Growth inhibition of suspension cultured plant cells by ribonucleases

Extracellular, stylar RNases (S-RNases) are produced by self-incompatible, solanaceous plants, such asNicotiana alata, and are thought to be involved in selfpollen rejection by acting selectively as toxins to selfpollen. In this study, the toxicity of RNases to other plant cells was tested by culturing cells ofN. alata andN. plumbaginifolia in the presence ofS-RNases fromN. alata. The growth of cultured cells ofN. plumbaginifolia was inhibited by theS-RNases, but viability was not affected. Growth of cultured cells of oneN. alata selfincompatibility genotype was inhibited by twoS-RNases, indicating that inhibition was not allele specific. Comparisons with the effects of inactivated RNase and other proteins, suggest that the inhibition of growth byS ₂-RNase was partly, but not wholly, due to RNase activity. Heat-denaturedS ₂-RNase was a very effective inhibitor of cell growth, but this inhibitory activity may be a cell surface phenomenon.     

Evidence for multiple ribonucleases in crude extracts from cultured mosquito cells

Crude extracts from Aedes albopictus (mosquito) cells appear to contain several ribonuclease activities, which can be differentiated on the basis of heat-stability, pH optima and the effects of divalent cations. Ribonuclease activities which can be detected on polyacrylamide gels differ with respect to molecular weight, and various subcellular fractions appear to have distinct ribonuclease activities. Zinc chloride and heparin are effective inhibitors of ribonuclease activity in crude extracts. These results provide useful criteria for further characterization of the major ribonucleases present in cultured mosquito cells.     

Lithium alters elicitor-induced H2O2 production in cultured plant cells

Lithium pollution may seriously influence the metabolic and signalling processes of plants. In the present paper, we investigate the effect of lithium chloride on fungal elicitor-triggered H₂O₂ generation in Rubia tinctorum L. cell cultures. Our results show that Li⁺ strongly influences elicitor-induced H₂O₂ formation and time-course in the cells nad culture medium. Neomycin, a phospholipase C inhibitor, and 2-APB, an inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate (IP₃) receptormediated Ca²⁺ release blocker, strongly affected the elicitor-induced H₂O₂ production and had a similar effect on elicitor-triggered H₂O₂ formation as Li⁺. We monitored changes in H₂O₂ location at subcellular level and our observations confirmed the changes measured by quantitative methods. The obtained results enabled us to deduce that the IP₃ pathway might be involved in the early signalling events leading to the moderation of elicitor-induced reactive oxygen species generation.     

Biotransformation using plant cultured cells

This review outlines the recent progress during the last 25 years concerning the biotransformation of exogenous substrates by plant cultured cells. The plant cultured cells have abilities of the regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation, oxido-reduction, hydrogenation, glycosylation, and hydrolysis for various organic compounds as well as microorganisms. The reaction types and the stereochemistry of the products involved in the biotransformations are described. The development of techniques using immobilized plant cells are also delineated.     

Mutagenesis of cultured plant cells

Experiments were designed to study the effectiveness of the chemical mutagens ethylmethane sulfonate and nitrosoguanidine on plant cells growing in liquid suspensions. Mutation frequency was defined as the number of colonies appearing on selective plates divided by the number of colonies growing on non-selective plates. The compounds tested usually increased mutation frequency by one order of magnitude over the spontaneously occurring rate, although the increase ranged from one to 140-fold. Cell killing was found to be directly correlated with mutation frequency.     

Studies on the methylation of cytoplasmic ribosomal RNA from cultured higher plant cells.

The methylation of cytoplasmic ribosomal RNA of cultured sycamore cells (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) was investigated. Labelled 17-S and 26-S rRNA were prepared from cells that had been incubated with either [32P]phosphate, [Me-3H]methionine or [Me-14C]methionine. Ion-exchange resin chromatography of 0.3 M KOH or 1 M HCl hydrolysates and two-dimensional chromatographic analyses of phosphodiesterase plus phosphatase digests of 17-S and 26-S rRNA were performed. 17-S and 26-S rRNA contain 49 and 91 methyl groups per molecule, respectively. These values were verified in sevemral ways. The high degree of methylation of sycamore rRNA, particularly for the 26-S rRNA, contrasts with the situation in all other investigated organisms. Several methylated bases were identified. 7-Methylguanine and 5-methylcytosine both occur in 17-S and 26-S rRNA. N6-Methyladenine and N6,N6-dimethyladenine are restricted to the 17-S rRNA while 3-methyluracil and 1-methyladenine occur in the 26-S rRNA. One hypermodified uridine was also tentatively identified in the small rRNA. In 17-S rRNA, there is one copy of 7-methylguanine, N6-methyladenine and hypermodified uridine and two copies of N6,N6-dimethyladenine. 3-Methyluracil, 1-methyladenine and 5-methylcytosine occur twice, twice and three times, respectively, in 26-S rRNA. 7-Methylguanine and 5-methylcytosine are only in submolar amounts in the 26-S and 17-S rRNA, respectively. There are 40 +/- 2 and 83 +/- 3 2'-O-methylriboses per 17-S and 26-S rRNA molecule, respectively. In addition to the four 2'-O-methylnucleosides, one 2'-O-methylpseudouridine is present in the 17-S rRNA. Several lines of evidence argues for a non-random distribution of the methylriboses. In particular, one and seven Nm-Nm-Np structures occur in the 17-S and 26-S rRNA, respectively. The data are discussed comparatively with the methylation pattern of Escherichia coli, yeast and HeLa cell rRNA.     

Mannitol metabolism in cultured plant cells

Non-structural storage carbohydrates were measured in 9-day-old barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Brant) primary leaves. Accumulation rates of starch, sucrose and total non-structural carbohydrates (TNC) were approximately linear when measured between 2- and 12-h of light. Progressively higher TNC accumulation rates were observed at higher irradiance levels (i.e., comparing 250, 550 and 1050 ·mol m⁻² s⁻¹). Synthesis of a low-molecular-weight fructan also was enhanced by high irradiances. Low irradiance treatments decreased leaf sucrose levels and there was a corresponding increase in the lag period preceding starch synthesis in the light. Increased starch accumulation rates were usually observed when sucrose concentrations were high. These and other results suggested that cytosolic sucrose concentrations affected starch metabolism in the chloroplast. However, sucrose accumulation rates increased and starch storage decreased when barley seedlings were transferred from 20 to 10°C during the light period. Lowering the night temperature from 20 to 10°C for a single dark period 8-days after planting increased the TNC content of barley primary leaves at the beginning of day nine. In this experiment, TNC accumulation rates of treated and untreated leaves were similar. Changes in the accumulation rate of TNC were usually observed within 2- to 4-h after barley seedlings were exposed to altered environmental conditions. Monitoring rapid changes in leaf carbohydrate levels is a sensitive method for assessing the effects of environmental treatments on photosynthetic metabolism.     

Diacylglycerol kinase from suspension cultured plant cells : purification and properties

Diacylglycerol kinase (ATP:1,2-diacylglycerol 3-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.107) from suspension-cultured Catharanthus roseus cells was extracted from a membrane fraction with 0.6% Triton X-100 and 150 millimolar NaCl and was purified about 900-fold by DEAE-cellulose, blue Sepharose, gel permeation, and phenyl-Sepharose chromatography. The enzyme is obviously membrane bound as activity in the cytosol could not be detected. In the presence of detergents such as Triton X-100 (3-[3-cholamidopropyl]dimethylamino)-1-propanesulfonate (Chaps), or deoxycholate, a molecular weight of about 250,000 was determined by gel filtration. In glycerol density gradients, the enzyme sedimented slightly more slowly than bovine serum albumin, indicating a molecular weight of less than 68,000. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis enzyme activity could be assigned to a protein of 51,000 daltons. As found previously for bacterial and animal diacylglycerol kinases, the purified enzyme was completely devoid of activity without the addition of phospholipids or deoxycholate. Cardiolipin was found to be most effective, whereas higher amounts of detergent were inhibitory. The enzyme needs divalent cations for activity, with Mg²⁺ ions being the most effective. Apparent K_m values for ATP and diacylglycerol were determined as 100 and 250 micromolar, respectively.     

Glycosylation of sesamol by cultured plant cells

The glycosylation of sesamol was investigated using cultured cells of Nicotiana tabacum and Eucalyptus perriniana. The cultured suspension cells of N. tabacum converted sesamol into its β-glucoside (7%) as well as the disaccharide, sesamyl 6-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (β-gentiobioside, 30%). On the other hand, sesamyl 6-O-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (β-rutinoside, 56%), together with the β-glucoside (3%), was produced when sesamol was incubated with suspension cells of E. perriniana.     

Na/H exchange in cultured epithelial cells from fish gills

Using primary cultures of gill pavement cells from freshwater rainbow trout, a method is described for achieving confluent monolayers of the cells on glass coverslips. A continuous record of intracellular pH was obtained by loading the cells with the pH-sensitive flourescent dye 2,7-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein and mounting the coverslips in the flowthrough cuvette of a spectrofluorimeter. Experiments were performed in HEPES-buffered media nominally free of HCO₃. Resting intracellular pH (7.43 at extracellular pH=7.70) was insensitive to the removal of Cl^– or the application of 4-acetamido-4-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid (0.1 mmol·l^–1), but fell by about 0.3 units when Na⁺ was removed or in the presence of amiloride (0.2 mmol·l^–1). Exposure to elevated ammonia (ammonia prepulse; 30 mmol·l^–1 as NH₄Cl for 6–9 min) produced an increase in intracellular pH (to about 8.1) followed by a slow decay, and washout of the pulse caused intracellular pH to fall to about 6.5. Intracellular non-HCO ₃ ^– buffer capacity was about 13.4 slykes. Rapid recovery of intracellular pH from intracellular acidosis induced by ammonia prepulse was inhibited more than 80% in Na⁺-free conditions or in the presence of amiloride (0.2 mmol·l^–1). Neither bafilomycin A₁ (3 mol·l^–1) nor Cl removal altered the intracellular pH recovery rate. The K _m for Na⁺ of the intracellular pH recovery mechanism was 8.3 mmol·l^–1, and the rate constant at V _max was 0.008·s^–1 (equivalent to 5.60 mmol H⁺·l^–1 cell water·min^–1), which was achieved at external Na⁺ levels from 25 to 140 mmol·l^–1. We conclude that intracellular pH in cultured gill pavement cells in HEPES-buffered, HCO ₃ ^– -free media, both at rest and during acidosis, is regulated by a Na⁺/H⁺ antiport and not by anion-dependent mechanisms or a vacuolar H⁺-ATPase.Abbreviations BCECF 2,7-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxy-fluorescein - BCECF/AM 2,7-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxy-fluorescein, acetoxymethylester - Cholin-Cl choline chloride - DMSO dimethyl sulfoxide - EDTA ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid - FBS foetal bovine serum - H ⁺ -ATPase Proton-dependent adenosine triphosphatase - HEPES N-[2-hydroxyethyl]piperazine-N[2-ethanesulfonic acid] - pH _i intracellular pH - pH _e extracellular pH - PBS phosphate-buffered saline - SITS 4-acetamido-4-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid     

Diacylglycerol kinase from suspension cultured plant cells : characterization and subcellular localization

Diacylglycerol kinase (adenosine 5′-triphosphate:1,2-diacylglycerol 3-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.107), purified from suspension cultured Catharanthus roseus cells (J Wissing, S Heim, KG Wagner [1989] Plant Physiol 90: 1546-1551), was further characterized and its subcellular location was investigated. The enzyme revealed a complex dependency on lipids and surfactants; its activity was stimulated by certain phospholipids, with phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylglycerol as the most effective species, and by deoxycholate. In the presence of Triton X-100, used for its purification, a biphasic dependency upon diacylglycerol was observed and the apparent Michaelis constant values for diacylglycerol decreased with decreasing Triton concentration. The enzyme accepted both adenosine 5′-triphosphate and guanosine 5′-triphosphate as substrate and showed rather low apparent inhibition constant values for all nucleoside diphosphates tested. Diacylglycerol kinase is an intrinsic membrane protein and no activity was found in the cytosol. An investigation of different cellular membrane fractions confirmed its location in the plasma membrane.     

Subcellular distribution and properties of poly(A)-containing RNA from cultured plant cells.

Cultured sycamore cells rapidly incorporate [3H]uridine or [32P]orthophosphate into rRNA precursors and polydisperse RNA. Mature rRNA accumulates only after a lag period of approximately 40 min. Fractionation of pulse-labelled cells and analysis of the RNA shows that after 30 min the rRNA precursors, together with some polydisperse RNA, are confined to the nucleus. In consequence radioactive polydisperse RNA can be isolated from polyribosomes in the complete absence of labelled rRNA. Approximately 40% of this RNA is retained by an oligo(dT)-cellulose column and by this criterion is judged to contain poly(A) sequences. A smaller proportion of nuclear polydisperse RNA also contains poly(A). The tendency for poly(A)-containing RNA to aggregate complicates molecular weight determinations. Denaturation of poly(A)-containing RNA in 8 M urea prior to gel electrophoresis produces a broad peak of RNA with an average Mr = 10(6). Analysis of the nucleotide composition of total cell poly(A)-containing RNA shows that it contains 41% AMP. Roughly 6% of this RNA is resistant to digestion by ribonuclease A and T1. AMP is the only nucleotide detectable in these fragments. From their mobility during electrophoresis in 8 M urea at 60 degrees C with 5.8-S, 5-S and tRNA as molecular weight markers it is concluded that the poly(A) regions contain an average of 160 nucleotides.     

Purification and properties of magnesium- and manganese-dependent ribonucleases H from chick embryo

Two RNases H, Mg2+- and Mn2+-dependent RNases H, are present in extracts of chick embryo. These RNases H can be separated by phosphocellulose column chromatography. Mg2+-dependent RNase H was purified over 900-fold and Mn2+-dependent RNase H over 1,700-fold from chick embryo extracts. The molecular weight of the purified Mg2+-dependent RNase H was about 40,000 and of the Mn2+-dependent RNase H about 120,000, when estimated by gel filtration. Mg2+-dependent RNase H exhibits maximal activity at pH 9.5, and requires 15 to 20 mM Mg2+ for maximal activity, whereas Mn2+-dependent RNase H is most active at pH 8.5, and is maximally active at the concentration of 0.4 mM Mn2+, and has some activity with Mg2+. Both enzymes require a sulfhydryl reagent for maximal activity. Mn2+-dependent RNase H was inhibited by o-phenanthroline, pyrophosphate, and those polyamines tested, whereas Mg2+-dependent enzyme was not, although it was inhibited by NaF. Both RNases H liberate a mixture of oligonucleotides with 5'-phosphate and 3'-hydroxyl termini endonucleolytically.