Changes in the patterns of phosphatase isozymes during the germination of rice seed

Crude phosphatase preparations from both the embryo and endosperm of germinating rice seeds were resolved into several components by Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The substrate specificity of each isozyme was broad, but their spectra were more or less different. One of these iso-phosphatases in the embryo increased prominently during seed germination and decreased at the stage of senescence. Phosphatase activities for several phosphate esters were increased during germination, but to different extents. The rate increased more in the embryo than in the endosperm. Especially in the embryo, gibberellin A₃ promoted an increase in the activity of some phosphatases as well as an increase in the content of free phosphate.