Summary
Major increases occurred in the capacity of damaged potato leaf and tuber tissues to hydrolyse ribonucleic acid whilst relatively minor increases were found in the activity of acid phosphomonoesterase and acid phosphodiesterase. Partial purification of homogenates by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 revealed that much of the increased capacity to degrade ribonucleic acid following damage was due to increased ribonuclease activity. Although appreciable differences in the elution patterns of tuber homogenates subjected to gel filtration were observed before and after the breaking of dormancy the increased ribonuclease activity following damage was a constant feature. Actinomycin D had a relatively small effect on preventing these increases in phosphate-ester hydrolase activities whilst the effect of cycloheximide was very pronounced. Isopycnic equilibrium centrifugation experiments, using deuterium oxide as a density label, provided no evidence that the increased enzyme activity following damage was due to synthesis of new enzyme.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anstine, W., Jacobsen, J. V., Scandalios, J. G., Varner, J. E.: Deuterium oxide as a density label of peroxidase in germinating barley embryos. Plant Physiol. 45, 148–152 (1970).
Bagi, G., Farkas, G. L.: On the nature of increase in ribonuclease activity in mechanically damaged tobacco leaf tissues. Phytochemistry 6, 161–169 (1967).
De Leo, Sacher, J. A.: Association of synthesis of acid phosphatase with banana ripening. Plant Physiol. 46, 208–211 (1970).
Diener, T. O.: Virus infection and other factors affecting ribonuclease activity of plant leaves. Virology 14, 177–189 (1961).
Filner, P., Varner, J. E.: A test for de novo synthesis of enzymes: density labeling with H2O18 of barley α-amylase induced by gibberellic acid. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. (Wash.) 58, 1520–1526 (1967).
Gientka-Rychter, A., Cherry, J. H.: De novo synthesis of isocitritase in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cotyledons. Plant Physiol. 43, 653–659 (1968).
Jones, R. L.: Gibberellic acid-enhanced release of β-1, 3-glucanase from barley aleurone cells. Plant Physiol. 47, 412–416 (1971).
Koerner, J. F., Sinsheimer, R. L.: A deoxyribonuclease from calf spleen. II Mode of action. J. biol. Chem. 228, 1049–1062 (1957).
Longo, C. P.: Evidence for de novo synthesis of isocitritase and malate synthetase in germinating peanut cotyledons. Plant Physiol. 43, 660–664 (1968).
Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., Randall, R. J.: Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J. biol. Chem. 193, 265–275 (1951).
Palmer, J. M.: The induction of phosphatase activity in thin slices of Jerusalem artichoke tissue by treatment with indole acetic acid. Planta (Berl.) 93, 53–59 (1970).
Pitt, D.: Changes in hydrolase activity of Solanum tuber tissues during infection by Phytophthora erythroseptica. Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 55, 257–266 (1970).
—: Purification of a ribonuclease from potato tubers and its use as an antigen in the immunochemical assay of this protein following tuber damage. Planta (Berl.) 101, 333–351 (1971).
—: Release of hydrolytic enzymes from cytoplasmic particles of Solanum tuber tissues during infection by tuber-rotting fungi. J. gen. Microbiol. 56, 321–329 (1969).
Udvardy, J., Farkas, G. L., Marrè, E.: On RNase and other hydrolytic enzymes in excised Avena leaf tissues. Plant and Cell Physiol. 10, 375–386 (1969).
Wyen, N. V., Udvardy, J., Farkas, G. L.: Changes in the level of acid phosphatases in Avena leaves in response to cellular injury. Phytochemistry 10, 765–771 (1971).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pitt, D., Galpin, M. Increase in ribonuclease activity following mechanical damage to leaf and tuber tissues of Solanum tuberosum L.. Planta 101, 317–332 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00398117
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00398117