Effects of 1-MCP on the vase life and ethylene response of cut flowers

Pretreatment for 6 h with low concentrations of 1-MCP (1-Methylcyclopropene, formerly designated as SIS-X), a cyclic ethylene analog, inhibits the normal wilting response of cut carnations exposed continuously to 0.4 μl·l^?1 ethylene. The response to 1-MCP was a function of treatment concentration and time. Treatment with 1-MCP was as effective in inhibiting ethylene effects as treatment with the anionic silver thiosulfate complex (STS), the standard commercial treatment. Other ethylene-sensitive cut flowers responded similarly to carnations. In the presence of 1 μl·l^?1 ethylene, the vase life of 1-MCP-treated flowers was up to 4 times that of the controls.     

Effects of 1-MCP on the vase life and ethylene response of cut flowers

Pretreatment for 6 h with low concentrations of 1-MCP (1-Methylcyclopropene, formerly designated as SIS-X), a cyclic ethylene analog, inhibits the normal wilting response of cut carnations exposed continuously to 0.4 l·l^–1 ethylene. The response to 1-MCP was a function of treatment concentration and time. Treatment with 1-MCP was as effective in inhibiting ethylene effects as treatment with the anionic silver thiosulfate complex (STS), the standard commercial treatment. Other ethylene-sensitive cut flowers responded similarly to carnations. In the presence of 1 l·l^–1 ethylene, the vase life of 1-MCP-treated flowers was up to 4 times that of the controls.Abbreviations 1-MCP 1-Methylcyclopropene - STS silver thiosulfate     

Effect of gibberellic acid on the vase life and oxidative activities in senescing cut gladiolus flowers

Cut flowers face the problem of short display life and lose their aesthetic value rapidly. In order to enhance the vase life of gladiolus, its cut spikes were subjected to different levels of gibberellic acid (GA₃), viz., 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg L^?1 in vase solution, during two consecutive years 2010 and 2011. The GA₃ treatment significantly influenced the vase quality attributes and antioxidants capacity of gladiolus cut flowers. Gibberellic acid at 25 mg L^?1 caused the longest time taken to open the floret and increased the floret opening, vase life duration and fresh weight. The highest antioxidative activities of superoxide dismutase and free radicals scavenging were also recorded with GA₃ at 25 mg L^?1. The highest peroxidase, catalase activity and the lowest membrane leakage were recorded with GA₃ at 50 mg L^?1. Present study concludes that GA₃ applied at lower concentrations (25 mg L^?1) renders greater beneficial effects on vase life quality, membrane stability and antioxidant activities in gladiolus cut spike, and further higher application rates cause no improvement in the flower longevity.     

1,1-Dimethyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)semicarbazide (DPSS) does not inhibit the in vitro activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase and ACC synthase obtained from senescing carnation Dianthus caryophyllus L.) petals

The effects of 1,1-dimethyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)semicarbazide (DPSS) on the in vitro activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase and ACC synthase isolated from senescing carnation petals were investigated. In contrast to a previous proposal, DPSS at 1 mM did not inhibit the in vitro activity of ACC oxidase. It was confirmed that DPSS does not inhibit ACC synthase activity. DPSS probably does not exert its inhibitory action on ethylene production by a direct action on ACC oxidase and ACC synthase, but by some unknown action.     

Inhibition of wilting and autocatalytic ethylene production in cut carnation flowers by cis-propenylphosphonic acid

The effect of cis-propenylphosphonic acid (PPOH), a structural analoge of ethylene, on flower wilting and ethylene production was investigated using cut carnation flowers which are very sensitive to ethylene. Wilting (petal in-rolling) of the flowers was delayed by continuously immersing the stems in a 5–20 mM PPOH solution. In addition, the continuous treatment with PPOH markedly reduced autocatalytic ethylene production of the petals accompanying senescence. This reduction of autocatalytic ethylene production was considered responsible for the inhibitory effect of PPOH on flower wilting. The inhibitory activity of trans-propenylphosphonic acid (trans-PPOH), on both flower wilting and the autocatalytic ethylene production accompanying senescence was markedly lower than that of PPOH, suggesting that PPOH action is stereoselective. PPOH may be of interest as a new, water-soluble inhibitor of wilting and autocatalytic ethylene production in cut carnation flowers.     

Changes in ethylene production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid content of pollinated carnation flowers

Pollination of flowers of standard carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L. cv. White Sim) with pollen from flowers of miniature carnations (D. caryophyllus L. cv. Exquisite) caused them to wilt irreversibly within 1 to 2 days. Pollination stimulated a sequential increase in ethylene production by stigmas, ovaries, receptacles, and petals of the flowers. The ACC content of the stigmas increased rapidly in the first few hours after pollination. The possibility that subsequent production of ethylene by other parts of the flower is stimulated by translocated ACC is discussed. Ethylene production and ACC content of other parts of the flower reached their maximum 24 h after pollination. The petal tissues contributed the bulk of the ethylene productionper flower thereafter. There appears to be a qualitative difference between the enzyme in the stigmas converting ACC to ethylene and that in other parts of the flower.     

Effects of the time of sucrose treatment on vase life, soluble carbohydrate concentrations and ethylene production in cut sweet pea flowers

Cut sweet pea flowers were put in vase water containing 200 mg l^–1 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (HQS), and 100 g l^–1 sucrose was added to the solution during the first 24 h (initial treatment), from the 24th h on (late treatment) or throughout the experimental period (continuous treatment). The vase life of the florets in the control (with no sucrose added), initial-, late-, and continuous-treatment groups were 2.8, 6.0, 5.0 and 8.0 days, respectively. Climacteric ethylene production of the florets was the earliest in the control group followed by the late-, initial- and continuous-treatment groups, in this order. The concentrations of glucose, fructose and s ucrose at the 2nd day and later were the highest in the continuous-treatment group followed by the initial-treatment, late-treatment and control group, in this order. Thus, the correlation between sugar concentrations in petals and vase life was positive, whereas that between the sugar concentrations and ethylene production was negative. These results suggest that sugar concentration in petals affects the vase life of cut sweet pea flowers through ethylene production.     

Senescence in cut carnation flowers: Temporal and physiological relationships among water status, ethylene, abscisic acid and membrane permeability

Changes in water status, membrane permeability, ethylene production and levels of abscisic acid (ABA) were measured during senescence of cut carnation flowers ( Dianthus caryophyllus L. cv. White Sim) in order to clarify the temporal sequence of physiological events during this post-harvest period. Ethylene production and ABA content of the petal tissue rose essentially in parallel during natural senescence and after treatment of young flowers with exogenous ethylene, indicating that their syntheses are not widely separated in time. However, solute leakage, reflecting membrane deterioration, was apparent well before the natural rise in ethylene and ABA had begun. In addition, there were marked changes in water status of the tissue, including losses in water potential (ψ_w), and turgor (ψ_p), that preceded the rise in ABA and ethylene. As senescence progressed, ψ_w continued to decline, but ψ_p returned to normal levels. These temporal relationships were less well resolved when senescence of young flowers was induced by treatment with ethylene, presumably because the time-scale had been shortened. Thus changes in membrane permeability and an associated water stress in petal tissue appear to be earlier symptoms of flower senescence than the rises in ABA or ethylene. These observations support the contention that the climacteric-like rise in ethylene production is not the initial or primary event of senescence and that the rise in ABA titre may simply be a response to changes in water status.     

Ethylene biosynthesis: The role of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase, and its possible evolutionary origin

Recent developments in our knowledge of the biochemistry of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase, the enzyme responsible for the final stage in the biosynthesis of ethylene, are reviewed. Particular reference is made to the role of carbon dioxide as an essential cofactor, the activity of ACC oxidase in the plant cell, the enzyme catalytic centre, and the role of ACC oxidase in the evolutionary development of ethylene biosynthesis in plants. Evidence is marshalled to support a proposal that the membrane requirement for ACC oxidase that is observed in vivo is attributable to a need for a charged plasma membrane to maintain ascorbate in the reduced state for an ACC oxidase located in the apoplast. It is argued on biochemical grounds that the acquisition of the ACC oxidase was the crucial evolutionary step in the development by seed plants of an ethylene biosynthesis pathway that could easily be regulated, and that signalled the plant's response to stress and pathogen attack.     

1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase induced by ACC synthesized and accumulated in Penicillium citrinum intracellular spaces

We have already described how 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), which is a precursor of the plant hormone ethylene, is synthesized in Penicillium citrinum through the same reaction by the catalysis of ACC synthase [EC 4.4.1.14] as in higher plants. In addition, ACC deaminase [EC 4.1.99.4], which degrades ACC to 2-oxobutyrate and ammonia, was also purified from this strain. To study control of induction of ACC deaminase in this organism, we have isolated and analyzed the cDNA of P. citrinum ACC deaminase and studied the expression of ACC deaminase mRNA in P. citrinum cells. By the analysis of peptides from the digests of the purified and modified ACC deaminase with lysylendopeptidase, 70 % of its amino acid sequences were obtained. These amino acid sequences were used to identify a cDNA, consisting of 1,233 bp with an open reading frame of 1,080 bp encoding ACC deaminase with 360 amino acids. The deduced amino acids from the cDNA are identical by 52% and 45% to those of enzymes of Pseudomonas sp. ACP and Hansenula saturnus. Through Northern blot analysis, we found that the mRNA of ACC deaminase was expressed in P. citrinum cells grown in a medium containing 0.05% L-methionine. These findings suggest that ACC synthesized by ACC synthase and accumulated in P. citrinum intracellular spaces can induce the ACC deaminase that degrades the ACC.     

Daminozide inhibits ethylene production in apple fruit by blocking the conversion of methionine to aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC)

At harvest, fruit from apple trees sprayed with daminozide (+daminozide) had lower levels of aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and produced significantly lower amounts of ethylene than untreated (–daminozide) fruit. Flesh discs from the fruit of +daminozide and –daminozide trees were fed precursors of ethylene to determine how daminozide inhibits ethylene production. ACC was metabolized to ethylene regardless of treatment. Methionine (MET), however, was only converted to ethylene by –daminozide fruit, and only after the fruit had been maintained at 4 °C for 5 months. +Daminozide fruit failed to convert MET to ethylene at harvest, as well as after cold storage. When daminozide was added to the incubation media of flesh discs it did not inhibit ethylene production or the conversion of ACC to ethylene. The addition of daminozide did, however, inhibit the metabolism of exogenous MET to ethylene. Aminooxyacetate acid (AOA) blocked both the endogenous production of ethylene and that from MET feeds. Daminozide inhibits ethylene production by preventing the conversion of MET to ACC, but it does not appear to act as a simple competitive inhibitor of ACC synthase activity.Abbreviations ACC aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid - AVG aminoethoxyvinylglycine - AOA aminooxyacetic acid - CH cycloheximide - MET methionine - PUT putrescine Author for correspondence     

Genetics of ethylene biosynthesis and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of ACC oxidase and synthase genes in melon ( Cucumis melo L.)

We investigated the genetics of ethylene biosynthesis and its linkage to the RFLPs of the ACC oxidase and synthase genes in melon ( Cucumis melo L.). The results suggested that the A(0) and B(0) fragments of RFLP-MEL1 of the ACC oxidase gene were two alleles from a single locus, as were the B and C fragments of RFLP-MEACS1 of the ACC synthase gene. The B(0) allele seemed to be partially dominant over the A(0) allele, whereas B and C alleles appeared to map to quantitative trait loci (QTLs), which most likely contributed to ethylene production. Both RFLPs were linked to ethylene production rates, but they were not linked to each other. The interaction effects of the ACC oxidase and synthase genes on ethylene production were revealed by segregation of RFLP-MEL1 and RFLP-MEACS1. The results of single-copy-reconstruction assays suggested that the ACC oxidase gene is a single copy, whereas the ACC synthase gene is a component of a multigene family in the melon genome. The abscission phenotype appeared to be controlled by an independent locus, with the abscission (full-slip) allele dominant over the non-abscission (not full-slip) allele. These results may facilitate efforts toward mapping the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of ethylene production. The RFLPs may be used in marker-assisted selection in developing melons with a more-desirable low ethylene production rate for enhancing postharvest storage life.     

The menD and menE homologs code for 2-succinyl-6-hydroxyl-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylate synthase and O-succinylbenzoic acid-CoA synthase in the phylloquinone biosynthetic pathway of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

The genome of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 contains genes identified as menD and menE, homologs of Escherichia coli genes that code for 2-succinyl-6-hydroxyl-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylate (SHCHC) synthase and O-succinylbenzoic acid-CoA ligase in the menaquinone biosynthetic pathway. In cyanobacteria, the product of this pathway is 2-methyl-3-phytyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (phylloquinone), a molecule used exclusively as an electron transfer cofactor in Photosystem (PS) I. The menD(-) and menE(-) strains were generated, and both were found to lack phylloquinone. Hence, no alternative pathways exist in cyanobacteria to produce O-succinylbenzoyl-CoA. Q-band EPR studies of photoaccumulated quinone anion radical and optical kinetic studies of the P700(+) [F(A)/F(B)](-) backreaction indicate that in the mutant strains, plastoquinone-9 functions as the electron transfer cofactor in the A(1) site of PS I. At a light intensity of 40 microE m(-2) s(-1), the menD(-) and menE(-) mutant strains grew photoautotrophically and photoheterotrophically, but with doubling times slower than the wild type. Both of which are sensitive to high light intensities. Low-temperature fluorescence studies show that in the menD(-) and menE(-) mutants, the ratio of PS I to PS II is reduced relative to the wild type. Whole-chain electron transfer rates in the menD(-) and menE(-) mutant cells are correspondingly higher on a chlorophyll basis. The slower growth rate and high-light sensitivity of the menD(-) and menE(-) mutants are therefore attributed to a lower content of PS I per cell.     

Crystal structures of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase in complex with aminoethoxyvinylglycine and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate provide new insight into catalytic mechanisms.

The structures of tomato 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS) in complex with either cofactor pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) or both PLP and inhibitor aminoethoxyvinylglycine have been determined by x-ray crystallography. The structures showed good conservation of the catalytic residues, suggesting a similar catalytic mechanism for ACS and other PLP-dependent enzymes. However, the proximity of Tyr152 to the C-gamma-S bond of model substrate S-adenosylmethionine implies its critical role in the catalysis. The concerted accomplishment of catalysis by cofactor PLP and a protein residue, as proposed on the basis of the ACS structures in this paper, may represent a general scheme for the diversity of PLP-dependent catalyses. PLP-dependent enzymes have been categorized into four types of folds. A structural comparison revealed that a core fragment of ACS in fold type I is superimposable over tryptophan synthase beta subunit in fold type II and mouse ornithine decarboxylase in fold type III, thus suggesting a divergent evolution of PLP-dependent enzymes.