Abstract
The reversible inhibition of respiratory activity could provide a novel approach to the preservation of traditionally hard to store plant germplasm such as clonal materials and recalcitrant seed. The gaseous anesthetic nitrous oxide caused a reversible, dose-dependent, partial inhibition of dioxygen utilization in mitochondrial particles isolated from cell suspension cultures of the salt-tolerant marsh grass Distichlis spicata, with maximal inhibition of 33% after 30 minutes exposure to an atmosphere of 80% nitrous oxide plus 20% oxygen. Respiration of whole cells required longer time to be affected by the anesthetic, and was reversibly inhibited an average of 19% when measured using a differential respirometer. Exposure to 80% nitrous oxide plus 20% oxygen for up to 10 days caused no measurable effect on cell growth.
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Abbreviations
- PCV:
-
packed cell volume
- EDTA:
-
sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
- BSA:
-
bovine serum albumin
- MOPS:
-
3(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid
- TMPD:
-
N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylene diamine
- STP:
-
standard temperature and pressure
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Sowa, S., Towill, L.E. Effects of nitrous oxide on mitochondrial and cell respiration and growth in Distichlis spicata suspension cultures. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 27, 197–201 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041290
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041290