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Phonolic components of the primary cell wall and their possible rôle in the hormonal regulation of growth

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Abstract

The insoluble cell wall polymers of cultured spinach cells contained esterified ferulic acid at 2–5 mg g-1 dry weight. Gibberellic acid (GA3, 10-11–10-6 M) promoted the expansion of these cells and simultaneoulsy suppressed peroxidase secretion, reduced the activity of cellular phenylanine ammonia-lyase and favoured the accumulation of wall-esterified ferulate and of extracellular soluble phenolic aglycones. When growth was prevented with 0·7 M sorbitol, GA3 still evoked the phenolic and peroxidase effects. It is suggested that peroxidase restricts growth by rigidifying the cell wall in two ways: (a) covalently by catalysing the conversion of feruloyl side-chains into diferuloyl cross-links and (b) non-covalently by catalysing the conversion of soluble phenolics into hydrophobic quinones (or polymers). GA3 is hypothesised to prevent this rigidification by inhibiting peroxidase secretion.

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Abbreviations

A 28 :

absorbance at 280 nm

a 1%1cnt :

absorptivity coefficient

2,4-D:

2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

EtOAc:

ethylacetate

GA3 :

gibberellic acid

mol wt:

molecular weight

PAL:

phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

PCV:

packed cell volume

sh:

shoulder or inflection

TLC:

thin-layer chromatography

UV:

ultra-violet

λ:

wavelength

IAA:

indoleacetic acid

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Author notes

  1. S. C. Fry

    Present address: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, CB2 1QW, Cambridge, U.K.

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  1. Botanical Laboratories, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, Leicester, U.K.

    S. C. Fry

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Fry, S.C. Phonolic components of the primary cell wall and their possible rôle in the hormonal regulation of growth. Planta 146, 343–351 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00387807

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00387807

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