The Role in Ozone Phytotoxicity of the Evolution of Ethylene upon Induction of 1-Aminocydopropane-1-carboxylic Acid Synthase by Ozone Fumigation in Tomato Plants

The rate of evolution of ethylene by tomato plants was rapidlyincreased by O₃ fumigation. The time course of the increasein 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase activitywas the same as that in the rate of evolution of ethylene, suggestingthat ACC synthase activity might be a rate-limiting step inthe evolution of ethylene that is caused by O₃ fumigation. Therate of the O₃-induced evolution of ethylene was increased bythe application of ACC to tomato plants, suggesting the involvementof ACC oxidase in the O₃-induced evolution of ethylene. Treatmentof plants with tiron inhibited the evolution of ethane, butnot of ethylene. These results indicated that evolution of ethylenein O₃-treated tomato plants might result from enzymatic reactionscatalyzed by both ACC synthase and ACC oxidase, but not fromstimulation by O₃ of the peroxidation of lipids mediated byfree radicals. Pretreatment of leaves with aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), aninhibitor of ACC synthase, significantly inhibited the evolutionof ethylene that was induced by O₃ and concomitantly reducedthe extent of O₃-induced visible damage to leaves. Treatmentwith 2,5-norbonadiene, an inhibitor of the action of ethylene,strongly reduced the extent of visible damage caused by O₃,even though it did not suppress the evloution of ethylene. Theseresults indicate that ethylene acts on certain metabolic processesto cause visible damage. (Received September 7, 1995; Accepted December 18, 1995)     

Induction and Repair of Damage to DNA in Cucumber Cotyledons Irradiated with UV-B

Photoinduced lesions in DNA, namely, cyclobutane pyrimidinedimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-(6-4)-pyrimidone photoproducts[(6-4)photoproducts], in cucumber cotyledons that had been irradiatedwith naturally occurring levels of UV-B (290–320 nm) werequantitated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with monoclonalantibodies specific to each type of photolesion. Induction ofthese photolesions was dependent on temperature and their extentwas reduced by simultaneous irradiation with white light. Thedark repair of both types of photolesion was undetectable. Light-dependentremoval of (6-4)photoproducts was very slow, with 50% removalin 4 h. By contrast, 50% of initial CPDs were removed within15 min. Both photorepair processes were dependent on the intensityof white light and were sensitive to temperature. These resultsindicate that high photolyase activity is present in cucumbercotyledons and that repair activities in cucumber cotyledonsare different from those reported in Arabidopsis, in which (6-4)photoproductsare photorepaired more rapidly than CPDs. (Received October 13, 1995; Accepted December 28, 1995)     

Immunocytochemical localization of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in tissues of Populus kitakamiensis

The polypeptide encoded by the partial fragment of cDNA of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL; EC 4.3.1.5), PALcDNAl (Osakabe et al., 1995, Plant Sci. 105: 217–226), isolated from Populus kitakamiensis (P. sieboldii x P. grandidentata), was expressed in Escherichia coli cells. The polypeptide was purified and an antiserum raised against it. The antiserum recognized a protein of 77 kDa on nitrocellulose blots after sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis of total protein and the partially purified PAL protein from P. kitakamiensis. Moreover,the antiserum recognized a protein on the blot after non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of P. kitakamiensis proteins and this protein had PAL activity. Furthermore, the antibody inhibited PAL activity of extracts from stem tissues. These results showed that the antiserum against the partial PAL peptide recognized only the PAL subunits in extracts of P. kitakamiensis. Immunolocalization studies of P. kitakamiensis tissues revealed that the PAL protein was specifically localized in the xylem and the phloem fibers and no immunogold signal was found in the epidermis, the cortex, the pith, or the cambium of either stems or leaves.Abbreviations IgG immunoglobulin G - IPTG isopropylthio--d-galactoside - PAL phenylalanine ammonia-lyase The authors thank Dr. Kunio Hata of Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (Japan) for supplying P. kitakamiensis. This work was supported in part by a grant-in-aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (No. 07406008).     

Human peroxisome assembly factor-2 (PAF-2): a gene responsible for group C peroxisome biogenesis disorder in humans.

Peroxisome-biogenesis disorders (PBD) are genetically heterogeneous and can be classified into at least ten complementation groups. We recently isolated the cDNA for rat peroxisome assembly factor-2 (PAF-2) by functional complementation using the peroxisome-deficient Chinese-hamster-ovary cell mutant, ZP92. To clarify the novel pathogenic gene of PBD, we cloned the full-length human PAF-2 cDNA that morphologically and biochemically restores peroxisomes of group C Zellweger fibroblasts (the same as group 4 in the Kennedy-Krieger Institute) and identified two pathogenic mutations in the PAF-2 gene in two patients with group C Zellweger syndrome. The 2,940-bp open reading frame of the human PAF-2 cDNA encodes a 980-amino-acid protein that shows 87.1% identity with rat PAF-2 and also restored the peroxisome assembly after gene transfer to fibroblasts of group C patients. Direct sequencing of the PAF-2 gene revealed a homozygous 1-bp insertion at nucleotide 511 (511 insT) in one patient with group C Zellweger syndrome (ZS), which introduces a premature termination codon in the PAF-2 gene, and, in the second patient, revealed a splice-site mutation in intron 3 (IVS3+1G-->A), which skipped exon 3, an event that leads to peroxisome deficiency. Chromosome mapping utilizing FISH indicates that PAF-2 is located on chromosome 6p21.1. These results confirm that human PAF-2 cDNA restores peroxisome of group C cells and that defects in the PAF-2 produce peroxisome deficiency of group C PBD.     

Phylogenetic relationship of medicinally importantCnidium officinale and Japanese Apiaceae based onrbcL sequences

Cnidium officinale Makino is important medicinally and economically, but its origin is uncertain. The phylogenetic relationship ofC. officinale is provided from the analyses based on the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxgenase gene (rbcL) sequences of 41 species which represent the 34 genera of Aplaceae, the four genera of Araliaceae, and one genus each of Pittosporaceae, Cornaceae, and Caprifoliaceae. The strict consensus tree obtained supports a close relationship ofC. officinale to the Chinese members ofLigusticum, especially toL. chuanxiong. Additionally, the tree shows (1) polyphyly of the genusLigusticum and (2) monophyly of the subfamily Apioideae. Within Apioideae, we recognized some groups in our phylogenetic tree. The grouping is discordant in several respects with the traditional tribal divisions based mainly on fruit morphology.     

In Vitro Bleaching of Hardwood Kraft Pulp by Extracellular Enzymes Excreted from White Rot Fungi in a Cultivation System Using a Membrane Filter

To clarify the role of excreted extracellular enzymes during long-term incubation in a pulp biobleaching system with white rot fungi, we developed a cultivation system in which a membrane filter is used; this membrane filter can prevent direct contact between hyphae and kraft pulp, but allows extracellular enzymes to attack the kraft pulp. Phanerochaete sordida YK-624 brightened the pulp 21.4 points to 54.0% brightness after a 5-day in vitro treatment; this value was significantly higher than the values obtained with Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Coriolus versicolor after a 7-day treatment. Our results indicate that cell-free, membrane-filtered components from the in vitro bleaching system are capable of delignifying unbleached kraft pulp. Obvious candidates for filterable reagents capable of delignifying and bleaching kraft pulp are peroxidase and phenoloxidase proteins. The level of secreted manganese peroxidase activity in the filterable components was substantial during strain YK-624 in vitro bleaching. A positive correlation between the level of manganese peroxidase and brightening of the pulp was observed.     

Antioxidant Properties of Bromocriptine, a Dopamine Agonist

Abstract: It has been suggested that free radicals may adversely influence the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. We conducted this study to determine whether bro-mocriptine, an agent widely used for treating parkinsonism, possesses antioxidant effects. Bromocriptine scavenged superoxide produced from a superoxide generating system (hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase) by the spin-trapping method using electron spin resonance. Bromocriptine had a strong scavenging effect on the 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline- N -oxide hydroxide signal produced from Fenton's reaction. Bromocriptine also attenuated the stable free radical diphenyl- p -picrylhydrazyl signal. This drug inhibited the autooxidation of rat brain homogenates in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Autooxidation of brain homogenates collected from rats treated with bromocriptine (2.5 mg/kg, i.p., daily for 3 days) was significantly reduced as compared with values in untreated rat homogenates. These observations suggest that bromocriptine is a free radical scavenger and a potent antioxidant.     

Analysis of the biosynthetic process of cellulose and curdlan using C-labeled glucoses

In order to elucidate the biosynthetic process of cellulose and curdlan, ¹³C-labeled polysaccharides were biosynthesized by Acetobacter xylinum (IFO 13693) and Agrobacterium sp. (ATCC 31749), from culture media containing -(1-¹³C)glucose, -(2-¹³C)glucose, -(4-¹³C)glucose, or -(6-¹³C)glucose as the carbon source, and their structures were determined by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The labeling was mainly found in the original position, indicating direct polymerization of introduced glucoses. In addition, the transfer of labeling from C-2 to C-1, C-3 and C-5, from C-4 to C-1, C-2 and C-3, and from C-6 to C-1 was found in celluloses. In curdlan, the transfer of labeling from C-1 to C-3, from C-2 to C-1 and C-3, from C-4 to C-1, C-2 and C-3, and from C-6 to C-1 and C-3 was observed. From analysis of this labeling, the biosynthetic process of cellulose and curdlan was explained as involving six routes. The percentages of each route via which cellulose or curdlan is biosynthesized were estimated for upper (C-1 to C-3) and lower portions (C-4 to C-6) of glucosidic units in the polysaccharides. It is noted that very few polysaccharides are formed via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. The lower half (C-4 to C-6) structure of introduced glucoses is well preserved in the polysaccharides.