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Influence of irradiance on chlorophyll synthesis in Picea abies calli cultures

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  • Published:
Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Dark-grown seedlings of Picea abies (L) Karst. are able to accumulate the highest amounts of chlorophyll (Chl) and its precursor protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) in all Pinaceae, but calli derived from 14-d-old green cotyledons of P. abies are completely white during the cultivation in the dark. Pchlide reduction is catalysed in the dark by light-independent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (DPOR). This enzyme complex consists of three protein subunits ChlL, ChlN and ChlB, encoded by three plastid genes chlL, chlN and chlB. Using semiquantitative RT-PCR, we observed very low expression of chlLNB genes in dark-grown calli. It seems, that chlLNB expression and thus Chl accumulation could be modulated by light in P. abies calli cultures. This hypothesis is supported by the fact, that we observed low contents of glutamyl-tRNA reductase and Flu-like protein, which probably affected Chl biosynthetic pathway at the step of 5-aminolevulinic acid formation. ChlB subunit was not detected in dark-grown P. abies calli cultures. Our results indicated limited ability to synthesize Chl in callus during cultivation in the dark.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

5-aminolevulinic acid

Chl:

chlorophyll

Chlide:

chlorophyllide

chlLNB :

chlL, chlN, chlB genes

DPOR:

light-independent NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase

FLP:

Flu-like protein

GluTR:

glutamyl-tRNA reductase

NAA:

1-naphthaleneacetic acid

LPOR:

light-dependent NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase

Pchlide:

protochlorophyllide

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APPV-20-020805). We thank Y. Fujita, J.-D. Rochaix and B. Grimm for providing the primary antibodies used in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, SK-84215, Bratislava, Slovakia

    R. Balážová, A. Blehová, V. Demko, K. Breznenová & J. Hudák

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  1. R. Balážová
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  2. A. Blehová
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  3. V. Demko
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  4. K. Breznenová
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  5. J. Hudák
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Correspondence to R. Balážová.

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We are very sorry to announce that Prof. J. Hudák passed away.

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Balážová, R., Blehová, A., Demko, V. et al. Influence of irradiance on chlorophyll synthesis in Picea abies calli cultures. Biol Plant 55, 183–186 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-011-0027-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-011-0027-5

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