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Effect of thiosulphinates contained in garlic extract on growth, proton fluxes and membrane potential in maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptile segments

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Abstract

The effect of thiosulphinates contained in garlic extract (GE) on endogenous growth, growth in the presence of either indoleacetic acid (IAA) or fusicoccin (FC), and proton extrusion in maize coleoptile segments were studied. In addition, membrane potential changes at some GE dilutions and the protective effect of dithiothreitol (DTT) against GE toxicity were also determined. It was found that GE at almost all dilutions studied, when added to the incubation medium inhibited endogenous growth as well as growth in the presence of either IAA or FC. Simultaneous measurements of growth and external pH indicated that the administration of GE resulted in a complex change in the pH of the external medium; after an initial transient acidification, pH increased and reached the maximal value followed by a gradual decrease of medium pH. When IAA or FC was added after preincubation of the segments in the presence of GE the changes in medium pH were not significantly different from these obtained with GE only. If the coleoptile segments were first preincubated with GE and subsequently GE was removed, the addition of IAA induced strong growth and medium acidification. Dithiothreitol added together with GE neutralized the toxic effect of GE on growth of coleoptile segments incubated in the presence of IAA. The addition of GE to the control medium caused a depolarization of the membrane potential, the value of witch depended on GE dilution. These results indicate that the toxic effect of GE on growth of plant cells might be caused by disruption of the catalytic function of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase on formation of the disulfide bonds.

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Abbreviations

DTT:

Dithiothreitol

E m :

Membrane potential

FC:

Fusiccocin

GE:

Garlic extract

IAA:

Indole-3-acetic acid

PM:

Plasma membrane

TSs:

Tiosulfinates

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Acknowledgments

We thank Professor Peter V. Minorsky (Mercy College, New York, USA) for critical reading of the manuscript and providing numerous useful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Silesia, Jagiellońska 28, 40032, Katowice, Poland

    Małgorzata Polak & Waldemar Karcz

  2. Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30060, Kraków, Poland

    Wiesława Zaborska

  3. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Piłsudskiego 46, 81378, Gdynia, Poland

    Zbigniew Tukaj

Authors
  1. Małgorzata Polak
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  2. Wiesława Zaborska
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  3. Zbigniew Tukaj
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  4. Waldemar Karcz
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Correspondence to Waldemar Karcz.

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Communicated by K. Trebacz.

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Polak, M., Zaborska, W., Tukaj, Z. et al. Effect of thiosulphinates contained in garlic extract on growth, proton fluxes and membrane potential in maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptile segments. Acta Physiol Plant 34, 41–52 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-011-0803-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-011-0803-z

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