Studies on the Wound-Induced CN-Resistant Respiration in Potato Tuber Slices

The respiration of fresh potato slices was sensitive to CN-, and was not inhibited by m-CLAM in the presence or absence of CN-. By contrast, the wound-induced respiration of slices, incubated in air for 24 hours, was not only relatively resistant to CN-, but also markedly inhibited by m-CLAM in the presence or absence of CN-. When m-CLAM and CN- were added togather, the inhibitory effect was higher than that of them when used separately. The observations indicated that the alternate path is operative in aged potato slices. The data determined by the method of m-CLAM titration showed that the actual contribution of alternate path and cytochrome path in aged potato slices was approximately 28% and 54% of the total respiration respectively in the absence of CN-. When the cytochrome path was inhibited by CN-, the maximal capacity of alternate path (Valt was higher than the actual contribution of them (ρ·Valt). The increased contribution of alternate path in presence of CN- might be thought to indicate that there is a diversion of electron flux from the cytochrome path to the alternate path. When the respiratory flux of aged slices was reduced by treatment with iodoacetate and malonate, the proportions of respiration inhibited by CN- and m-CLAM respectively were not changed.     

Mechanism of the Increase in Ribonuclease Activity in Potato Tuber Slices

Upon wounding of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Spunta)RNase activity increases, peaks in about 16 hours, then declines.To see if the increase of the activity is due to de novo synthesisof the enzyme protein, the extracts were compared for theirability to react with a rabbit antibody prepared against thewound activated RNase. The enzyme was purified by polyacrylamidegel electrophoresis of a RNase preparation, which had been partiallypurified from aged potato slices by ammonium sulfate precipitation,carboxymethyl-Sephadex column chromatography and gel filtrationthrough Sephadex G-100. Using rocket immunoelectrophoresis RNase-proteinimmunoprecipitated by the antibody increased in wounded tissue.This observation implies that the activity increase involvesenzyme synthesis. The increase was inhibited by actinomycinD and cordycepin, but not by 5-fluorouracil, suggesting a requirementfor mRNA synthesis. (Received April 9, 1985; Accepted December 16, 1985)     

The Fate of Patatin and Its mRNA in Slices of Potato Tuber

The fate of patatin mRNA was investigated in slices of potatotuber since this mRNA appeared to be a potential example ofa preexisting mRNA that is involved in the rapid formation ofpolysomes which occurs in such slices. Levels of patatin, whichis the major storage protein in mature potato tubers, decreasedslightly during the first 4 h after slicing but remained constantfor the next 44 h. Analysis of products of in vitro translationshowed that patatin mRNA was present and stable in the tubercells even after several months of storage. The translationalactivity of patatin mRNA relative to total translational activityin total cellular RNA fraction increased transiently duringthe first hour and then decreased rapidly to undetectable levelswithin 6 h. By contrast, the activity in polysomal RNA fractiondecreased immediately after slicing. The difference betweenthe relative activities of patatin mRNA in total and polysomalRNA fractions during the first hour suggests that the extentof incorporation of patatin mRNA into polysomes was not in directproportion to its abundance in the cells of the slices. Additionof actinomycin D to the slices did not prevent the transientincrease in the translational activity of patatin mRNA in totalRNA fraction at 1 h, indicating that the transient increasewas not due to synthesis of patatin mRNA de novo after slicing.However, the inhibitor prevented the degradation of patatinmRNA in the slices. This result indicates that the synthesisof new mRNAs is necessary for the degradation of patatin mRNA. ¹Present address: Aburahi Laboratories, Shionogi and Co., Ltd.,Koka-cho, Shiga, 520-34 Japan (Received June 30, 1989; Accepted May 9, 1990)     

Sequential Induction of mRNAs for Phenylalanine Ammonia-lyase in Slices of Potato Tuber

Induction of the mRNA that encodes for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase(PAL, EC 4.3.1.5 [EC] ), which catalyzes the first reaction in thebiosynthesis of a wide variety of phenylpropanoid natural productsfrom phenylalanine, was investigated in. wounded tuber tissuesof the potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Irish Cobbler). Northernblot analysis showed that hybridizable RNA was not present inunwounded tissue, but the amount of hybridizable PAL-specificmRNA increased rapidly in the polysomal RNA fraction with asharp, high peak at the early stage (0 h to 6 h) and two broadlower peaks at the later stage (6 h to 48 h) of the wound response.Addition of actinomycin D to the tissue prevented the appearanceof hybridizable mRNA in the total RNA fraction, confirming thatthe increase resulted from synthesis of PAL mRNA de novo. Levelsof translatable PAL mRNA activity in vitro increased in thepolysomal RNA fraction in parallel with the changes in levelsof hybridizable mRNA, with a subsequent increase in levels ofPAL subunit polypeptides and enzymatic activity in wounded tissues.PAL subunits synthesized both in vivo and in vitro had the samemolecular masses, of about 79 kDa, on SDS-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis, but isoelectric focusing revealed the presenceof isoforms of the native tetrameric enzyme with different pIvalues and changes in the relative levels of the isoforms afterwounding. Furthermore, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis ofPAL subunits synthesized in vitro showed that at least eightmRNAs that encoded subunit isoforms with different pI valueswere expressed sequentially after wounding. (Received May 24, 1990; Accepted October 24, 1990)     

丙酮酸对陈化马铃薯块茎切片线粒体抗氰呼吸的激活作用

用从陈化马铃薯切片纯化的线粒体进行实验发现：丙酮酸对总呼吸只有微弱的刺激作用,但可明显激活抗氰呼吸,并显著增强抗氰呼吸对总呼吸的贡献;丙酮酸对抗氰呼吸的激活作用可通过洗涤线粒体除去,重新加入丙酮酸又对抗氰呼吸产生激活作用;丙酮酸对抗氰呼吸的半最大激活浓度约为1．0mmol／L。上述结果表明丙酮酸对植物线粒体抗氰呼吸的激活作用可能具有普遍性。     

内源乙烯对陈化马铃薯切片交替氧化酶表达的诱导作用

抗氰呼吸是植物线粒体区别于动物线粒体的主要功能特征之一,其本质是一条以交替氧化酶（ａｌｔｅｒｎａｔｉｖｅｏｘｉｄａｓｅ,ＡＯＸ）为末端氧化酶,被称为“交替途径”的呼吸电子传递链（ＭｃＩｎｔｏｓｈ１９９４）。该呼吸途径经常发生于产热植物开花、果实成熟、切片陈化、低温胁迫、机械损伤以及病原体侵染等一些较特殊的环境条件或生理过程中,并受乙烯等一些效应剂的诱导（Ｓｏｌｏｍｏｓ和Ｌａｔｉｅｓ１９７６,Ｄａｙ等１９７８,Ｇｕｄｅ和ｖａｎｄｅｒＰｌａｓ１９８５,Ｍａｒｉｓｓｅｎ等１９８６,Ｙｉｐ和Ｈｅｗ１９８…     

Alteration of Coding Properties of Polysome-Associated Messenger RNA in Potato Tuber Slices during Aging

Kinetics of polysome formation, translational capacity, and coding properties of polysome-associated messenger RNA were investigated in potato tuber tissue discs during aging. Polysome content rapidly increased immediately after slicing from 14% of total ribosomes in freshly sliced discs to 55% within 12 hours of aging. The amount of polysomal RNA also increased 5-fold during this period. Translational capacity of polysome-associated messenger RNA increased in parallel with the increase in content of polysomal RNA of the tissue discs when measured in a wheat germ cell-free system. Analysis of the in vitro translation products by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the majority of polypeptides coded by the messenger RNA did not vary greatly during the period of rapid polysome formation. Three types of messenger RNA were found to change in amount during that period: those which appeared only after aging, those which disappeared during aging, and those which disappeared early but reappeared later in the aging period.     

水杨酸对陈化马铃薯切片乙烯产生的促进作用 (英)

外源水杨酸（talicylicacid,SA）处理可明显促进陈化马铃薯切片的乙烯产生。SA促进乙烯产生的作用强度与SA浓度。pH值、陈化温度以及块茎的生理状态有关：在90μmol－1内,作用强度与SA浓度呈正相关;30℃下的作用强于20℃下的作用;pH6．4的SA溶液作用最强;对休眠块茎切片的作用强于破除休眠块茎切片。     

水杨酸对陈化马铃薯切片交替途径活性的诱导作用

在马铃薯切片陈化过程中,总呼吸速率（Ｖｔ）和交替途径容量（Ｖａｌｔ）分别升高了５倍和２８倍,但交替途径在无ＫＣＮ存在下几乎不运行。用２０μｍｏｌ／Ｌ的水杨酸处理陈化切片可引起总呼吸速率和交替途径容量的少量增加,但交替途径的运行却明显加强。水杨酸的这种促进作用在Ｐｅｒｃｏｌｌ纯化的线粒体中也有出现。马铃薯切片中交替途径运行的增加导致了线粒体呼吸控制比及ＡＤＰ／Ｏ的下降。这些都表明水杨酸对马铃薯切片陈化过程中抗氰交替途径的活性具有诱导作用。     

Influence of Abscisic Acid on Nitrate Accumulation and Nitrate Reductase Activity in Potato Tuber Slices

Abscisic acid (ABA) at concentrations of 1 to 10 µg.ml^–1suppressed development of nitrate reductase activity in freshtuber slices of Solanum tuberosum L. incubated in KNO₃. Suppressionof activity was evident after 3 hr and continued for 20 hr beforerecovery. This recovery may be due to inactivation of the hormone.Nitrate accumulation was enhanced by ABA. At exogenous NO₃ levelsof 0.1 to 5 mM, the hormone enhanced both NO₃ accumulation andnitrate reductase activity. When applied 24 hr after incubation in NO₃, ABA promoted a markeddecline in enzyme activity in the absence of exogenous NO₃,but was less effective in the presence of NO₃. Slices incubatedin NO₃ and ABA also exhibited increased loss of enzyme activityupon removal of NO₃. Preincubating slices in the hormone for24 hr in a NO₃- free medium resulted in stimulation of nitratereductase activity. Addition of NO₃ resulted in a marked stimulationof enzyme activity over a period of 8–10 hr. The ABA response is not related to tissue levels of free aminoacids and is not affected by different NO₃ sources. These resultssuggest the ABA effect on nitrate reductase activity is influencedby NO₃ status of the cells. Where external NO₃ levels are lowit stimulated NRA while it inhibited activity where NO₃ contentis high. (Received May 12, 1981; Accepted October 12, 1981)     

Inhibition of the Development of Induced Respiration and Cyanide-insensitive Respiration in Potato Tuber Slices by Cerulenin and Dimethylaminoethanol

The interdependence of the development of wound-induced respiration and membrane-related phospholipid biosynthesis in potato tuber (Solanum tuberosum var. Russet) slices was established by the use of agents which selectively affect lipid and phospholipid synthesis. Cerulenin, a specific inhibitor of de novo fatty acid synthesis, inhibited the ultimate development of wound-induced respiration and of cyanide resistance only when given in the critical first 10 to 12 hours of slice aging. Similarly, when slices were exposed to the choline analogue dimethylaminoethanol within the first 10 hours, the phospholipid composition of the membrane lipids was drastically altered, the wound-induced respiration in a 24-hr period was substantially curtailed, and the development of cyanide insensitivity was sharply inhibited. These observations indicate that time-restricted membrane-related phospholipid synthesis is prerequisite to the development of wound-induced respiration and concurrent cyanide insensitivity.     

Physiological Gradients in the Potato Tuber

The distribution of the major cations and anions, together with citric acid, malic acid and iron, has been studied in tubers of Solanum tuberosum cv. Golden Wonder, by analysis of longitudinal cores divided into 16 equal cylindrical sections. In immature daughter tubers the constituents studied were evenly distributed along the tuber, but in mature tubers a considerable polarity had developed. The concentrations of potassium, phosphorus and citric acid each rose from the heel to the rose end of the tuber. Iron showed a gradient in the opposite direction. These gradients were maintained in sprouting tubers, and although after 25 days the levels of these constituents were reduced, the patterns of distribution were unchanged. In the exhausted mother tubers all these constituents were much depleted and only potassium exhibited any pattern of polar distribution. Malic acid was barely detectable at any stage, and calcium, sodium, magnesium, chloride, sulphate and nitrate were always at low levels and showed no polarity of distribution. At each developmental stage potassium was correlated with the difference in electrical potential measured between cells at points across the tuber. A close correlation was apparent between potassium and citric acid content in young, mature and sprouting tubers. In all stages a considerable discrepancy existed between total anions and total cations and this was attributed to the presence of organic acids other than citric acid.