Control of senescence in rumex leaf discs by gibberellic Acid

The kinetics of chlorophyll and protein decomposition and the effect of gibberellic acid (GA) were examined in senescing leaf discs of Rumex crispus and R. obtusifolius. Loss of Rumex total chlorophyll proceeds at a slow rate for about 2 days followed by a period of rapid logarithmic decline. Chlorophyll b is lost at a slightly faster rate than chlorophyll a during senescence in discs as well as in situ. GA causes a complete cessation of net chlorophyll and protein degradation for several days in Rumex, in contrast to the incomplete senescence inhibition generally observed with cytokinins. GA is fully effective even when added at the middle of the logarithmic phase of chlorophyll loss. Senescence inhibition by GA is apparently gradually reversed upon GA removal. The cytokinins, kinetin and 6-benzylaminopurine, were also effective in Rumex leaf discs, indicating that the senescence retarding effect was not restricted to the gibberellins.     

Determination of phytohormones in phloem exudate from tree species by radioimmunoassay

A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay was used to determine quantitatively four of the most important phytohormones in the phloem exudate from 14 different tree species of 8 genera. For cytokinins and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) we found higher concentrations than those reported previously for other species. The gibberellin values were of the same order of magnitude as in earlier analyses (with different methods) of tree phloem exudates, but lower than the ones reported for Ricinus. Free abscisic acid (ABA) was found in tree phloem exudates in similar concentrations as before in Yucca or palm phloem exudate, but at considerably lower ones than reported for Ricinus and in Lupinus phloem exudate.Abbreviations IAA indole-3-acetic acid - ABA abscisic acid - GA gibberellic acid     

A kinetic analysis of the effects of gibberellic Acid, zeatin, and abscisic Acid on leaf tissue senescence in rumex

Hormones which inhibit senescence in Rumex leaf tissue in the dark include gibberellic acid and the cytokinin zeatin. Abscisic acid accelerates senescence in this tissue. Other workers have proposed that cytokinins, but not gibberellins, interact with abscisic acid in senescing Rumex leaf tissue. The present study reinvestigates the question of interaction using measurements of chlorophyll degradation kinetics as parameters of senescence rate and draws the conclusion that neither zeatin nor gibberellic acid interact with abscisic acid in this system. In support of this conclusion are these results. Zeatin clearly cannot overcome the effects of abscisic acid when hormone solutions are replaced every other day. The kinetics of chlorophyll breakdown for tissue treated with unreplaced saturating zeatin solutions is different from that of tissue exposed to saturating zeatin plus abscisic acid. The observed rates of chlorophyll breakdown for tissue treated with abscisic acid and zeatin agree closely with predicted rates using a multiplicative model for independent action of the two hormones.     

The Importance of Roots in Regulating the Senescence of Soybean Primary Leaves

The role of roots in regulating primary leaf senescence of 14-day-old soybean seedlings was investigated. Compared with intact seedlings, the senescence of primary leaves is accelerated by removal of the root system but delayed if apical bud and the first trifoliate leaf are removed. No difference in senescence was found between intact seedlings and seedlings without roots, apical bud, and first trifoliate leaf. Lateral roots seem to play a predominant role in regulating primary leaf senescence. However, neither root nodules nor primary root play any function in senescence. Results indicate that benzyladenine (BA) at optimal concentration (2 mg/1) completely replaces the roots to prevent the senescence of primary leaves, whereas gibberellic acid (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) accelerate. The effect of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to replace roots in preventing senescence depends on the season the young seedlings are grown. Additional, though indirect, information of acropetal transport of ABA is provided. In conclusion, it seems that cytokinins in lateral roots play a predominant role in leaf senescence and the normal supply of root cytokinins is important in leaf metabolism.     

Effects of Growth Regulators on H+Translocation across the Membranes of Plasma Membrane Vesicles from Potato Tuber Cells

Effects of the growth regulators epibrassinolide-694 (EB), gibberellic acid (GA), and abscisic acid (ABA) on the ATP-dependent translocation of H⁺through the membranes of plasma membrane vesicles of potato (Solanum tuberosumL.) tuber cells were studied. The ATP-dependent accumulation of H⁺in the plasma membrane vesicles from dormant tubers was inhibited by EB and ABA and stimulated by GA. After the break of dormancy, the stimulatory effect of GA increased, the inhibitory effect of ABA decreased, and EB stimulated the accumulation of H⁺in the vesicles. The data suggest that the plasma membrane H⁺ATPase is a target of phytohormones that regulate the dormancy of potato tubers.     

The Selective Effect of Abscisic Acid on Ribonucleic Acid Components

As determined by methylated albumin kieselguhr (MAK) fractionation, GA₃ (gibberellic acid) significantly increased and ABA (abscisic acid) decreased RNA levels. In the case of ABA this effect was selective, the ribosomal RNA manifesting the typical decrease; while the sRNA peak was markedly increased. The pattern of labelled uridine incorporation into RNA resembles the MAK absorbancy profile and here as well, ABA although causing an overall decrease, increases labelling in the sRNA peak. The results are interpreted as a possible selective effect of ABA or alternatively as an accumulation in the sRNA peak of rRNA breakdown products. From in vitro experiments it was furthermore evident that ABA mediated RNA hydrolysis probably does not involve a direct activation of RNase by ABA. The in vivo effect would probably be devious.     

Regulation of cytosolic HMG-CoA reductase activity in pea seedlings: contrasting responses to different hormones, and hormone-product interaction, suggest hormonal modulation of activity

Isoprenoid products added to reaction mixtures have no effect on HMG-CoA reductase activity. However, in vivo treatment with stigmasterol, cholesterol, ubiquinone or 4-hydroxybenzoic acid inhibits activity in etiolated tissues. The hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA) have opposite effects: ABA inhibits, and GA has little effect alone but in combined treatments completely overcomes inhibition by ABA or sterol. The results indicate that hormonal modulation contributes to the regulation of cytosolic HMG-CoA reductase activity.     

Growth and Graviresponsiveness of Primary Roots of Zea mays Seedlings Deficient in Abscisic Acid and Gibberellic Acid

Moore, R. and Dickey, K. 1985. Growth and graviresponsivenessof primary roots of Zea mays seedlings deficient in abscisicacid and gibberellic acid.—J. exp. Bot. 36: 1793–1798. The objective of this research was to determine if gibberellicacid (GA) and/or abscisic acid (ABA) are necessary for graviresponsivenessby primary roots of Zea mays. To accomplish this objective wemeasured the growth and graviresponsiveness of primary rootsof seedlings in which the synthesis of ABA and GA was inhibitedcollectively and individually by genetic and chemical means.Roots of seedlings treated with Fluridone (an inhibitor of ABAbiosynthesis) and Ancymidol (an inhibitor of GA biosynthesis)were characterized by slower growth rates but not significantlydifferent gravicurvatures as compared to untreated controls.Gravicurvatures of primary roots of d-5 mutants (having undetectablelevels of GA) and vp-9 mutants (having undetectable levels ofABA) were not significantly different from those of wild-typeseedlings. Roots of seedlings in which the biosynthesis of ABAand GA was collectively inhibited were characterized by gravicurvaturesnot significantly different from those of controls. These results(1) indicate that drastic reductions in the amount of ABA andGA in Z. mays seedlings do not significantly alter root graviresponsiveness,(2) suggest that neither ABA nor GA is necessary for root gravicurvature,and (3) indicate that root gravicurvature is not necessarilyproportional to root elongation. Key words: Abscisic acid, Ancymidol, Fluridone, gibberellic acid, root gravitropism, Zea mays     

GA,ABA, phenol interaction in the control of growth: Phenolic compounds as effective modulators of GA-ABA interaction in radish seedlings

Abscisic acid, a potent growth inhibitor inhibits hypocotyl growth ofRaphanus sativus seedlings. Phenolic compounds,viz., trans-cinnamic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, salicylic acid, tannic acid and quercetin when applied with ABA, antagonize ABA action and restore normal seedling growth. Gibberellic acid promotes hypocotyl growth and on combined application with ABA, the ratio of their concentrations determines the course of the resultant growth. This interaction can be modulated by phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds in low concentrations when present together with GA and ABA, favour GA-induced growth by antagonizing the inhibitory influence of ABA. The inhibitory action of abscisic acid on a wide range of growth processes is so far known to be reversed only by growth promoting hormones,viz., IAA, GA and cytokinins. Antagonistic action of phenolic compounds towards ABA, and increasing the action of GA when present together with GA and ABA, establishes a dual role to this class of compounds; balancing the effect of both growth promoting and growth inhibiting hormones. Part I.     

The Role of Abscisic Acid in Senescence of Detached Tobacco Leaves

The role of abscisic acid in the regulation of senescence was investigated in detached tobacco leaves (Nicotiana rustica L.). Leaves senesced in darkness showed a sharp rise in abscisic acid level in the early stage of aging, followed by a rapid decline later. The same trend was found when leaves were aged in light, but the rise in abscisic acid occurred four days later than in darkness. Senescence was slower in light than in darkness, while salt stress accelerated the processes. Leaves treated with kinetin which senesced in light and darkness, did not show an increase in abscisic acid. Application of kinetin led to a transformation from free to bound ABA. These results may indicate that ABA and cytokinin are involved in a trigger mechanism which regulates senescence; the stage at which this trigger is activated determines the rate of senescence.     

Endogenous gibberellin and abscisic Acid content as related to senescence of detached lettuce leaves

Levels of gibberillins (GAs) and of abscisic acid (ABA) in attached leaves of romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) declined as the leaf became older. The time course of changes in hormone levels, determined in detached lettuce leaves kept in darkness, revealed that a sharp decline in GAs accompanied by a moderate rise in ABA occurred before the onset of chlorophyll degradation. As senescence advanced, no GAs could be detected and a considerable rise of ABA was observed. A similar sequence of hormonal modifications, but more pronounced, was observed in the course of accelerated senescence induced by either Ethephon or water stress. When kinetin or GA₃ was applied to detached leaves, the loss of chlorophyll and the rise in ABA were reduced. Bound GAs were detected in senescent leaves. They were not found in the kinetin-treated leaves, which contained a relatively high level of free GAs. The results suggest that senescence in detached romaine lettuce leaves is connected with a depletion of free GAs and cytokinins, which is thereafter followed by a great surge in ABA.     

Regulation of Growth in Avena (Oat) Stem Segments by Gibberellic Acid and Abscisic Acid

The purpose of this study was to analyze the nature of the interaction between gibberellic acid (GA₃) and abscisic acid (ABA) in the regulation of growth in excised Avena (oat) stem segments. Growth, compared to sucrose controls, was inhibited by ABA in the range of 10^?4 to 10^?6M. GA₃-promoted growth was also inhibited by ABA in the same concentration range. A Lineweaver-Burk analysis of the interaction between GA₃ and ABA indicated that ABA acts in a non-competitive fashion with GA₃. This same result was obtained previously with GA₃-indoleacetic acid (IAA) and GA₃-kinetin interactions with Avena stem sections. Our results indicate that ABA can inhibit GA₃-promoted growth within physiological concentrations, and that it is probably acting at a different physiological site from that for GA₃.     

Effect of plant hormones on sucrose uptake by sugar beet root tissue discs

Abscisic acid (ABA), auxins, cytokinins, gibberellic acid, alone or in combination were tested for their effects on short-term sucrose uptake in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris cv USH-20) roots. The effect of ABA on active sucrose uptake varied from no effect to the more generally observed 1.4-to 3.0-fold stimulation. A racemic mixture of ABA and its trans isomer were more stimulatory than ABA alone. Pretreating and/or simultaneously treating the tissue with K⁺ or IAA prevented the ABA response while cytokinins and gibberellic acid did not. While the variable sensitivities of beet root to ABA may somehow be related to the auxin and alkali cation status of the tissue, tissue sensitivity to ABA was not correlated with ABA uptake, accumulation, or metabolic patterns. In contrast to ABA, indoleacetic acid (IAA) and other auxins strongly inhibited active sucrose uptake in beet roots. Cytokinins enhanced the auxin-induced inhibition of sucrose uptake but ABA and gibberellic acid did not modify or counteract the auxin effect. Trans-zeatin, benzyladenine, kinetin, and gibberellins had no effect on active sucrose uptake. None of the hormones or hormone mixtures tested had any significant effect on passive sucrose uptake. The effects of IAA and ABA on sucrose uptake were detectable within 1 h suggesting a rather close relationship between the physiological activities of IAA and ABA and the operation of the active transport system.     

Disrupting Abscisic Acid Homeostasis in Western White Pine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus monticola</Emphasis> Dougl. Ex D. Don) Seeds Induces Dormancy Termination and Changes in Abscisic Acid Catabolites

To investigate the role of abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and catabolism in dormant imbibed seeds of western white pine (Pinus monticola), ABA and selected catabolites were measured during a combined treatment of the ABA biosynthesis inhibitor fluridone, and gibberellic acid (GA). Fluridone in combination with GA effectively disrupted ABA homeostasis and replaced the approximately 90-day moist chilling period normally required to break dormancy in this species. Individually, both fluridone and GA treatments decreased ABA levels in the embryos and megagametophytes of white pine seeds compared to a water control; however, combined fluridone/GA treatment, the only treatment to terminate dormancy effectively, led to the greatest decline in ABA content. Fluridone treatments revealed that a high degree of ABA turnover/transport occurred in western white pine seeds during the initial stages of dormancy maintenance; at this time, ABA levels decreased by approximately two-thirds in both embryo and megagametophyte tissues. Gibberellic acid treatments, both alone and in combination with fluridone, suggested that GA acted transiently to disrupt ABA homeostasis by shifting the ratio between biosynthesis and catabolism to favor ABA catabolism or transport. Increases in phaseic acid (PA) and dihydrophaseic acid (DPA) were observed during fluridone/GA treatments; however, increases in ABA metabolites did not account for the reduction in ABA observed; additional catabolism and/or transport of ABA and selected metabolites in all probability accounts for this discrepancy. Finally, levels of 7′ hydroxy-ABA (7′OH-ABA) were higher in dormant-imbibed seeds, suggesting that metabolism through this pathway is increased in seeds that maintain higher levels of ABA, perhaps as a means to further regulate ABA homeostasis.     

Influence of the triazole growth retardant BAS 111..W on phytohormone levels in senescing intact pods of oilseed rape

Foliar treatment of oilseed rape plants (Brassica napus L.ssp. napus cv. Linetta) with the growth retardant BAS 111..W at the 5th leaf stage delayed pod senescence during early maturation. Changes of immunoreactive cytokinin- and abscisic acid (ABA)- like substances and of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclo-propane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and its malonyl-conjugate (MACC) were determined in intact whole pods. When compared with control plants, higher levels of total chlorophyll correlated with four-fold and three-fold increases of trans-zeatin riboside- and dihydrozeatin riboside-type cytokinins, respectively, in the pods of plants treated with 0.25 mg BAS 111..W per plant. Isopentenyladenosine-type cytokinins and ACC and MACC contents remained virtually unchanged, whereas ABA levels dropped considerably below those of controls (60% reduction). However, when analysed at late pod maturity, BAS 111..W treatment no longer affected the total chlorophyll content, or the levels of cytokinins, ABA, ACC and MACC. We hypothesize that the retardant-induced changes in the hormonal status of the pods, favouring the senescence-delaying cytokinins as opposed to abscisic acid, could contribute to the developmental delay.     

Comparative Effects of lndole-3-acetic acid, Abscisic acid, Gibberellic acid and 6-Benzylaminopurine on the Dark- and Light-induced Pulvinar Movements in Cassia fasciculata Michx

Effects of plant hormones were examined on the dark- and light-inducedmovements of Cassia fasciculata. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA),gibberellic acid (GA₃) and 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BAP) inhibitedthe scotonastic movement whereas abscisic acid (ABA) enhancedit. After brief treatments (5 to 30 min), the ABA effect wasinhibitory rather than promotional. Hormonal treatment in theacidic range gave the best physiological response for ABA, butthe greatest efficiency of IAA, GA₃ and 6-BAP was obtained withpH values close to neutrality. Three to 5 h were needed beforeexpression of the physiological effect triggered by GA₃ and6-BAP, while 5 min treatments were sufficient for IAA and ABA.Light-induced movements were largely enhanced by IAA and slightlyby GA₃ but inhibited by 6-BAP and ABA. The results are discussedin relation to the ionic changes in the pulvinar motor cells,regulating leaflet movements. Key words: Abscisic acid, auxins, cytokinins, gibberellic acid, pulvinar movements     

Hormonal Aspects of Senescence in Detached Tobacco Leaves

The objective of the present work was to describe the simultaneous changes in endogenous levels of cytokinins, abscisic acid, indoleacetic acid and ethylene in detached, senescing tobacco (Nicotiana rustica L.) leaves. These measurements were related to changes in chlorophyll contents, ¹⁴CO₂ fixation and proline contents — three parameters which have been considered to reflect senescence. Effects of exogenous hormonal treatments on these parameters, as well as on endogenous hormonal levels, provided further evidence for the interrelationships between hormones and for their roles in senescence. Starting with actively growing attached leaves and ending with well-advanced senescence in detached leaves, our data indicate a chronological sequence of three hormonal states: (a) cytokinins — high activity, abscisic acid, auxin and ethylene — low contents (actively growing, attached leaves); (b) cytokinins — low activity, abscisic acid — high, auxin and ethylene — low contents (apparent induction of senescence in detached leaves); and (c) cytokinins and abscisic acid — low, auxin and ethylene — high contents (senescence proper in detached leaves).     

Retardation of Leaf Senescence by Ascorbic Acid

Leaf discs of Solatium melongena were floated on various concentrationsof ascorbic acid (AA), gibberellic acid (GA₃), and kinetin inorder to study their effect on senescence. AA was highly effectivein retarding senescence as shown by the arrest of the fall inlevels of chlorophyll, DNA, RNA, and proteins. AA was effectiveat a lower concentration than that of GA₃ or kinetin.