Studies onC-glycosides in higher plants

The intracellular distribution of bergenin and related compounds was examined in mesophyll cell protoplasts ofSaxifraga stolonifera. Vacuoles ofS. stolonifera leaves contained 46% to 55% of the bergenin and related compounds. It was also noted that 50% of the gallic acid was located in chloroplasts. From the results obtained it was concluded that bergenin and norbergenin were primarily localized in the vacuoles, but gallic acid was distributed equally in vacuoles and chloroplasts.     

Studies onC-glycosides in higher plants

The biosynthesis of bergenin and arbutin in the organs ofSaxifraga stolonifera has been studied by tracer techniques. Among the organs tested, the leaves showed the highest incorporation of label fromd-glucose-U-¹⁴C into bergenin and arbutin under continuous light, although every organ is more or less able to synthesize both glucosides. The incorporation rate into bergenin was higher in the young leaves, whereas the synthesis of arbutin became active in the mature leaves. The fact that the addition of unlabeled gallic acid enhanced the incorporation of label into bergenin suggests that gallic acid may be a likely glucosyl acceptor in bergenin biosynthesis.     

Studies of vegetative compatibility-incompatibility in higher plants

Summary In order to elucidate the events that lead to cellular autolysis, and thus better understand the mechanism of cellular incompatibility betweenSedum telephoides andSolanum pennellii stems, we have followed the appearance and fate of the hydrolytic enzyme acid phosphatase in both the compatibleSedum autograft and the incompatibleSedum/Solanum heterograft. Acid phosphatase was localized by a modified Gomori-type reaction. Following an initial association with the endoplasmic reticulum and dictyosomes by 6–10 hours after grafting, acid phosphatase activity in the compatibleSedum autograft was associated primarily with the plasmalemma, tonoplast, and vacuole. This strict compartmentation in membranes or organelles and absence of enzyme from the cytosol was maintained throughout the development of the compatible autograft inSedum. Although acid phosphatase activity in the incompatible heterograft betweenSedum andSolanum was initially similar to the compatible autograft inSedum, a marked difference in enzyme localization occurred in the two graft partners over time.Solanum cells accumulated increased amounts of acid phosphatase, but the enzyme remained sequestered in the plasmalemma, tonoplast, and vacuole. In comparableSedum cells, however, there was a dramatic increase in acid phosphatase activity in the cytosol, often without any prior compartmentation within the vacuole. This high activity of acid phosphatase in theSedum cytosol was correlated with cellular autolysis, death, and eventual cell collapse to form the characteristic necrotic layer that insulates the stock from the scion. These results suggest that the lethal cellular senescence associated withSedum cells of the incompatible heterograft is correlated with a cytoplasmic release of acid phosphatase. A similar release of the enzyme does not occur in theSolanum stock or in the compatibleSedum autograft. Thus, while acid phosphatase synthesis and/or activation is induced in both the compatible and incompatible grafts, incompatibility betweenSedum andSolanum involves a failure ofSedum cells to isolate hydrolytic enzymes from the cytosol, which subsequently leads to cellular necrosis.Supported in part by grants from the Academic Senate of UCLA, Sigma Xi, the American Philosophical Society, and the URC of Baylor University.     

高等植物GA 20-氧化酶研究进展

GA20-氧化酶（GA 20-oxidase）是高等植物体内GA生物合成途径中最重要的限速酶,它能够催化从GA12到GA9及GA53到GA20-系列的氧化反应。作者对近年来有关GA20一氧化酶的特征,GA20一氧化酶基因及编码蛋白、GA20一氧化酶基因表达调控进行了综合评述,并对GA20一氧化酶基因转化在农业、林业、;园艺业方面的应用前景进行了展望。     

Rhodanese in higher plants

Rhodanese activity was detected in crude leaf extracts of 12 randomly selected plant species consisting of 9 non-cyanophoric and 3 cyanophoric species. In each case, the enzyme exhibited high activity at pH 10·4 and 55°. There appeared to be no correlation between rhodanese activity and the cyanophoric nature of the plant.     

高等植物体内的肌动蛋白

植物肌动蛋白是植物细胞生物学领域发展起来的热点,它涉及植物细胞的分裂机制。细胞运动,细胞器运动,细胞的极性,细胞空间形状的维持,物质运输等,对高等植物肌动蛋白的性质,功能,研究方法及分子生物学领域的研究作了综述。并对该领域存在的问题及应用前景作了展望。     

Endoreduplication in higher plants

Cell polyploidisation can be achieved by endoreduplication, which consists of one or several rounds of DNA synthesis in the absence of mitosis. As a consequence, chromosomes with 2ⁿ chromatids are produced without change in the chromosome number. Endoreduplication is the most common mode of polyploidisation in plants and can be found in many cell types, especially in those undergoing differentiation and expansion. Although accumulating data reveal that this process is developmentally regulated, it is still poorly understood in plants. At the molecular level, the increasing knowledge on plant cell cycle regulators allows the acquisition of new tools and clues to understand the basis of endoreduplication control and, in particular, the switch between cell proliferation and cell differentiation.     

Studies of the slowly exchanging chloride in Photosystem II of higher plants

³⁶Cl^- was used to study the slow exchange of chloride at a binding site associated with Photosystem II (PS II). When PS II membranes were labeled with different concentrations of ³⁶Cl^-, saturation of binding at about I chloride/PS II was observed. The rate of binding showed a clear dependence on the concentration of chloride approaching a limiting value of about 3·10^-4 s^-1 at high concentrations, similar to the rate of release of chloride from labeled membranes. These rates were close to that found earlier for the release of chloride from PS II membranes isolated from spinach grown on ³⁶Cl^-, which suggests that we are observing the same site for chloride binding. The similarity between the limiting rate of binding and the rate of release of chloride suggests that the exchange of chloride with the surrounding medium is controlled by an intramolecular process. The binding of chloride showed a pH-dependence with an apparent pK_a of 7.5 and was very sensitive to the presence of the extrinsic polypeptides at the PS II donor side. The binding of chloride was competitively inhibited by a few other anions, notably Br^- and NO₃ ^-. The slowly exchanging Cl^- did not show any significant correlation with oxygen evolution rate or yield of EPR signals from the S₂ state. Our studies indicate that removal of the slowly exchanging chloride lowers the stability of PS II as indicated by the loss of oxygen evolution activity and S₂ state EPR signals.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - EPR electron paramagnetic resonance - Hepes 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid - Mes 4-morpholineethanesulfonic acid - MWCO molecular weight cut off - PPBQ phenyl-p-benzoquinone - PS II Photosystem II     

Studies on chloroplast division in young leaf tissues of some higher plants

Summary The process of chloroplast division in young leaves of four species (bean, spinach, wheat, and maize) was investigated by light and electron microscopy. Two types of division, i.e., by fission, and by partition were observed.Chloroplast division by fission prevailed in the plant species examined, as shown by the relative abundance of dumbbell-shaped plastids, the characteristic stage in this type of division. Electron dense material, most commonly in the shape of a ring structure in the isthmus of the dividing plastid, was nearly always present in wheat and maize. Similar, but less distinct structures were usually observed in the neck region of constricted bean and spinach chloroplasts.Chloroplast division by partition was found in young leaf tissues of bean and spinach, but was not observed in wheat and maize. The main indication of this type of division is a centripetal invagination of the inner limiting membrane of the plastid envelope which progressively divides the chloroplast stroma into two, nearly equal, parts. Specific membraneous structures resembling myelin figures were usually found close to a dividing chloroplast and may participate in chloroplastokinesis.     

Studies on the cytogenetic activity of some common fungicides in higher plants.

Seeds of barley and secondary roots of Vicia faba were exposed to treatments with 23 of the most commonly used fungicides with a view to discovering the effect of these fungicides on the germination, seedling injury and chromosome abnormalities in the former, and the spectrum and frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the latter. Sixteen fungicides reduced the percentage of seed germination, induced seedling injury and produced cytological anomalies of varying degrees in barley. More potent fungicides were further tested in the secondary roots of Vicia faba which were found to produce a significant amount of chromosomal aberrations in the form of chromatid and isolocus breaks and exchanges of chromatid type. Based on theseo bservations, fungicides Dexon, Benlaté, Cerasan, Copperson, Lonocol, Morestan, Hexasan and Karathane could be classified as strong radioimimetic agents. Their role as environmental mutagens in enhancing the spontaneous mutation rate has been discussed and it has been concluded that these constitute genetic and environmental hazards of great magnitude to the eco-system where they are released.     

D-amino acids in higher plants

Although there appear to be no exceptions to the rule that proteins are composed solely of the L-isomers of amino acids, D-amino acids and derivatives of them do occur rather widely in living organisms. In some cases they have well-understood functions, but in other cases their occurrence raises interesting questions. Several peptide antibiotics contain D-amino acids (1). The peptido-glycans of Gram-positive bacterial cell walls contain D-glutamic acid, D-alanine, and D-asparagine (2). D-amino acids are also found in animals, chiefly annelids and insects (3). In this paper some aspects of D-amino acids in higher plants will be reviewed.     

Calcium oscillations in higher plants

There is considerable interest in the possibility that stimulus-induced oscillations in cytosolic free calcium encode information that is used to specify the outcome of the final response in calcium-based signalling pathways in plants. Recent results provide conclusive evidence that plant cells can decipher complex calcium signatures.     

Lysine metabolism in higher plants

Summary. The essential amino acid lysine is synthesised in higher plants via a pathway starting with aspartate, that also leads to the formation of threonine, methionine and isoleucine. Enzyme kinetic studies and the analysis of mutants and transgenic plants that overaccumulate lysine, have indicated that the major site of the regulation of lysine synthesis is at the enzyme dihydrodipicolinate synthase. Despite this tight regulation, there is strong evidence that lysine is also subject to catabolism in plants, specifically in the seed. The two enzymes involved in lysine breakdown, lysine 2-oxoglutarate reductase (also known as lysine α-ketoglutarate reductase) and saccharopine dehydrogenase exist as a single bifunctional protein, with the former activity being regulated by lysine availability, calcium and phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. Received December 21, 1999 Accepted February 7, 2000