Genotypic variation in cytokinin oxidase from phaseolus callus cultures

Genotypic variation in cytokinin oxidase has been detected in enzyme preparations from Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Great Northern and Phaseolus lunatus L. cv Kingston callus cultures. Although cytokinin oxidase preparations from Great Northern and Kingston callus tissues appear to have very similar substrate specificities, the cytokinin oxidase activities from the two callus tissues were found to differ in a number of other properties. The cytokinin oxidase from P. vulgaris cv Great Northern callus tissue exhibited a pH optimum of 6.5 (bisTris) and had a strong affinity for the lectin concanavalin A. The cytokinin oxidase from P. lunatus cv Kingston callus tissue exhibited a pH optimum of 8.4 (Taps) and did not bind to concanavalin A. The two enzymes also differed in position of elution when chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose. Both cytokinin oxidase activities exhibited enhanced activity and lower pH optima in the presence of copper-imidazole complexes, but the optimum copper-imidazole ratio and the magnitude of enhancement differed for the two activities. In both callus tissues, transient increases in the supply of exogenous cytokinins induced increases in cytokinin oxidase activity. The differences in pH optima and in glycosylation (as evidenced by the observed difference in lectin affinity) of the cytokinin oxidases from Great Northern and Kingston callus tissues suggest that the compartmentation of cytokinin oxidase may differ in the two callus tissues. The possibility that enzyme compartmentation and isozyme variation in cytokinin oxidase may play a role in the regulation of cytokinin degradation in plant tissues is discussed in relation to known differences in the rates of cytokinin degradation in Great Northern and Kingston callus tissues.     

Regulation of Cytokinin Oxidase Activity in Callus Tissues of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Great Northern

The regulation of cytokinin oxidase activity in callus tissues of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Great Northern has been examined using an assay based on the oxidation of N⁶-(Δ²-isopentenyl)adenine-8-¹⁴C (i⁶ Ade-8-¹⁴C) to adenine. Solutions of exogenous cytokinins applied directly to the surface of the callus tissues induced relatively rapid increases in cytokinin oxidase activity. The increase in activity was detectable after 1 hour and continued for about 8 hours, reaching values two- to three-fold higher than the controls. The cytokinin-induced increase in cytokinin oxidase activity was inhibited in tissues pretreated with cordycepin or cycloheximide, suggesting that RNA and protein synthesis may be required for the response. Rifampicin and chloramphenicol, at concentrations that inhibited the growth of Great Northern callus tissues, were ineffective in inhibiting the increase in activity. All cytokinin-active compounds tested, including both substrates and nonsubstrates of cytokinin oxidase, were effective in inducing elevated levels of the enzyme in Great Northern callus tissue. The cytokinin-active urea derivative, Thidiazuron, was as effective as any adenine derivative in inducing this response. The addition of Thidiazuron to the reaction volumes used to assay cytokinin oxidase activity resulted in a marked inhibition of the degradation of the labeled i⁶ Ade-8-¹⁴C substrate. On the basis of this result, it is possible that Thidiazuron may serve as a substrate for cytokinin oxidase, but other mechanisms of inhibition have not yet been excluded.     

Cytokinin structure-activity relationships and the metabolism of N-(delta-isopentenyl)adenosine-8-C in phaseolus callus tissues

The activities of the free base and ribonucleoside forms of cytokinins bearing saturated and unsaturated N⁶-isoprenoid side chains have been examined in callus cultures derived from Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Great Northern, P. lunatus cv. Kingston, and the interspecific hybrid Great Northern × Kingston. In callus of cv. Great Northern, cytokinins bearing saturated side chains (N⁶-isopentyladenine, N⁶-isopentyladenosine, dihydrozeatin, and ribosyldihydrozeatin) were always more active than the corresponding unsaturated analogs (N⁶-[Δ²-isopentenyl]adenine, N⁶-[Δ²-isopentenyl]adenosine, zeatin, and ribosylzeatin). In callus of cv. Kinston, the cytokinins bearing unsaturated side chains were either more active or equally as active as the saturated compounds. These differences in cytokinin structure-activity relationships were correlated with differences in the metabolism of ¹⁴C-N⁶-(Δ²-isopentenyl)adenosine. In Great Northern tissues, this cytokinin was rapidly degraded to adenosine; in Kingston tissues, the major metabolite was the corresponding nucleotide. The growth responses of callus of the interspecific hybrid were intermediate between the parental tissues, and the metabolism of ¹⁴C-N⁶-(Δ²-isopentenyl)adenosine by the hybrid callus exhibited characteristics of both parental tissues. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the weak activity of cytokinins with unsaturated side chains in promoting the growth of Great Northern callus is due to the rapid conversion of these cytokinins to inactive metabolites.     

Studies on oxalate oxidase from beet stems upon immobilization on concanavalin A.

Oxalate oxidase (EC 1.2.3.4) was purified from beet stems and immobilized on concanavalin A. The bound enzyme showed a high resistance of denaturation and increased the storage stability at 4 degrees C. The immobilized oxidase showed a broad optimum at pH 3.5-5, compared to the free enzyme with a sharp optimum at pH 4.5. There was a 3-fold increase in the apparent Km value on immobilization. The lectin interaction also eliminated the inhibitory effect produced on the enzyme by azide, nitrate and glycollate. The stimulatory effect on the enzyme activity by the flavins was not seen with the bound enzyme. The interaction of oxidase on concanavalin A-Sepharose 4B column and its reversal with methyl alpha-D-mannoside, indicated the presence of polysaccharides. The glycoprotein nature was further confirmed by periodic acid-sciff staining procedure of the enzyme after gel electrophoresis.     

Cytokinin Oxidase from Phaseolus vulgaris Callus Tissues : Enhanced in Vitro Activity of the Enzyme in the Presence of Copper-Imidazole Complexes

The effects of metal ions on cytokinin oxidase activity extracted from callus tissues of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Great Northern have been examined using an assay based on the oxidation of N⁶-(Δ²-isopentenyl)-adenine-2,8-³H (i⁶ Ade) to adenine (Ade). The addition of cupric ions to reaction mixtures containing imidazole buffer markedly enhanced cytokinin oxidase activity. In the presence of optimal concentrations of copper and imidazole, cytokinin oxidase activity was stimulated more than 20-fold. The effect was enzyme dependent, specific for copper, and observed only in the presence of imidazole. The substrate specificity of the copper-imidazole enhanced reaction, as judged by substrate competition tests, was the same as that observed in the absence of copper and imidazole. Similarly, in tests involving DEAE-cellulose chromatography, elution profiles of cytokinin oxidase activity determined using a copper-imidazole enhanced assay were identical to those obtained using an assay without copper and imidazole. On the basis of these results, the addition of copper and imidazole to reaction mixtures used to assay for cytokinin oxidase activity is judged to provide a reliable and specific assay of greatly enhanced sensitivity for the enzyme. The mechanism by which copper and imidazole enhance cytokinin oxidase activity is not certain, but the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme was not inhibited by anaerobic conditions when these reagents were present. This observation suggests that copper-imidazole complexes are substituting for oxygen in the reaction mechanism by which cytokinin oxidase effects cleavage of the N⁶-side chain of i⁶Ade.     

烟草愈伤组织多酚氧化酶研究

柳叶烟草愈伤组织中多酚氧化酶氧化邻苯二酚的活性明显高于氧化对苯二酚的活性。当以邻苯二酚为底物时,烟草愈伤组织多酚氧化酶分别在pH 5.6和pH 7.4有两个活性高峰。KCN、Dieca和m-CLAM对烟草愈伤组织多酚氧化酶活性都有明显抑制效应。根据凝胶电泳分析,继代培养愈伤组织多酚氧化酶同工酶有5条酶带,而巳分化出芽原基的愈伤组织和新分化长出的小叶都有7—8条酶带。继代培养的愈伤组织多酚氧化酶主要存在于除去线粒体的上清液中,线粒体部分也可测出酶活性。继代培养愈伤组织在接种后18天内,多酚氧化酶活性无重大改变。在此期间,Dieca对呼吸的抑制效应也变化不大。分化组织多酚氧化酶活性显著高于继代培养愈伤组织,在芽原基形成后,酶活性明显升高;此时Dieca对呼吸的抑制也由32%上升到47%。     

Phenolic accumulation and peroxidase activity inin vitro selected alfalfa callus cultures resistant to filtrate ofFusarium spp.

Changes in the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, accumulation of phenolic acids and ionically-bound peroxidase activity in thein vitro selected embryogenic and nonembryogenicMedicago sativa callus cultures resistant to the filtrate ofFusarium spp. were found. The PAL activity in bothin vitro selected cultures during a 4-week cultivation on a medium with phytotoxins was higher than in the control calli grown on a medium without toxin. The filtrate fromFusarium spp. evoked an increase in the contents of all determined phenolic acids in the selected calli. They occurred predominantly bound as esters. The most pronounced portions in the elevated acids level were of ester-bound p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids. The ionic cell wall-bound peroxidase activity in both selected calli cultivated on a medium with a filtrate was twice as high as the activity determined in the control cultures. The activity of soluble peroxidase was not influenced by challenge with a filtrate. No significant differences were found between thein vitro selected embryogenic and nonembryogenic alfalfa callus cultures in the response to the phytotoxic filtrate.     

Immobilization of glycoenzymes through carbohydrate side chains.

Glucoamylase, peroxidase, glucose oxidase, and carboxypeptidase Y were covalently bound to water-insoluble supports through their carbohydrate side chains. Two approaches were used. First, the carbohydrate portions of the enzymes were oxidized with periodate to generate aldehyde groups. Treatment with amines (ethylenediamine or glycyltyrosine) and borohydride provided groups through which the protein could be immobilized. Ethylenediamine was attached to glucoamylase, peroxidase, glucose oxidase, and carboxypeptidase Y to the extent of 24, 20, 30, and 15 mol/mol of enzyme, respectively. These derivatives were coupled to an aminocaproate adduct of CL-Sepharose via an N-hydroxysuccinimide ester or to CNBr-activated Sepharose. Coupling yields were in the range of 37–50%. Retained activities of the bound aminoalkyl-enzymes were 41% (glucoamylase), 79% (peroxidase), 71% (glucose oxidase), 83% (carboxypeptidase Y). A glycyltyrosine derivative of carboxypeptidase Y was bound to diazotized arylamine-glass. Coupling yield was 42% and retained esterase activity was 84%. In the second approach, the enzyme was adsorbed to immobilized concanavalin A and the complex was crosslinked. Adsorption of carboxypeptidase Y on immobilized concanavalin A followed by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde was also effective. The bound enzyme retained 96% of the native esterase activity and showed very good operational stability.     

Purification and properties of glucoamylase from sugar beet cells in suspension culture

Glucoamylase and α-amylase are present in callus and suspension cultures of sugar beets (Beta vulgaris L.) as well as in mature roots. The subcellular localization of glucoamylase differed in callus and suspension-cultured cells: in callus, glucoamylase was present together with α-amylase in the soluble fraction of cells, but in suspension cultures, it was present predominantly in the extracellular fraction while most of the α-amylase activity remained in cells. Glucoamylase activity was considerably lower in callus protoplasts relative to the activities of α-mannosidase and α-galactosidase and the suspension of callus in Murashige-Skoog liquid medium or in mannitol by brief agitation resulted in the release of glucoamylase to the medium. These findings suggest that glucoamylase in callus may be present in a soluble form in the free space in the cell wall. Both mature roots and callus contained α-amylase and glucoamylase in the soluble fraction. Glucoamylases in the soluble fraction of callus and in the medium of suspension cultures were purified separately to homogeneity by the same four-step purification procedure, which included fractionation with ammonium sulfate, column chromatography on carboxymethyl cellulose, gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-150, and preparative disc electrophoresis. The identity of the glucoamylases from the two sources was confirmed by a comparison of chromatographic behavior during purification, mobility during gel electrophoresis, M_r (83,000 D by SDS PAGE), and enzymic and kinetic properties of the catalytic reaction, such as optimal pH and temperature, heat stability, and K_m value for soluble starch. Glucoamylase from suspension cultures was one of the major proteins that were secreted into the medium. Dedifferentiation of leaves of young plants to callus was accompanied by induction of glucoamylase and repression of some α-amylases and the debranching enzyme.     

Influence of cold pretreatment on shoot regeneration from callus in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. ‘Barhee’

Mass propagation of date palm through indirect somatic embryogenesis or organogenesis has attracted the interest of commercial producers. But, this technique still faces some problems that hindered the production of date palm plantlets in vitro. Tissue browning is one of the serious problems that reduce callus growth and shoot regeneration. So the objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of cold pretreatment on callus growth, shoot regeneration, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity during the callus culture. Results showed that a high survival rate of callus cultures (100%) were obtained when cultures were incubated in low temperature (cold treatment) for 45 and 75?days. On the other hand, total amount on phenolic compounds was also reduced to 0.47 and 0.53?mg GAE/g after same period of incubation (45 and 75?days respectively) at low temperature. In additional, our results showed that the highest frequency of shoot formation (66.67 and 73.34, %) and the highest shoot numbers (7.8 and 8.6 shoots/100?mg) were obtained from callus treated with low temperature for 45 and 75?days, respectively.     

Separation of putrescine oxidase and spermidine oxidase in foetal bovine serum with the aid of a specific radioactive assay of spermidine oxidase.

1. A sensitive and specific assay for spermidine oxidase is described. The method involves the separation of [14C]spermidine (substrate) from [14C]putrescine (product) and other 14C-labelled products on a Dowex 50 cation-exchange column: 92% of the putrescine applied to the column was eluted by 2.3 M-HCl, but this treatment left 96% of the spermidine bound to the column. Unchanged spermidine could be removed from the column by elution with 6 M-HCl. 2. By means of this assay, foetal and adult bovine serum were each shown to contain spermidine oxidase activity, putrescine being a major product of the oxidation of spermidine by the serum enzymes. 3. In foetal bovine serum, spermidine oxidase activity is separable from putrescine oxidase activity by chromatography on a cadaverine-Sephadex column, by gel filtration and by ion-exchange column chromatography. Putrescine oxidase was purified 1900-fold and spermidine oxidase 130-fold by these procedures. The former oxidized putrescine but not spermidine, and spermidine oxidase exhibited no activity with putrescine as substrate.     

Marked increase in ascorbate oxidase protein in pumpkin callus by adding copper

Ascorbate oxidase from pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.) was purified from a commercially available preparation. A single polypeptide band with M_r 64,000 was detected after sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme. In double immunodiffusion tests, antiserum against the purified preparation formed a single precipitin line with the crude extract from pumpkin fruit tissue or the callus as well as with the purified preparation. Immunological blotting method showed that mol wt of ascorbate oxidase subunit in pumpkin callus was the same as that of the purified preparation. Analysis with the single radial immunodiffusion method showed that the increase in ascorbate oxidase activity during the growth of pumpkin callus correlated with an increase in the enzyme protein. Furthermore, enzyme protein in the callus grown in the presence of 10 micromolar CuSO₄ for 2 weeks was about eight times that grown in the presence of 0.1 micromolar CuSO₄. The synthesis of ascorbate oxidase in pumpkin callus may be induced by copper, a prosthetic metal of the enzyme, or copper may help stabilize the enzyme against proteolytic breakdown.     

Inner mitochondrial membranes bound to concanavalin A-sepharose display succinate dehydrogenase, ATPase, and cytochrome oxidase activity

A fraction (15-20% of the total protein) of a preparation of bovine submitochondrial particles (SMPs) binds to concanavalin A-sepharose. The bound membranes displayed succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome oxidase, and ATPase activity, which, as in SMPs, were inhibited by malonate, cyanide, and oligomycin, respectively. These results indicate that the bound membranes are inner mitochondrial membranes and that they contain a glycoprotein which was recognized by concanavalin A. It was possible to repeatedly perform the three enzyme assays, one after the other, in the same gel with the bound membranes. Long-term stability tests (22 days) showed that cytochrome oxidase was much more stable in the membranes bound to the gel than in SMPs, while the ATPase activity decayed at a similar rate in the two conditions. Thus, inner mitochondrial membranes bound to ConA-Sepharose appear to be a potentially interesting model for the study of immobilized multienzymatic complexes.     

Effect of dicarboxylic acids on the peroxidase-IAA oxidase isozymes of soybean callus

Multiple forms of peroxidase with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) oxidase activity were detected in callus cultures from soybean seeds [ Glycinc max (L.) Merrill, cv. Acme] using ion-exchange chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The properties of the IAA oxidase were studied with a partially purified fraction eluted from a DEAE cellulose column. At pH 5.7. p-coumaric acid and MnCl₂ were required as cofactors and H₂O₂ was not able to replace them, but H₂O₂ eliminated the usual lag period of the reaction. Activation effects obtained with some dicarboxylic acids acting only on IAA oxidase are shown. These effects were studied at different pH values and oxalic acid was found to be the most efficient activator, particularly at pH 4.6. Activation by oxalic acid occurred even in the absence of MnCl₂, but the presence of this salt produced a synergistic effect. IAA oxidase showed a sigmoidal kinetic behaviour at pH 5.7 changing to hyperbolic at pH 4.6     

Acid proteases from species of Mucor. III. Interaction with concanavalin A and concanavalin A Sepharose.

The reaction of Mucor miehei protease with concanavalin A was followed by a turbidimetric assay in the pH range 5-8. At pH 4.0, no turbidity developed but binding of the enzyme to concanavalin A could be demonstrated by gel filtration. Two fractions of apparent molecular weight 65000 and 52000 were isolated, the 65000 molecular weight species apparently representing a protomer of concanavalin A (24000) bound to the enzyme. An analysis of the circular dichroism spectrum of this complex suggested that protomer binding results in a conformational change in the enzyme which is associated with a 30% increase in proteolytic activity. At pH 6.0, the enzyme was strongly bound to columns of concanavalin A Sepharose but could be removed by including alpha-methyl D-glucoside and NaC1 in the elution buffer. Some column degradation occurred at room temperature but was not detectable at 4 degrees C where rapid elution of the enzyme resulted in a greater than 90% yield of highly active protein. Periodate-oxidized Mucor miehei protease and Mucor renin did not react with concanavalin A and were not bound to the affinity column.     

Reduction of ferric leghemoglobin in soybean root nodules

Callus tissue cultures were developed from apical meristem regions of tumor-like ineffective root nodules of alfalfa. Callus growth was a function of tissue source and hormone composition and concentration. Callus derived from ineffective nodules also were shown not to contain Rhizobium meliloti.

Glutamate dehydrogenase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activities were present in callus cultures and in the respective nodule source used for callus induction. The mean specific activity of all enzymes evaluated was higher in callus cultures than in ineffective nodules. Quantitative but not qualitative differences in enzyme activities were evident between ineffective nodules and callus derived from these nodules. Tissue cultures derived from ineffective nodules may provide a model system to evaluate host plant-Rhizobium interactions.

     

Further characterization of collagen galactosyltransferase from chick embryos.

Optimum extraction of collagen galactosyltransferase activity from chick embryos required relatively high concentrations of detergent and salt. The activity was inhibited by concanavalin A, and the enzyme had a high affinity for columns of this lectin coupled to agarose; these results suggest the presence of carbohydrate units in the enzyme molecule. Collagen galactosyltransferase was highly labile, and only 1% of the originally bound enzyme activity could be eluted from the concanavalin A-agarose column with a buffer containing methyl glucoside and ethylene glycol. The purification of the activity over the original supernatant of chick embryo homogenate was 250-300-fold, with the optimum reaction conditions for the purified transferase differing somewhat from those for crude enzyme preparations. The reaction was inhibited by glucose-free basement-membrane collagen, UDP and galactosylhydroxylsine, and also by Co2+ and a number of compounds resembling UDP-galactose. Hydroxylysine was also a weak inhibitor. Immobilized hydroxylysine and UDP-glucuronic acid did not bind the collagen galactosyltransferase, but the enzyme was retarded in a column of UDP-galacturonic acid linked to agarose.     

Regulation of ascorbate oxidase expression in pumpkin by auxin and copper

Ascorbate oxidase expression in pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) tissues was studied. Specific ascorbate oxidase activities in pumpkin leaf and stem tissues were about 2 and 1.5 times that in the fruit tissues, respectively. In seeds, little ascorbate oxidase activity was detected. Northern blot analyses showed an abundant ascorbate oxidase mRNA in leaf and stem tissues. Fruit tissues had lower levels of ascorbate oxidase mRNA than leaf and stem tissues. Ascorbate oxidase mRNA was not detected in seeds. Specific ascorbate oxidase activity gradually increased during early seedling growth of pumpkin seeds. The increase was accompanied by an increase in ascorbate oxidase mRNA. When ascorbate oxidase activity in developing pumpkin fruits was investigated, the activities in immature fruits that are rapidly growing at 0, 2, 4, and 7 d after anthesis were much higher than those in mature fruits at 14 and 30 d after anthesis. The specific activity and mRNA of ascorbate oxidase markedly increased after inoculation of pumpkin fruit tissues into Murashige and Skoog's culture medium in the presence of an auxin such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) but not in the absence of 2,4-D. In the presence of 10 mg/L of 2,4-D, ascorbate oxidase mRNA was the most abundant. Thus, ascorbate oxidase is induced by 2,4-D. These results indicate that ascorbate oxidase is involved in cell growth. In pumpkin callus, ascorbate oxidase activity could be markedly increased by adding copper. Furthermore, immunological blotting showed that the amount of ascorbate oxidase protein was also increased by adding copper. However, northern blot analyses showed that ascorbate oxidase mRNA was not increased by adding copper. We suggest that copper may control ascorbate oxidase expression at translation or at a site after translation.     

Effect of tunicamycin on the activity and immunoreactivity of ascorbate oxidase (Cucurbita pepo medullosa) expressed in cultured green zucchini cells

Ascorbate oxidase activity and immunoreactivity were evaluated in crude tissue extracts obtained from callus cell cultures induced by green zucchini sarcocarp and grown in the presence of tunicamycin, a powerful N-glycosylation inhibitor. Tunicamycin at 2 or 4 g ml–1 blocked cell growth within a couple of weeks, although a sustained cell viability was observed in the same period. A significant inhibition of total protein synthesis was observed at 10 and 15 days of culture time, with a decrease of 30% and 43% respectively when cells were grown in the presence of 2 g ml–1 tunicamycin, and of 48% and 57% respectively when the tunicamycin concentration was 4 g ml–1. After the same culture times ascorbate oxidase specific activity assayed in crude tissue extracts showed increases of about 1.9-fold and 3.5-fold (10 days) and 1.7-fold and 3.1-fold (15 days) at 2 and 4 g ml–1 tunicamycin, respectively. Ascorbate oxidase mRNA levels, however, did not appreciably differ between control and treated samples, measured at the same growing times. Lectin-blot, based on the use of concanavalin A, indicated a marked decrease of glycosylated proteins in tunicamycin-treated cultures. As judged by immunoblot, anti-native ascorbate oxidase antibodies scarcely recognized the enzyme expressed in tunicamycin-treated cells; on the contrary, anti-deglycosylated ascorbate oxidase antibodies were more reactive to the enzyme expressed in tunicamycin-treated cultures.