Localization of Pathogenesis-Related Proteins in the Epidermis and Intercellular Spaces of Tobacco Leaves after Their Induction by Potassium Salicylate or Tobacco Mosaic Virus Infection

The localization of pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins inducedin tobacco leaves by treatment with potassium salicylate ora hypersensitive response to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infectionwas studied using immunochemical methods. Total PR protein levelsincreased with time after these treatments. The proportion ofPR proteins in the intercellular spaces to the total contentin the leaf discs rapidly rose in the later stage of the treatmentto about 75% on the 9th day after salicylate treatment and tomore than 80% on the 6th to 9th day after TMV inoculation. After5 days of salicylate treatment, the amounts of PR proteins inthe peeled leaf epidermis were two fold those in the mesophylltissue. Only five percent or less of the total PR proteins inthe epidermal and mesophyll tissues of salicylate-treated leaveswere detected in the isolated epidermal and mesophyll protoplasts.The sugar content in highly purified PR la, lb and lc was lessthan one mole of monosaccharide per mole of each protein. Theseresults show that the PR proteins are non-glycoproteins secretedinto the intercellular spaces. (Received January 16, 1987; Accepted July 14, 1987)