldwide economical high impact. Differently from other fruit tree species, little is known about the physiological and molecular basis of the olive fruit development and a few sequences of genes and gene products are available for olive in public databases. This study deals with the identification of large sets of differentially expressed genes in developing olive fruits and the subsequent computational annotation by means of different software.