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Cowpea ribonuclease: properties and effect of NaCl-salinity on its activation during seed germination and seedling establishment

  • Physiology and Biochemistry
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Abstract

Pitiúba cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] seeds were germinated in distilled water (control treatment) or in 100 mM NaCl solution (salt treatment), and RNase was purified from different parts of the seedlings. Seedling growth was reduced by the NaCl treatment. RNase activity was low in cotyledons of quiescent seeds, but the enzyme was activated during germination and seedling establishment. Salinity reduced cotyledon RNase activity, and this effect appeared to be due to a delay in its activation. The RNases from roots, stems, and leaves were immunologically identical to that found in cotyledons. Partially purified RNase fractions from the different parts of the seedling showed some activity with DNA as substrate. However, this DNA hydrolyzing activity was much lower than that of RNA hydrolyzing activity. The DNA hydrolyzing activity was strongly inhibited by Cu2+, Hg2+, and Zn2+ ions, stimulated by MgCl2, and slowly inhibited by EDTA. This activity from the most purified fraction was inhibited by increasing concentrations of RNA in the reaction medium. It is suggested that the major biological role of this cotyledon RNase would be to hydrolyze seed storage RNA during germination and seedling establishment, and it was discussed that it might have a protective role against abiotic stress during later part of seedling establishment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Ladaslav Sodek for reviewing the text, and acknowledge the financial support given by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (FUNCAP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Ceará, P.O. Box 6039, 60455-900, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    Enéas Gomes-Filho, Carmen Rogélia Farias Machado Lima, José Hélio Costa, Ana Cláudia Marinho da Silva, Maria da Guia Silva Lima & José Tarquinio Prisco

  2. Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    Claudivan Feitosa de Lacerda

Authors
  1. Enéas Gomes-Filho
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  2. Carmen Rogélia Farias Machado Lima
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  3. José Hélio Costa
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  4. Ana Cláudia Marinho da Silva
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  5. Maria da Guia Silva Lima
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  6. Claudivan Feitosa de Lacerda
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  7. José Tarquinio Prisco
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Correspondence to Enéas Gomes-Filho.

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Communicated by L. Jouanin.

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Gomes-Filho, E., Lima, C.R.F.M., Costa, J.H. et al. Cowpea ribonuclease: properties and effect of NaCl-salinity on its activation during seed germination and seedling establishment. Plant Cell Rep 27, 147–157 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-007-0433-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-007-0433-5

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