Effect of heavy metals on isoperoxidases of Wheat

S. Karataglis, M. Moustakas, L. Symeonidis

Biologia plantarum 33:3-9, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873778

The influence of increasing concentrations of copper, zinc, lead, nickel, chromium and cadmium on 14-day-old seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Vergina) was studied. Plants were grown in 1/10 strength Rorison's nutrient solution with increasing concentrations of each of the metals added separately. The toxicity of metals depressed shoot growth but the most evident symptoms were on roots. The concentration of each metal which caused inhibition of root growth was chosen to study the influence of metals on isoperoxidases of wheat shoots. The concentrations employed did not alter the number of peroxidase bands but almost in all cases enhanced...

Book review

M. Vágner

Biologia plantarum 33:9, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873779

Influence of Abscisic Acid on K⁺ absorption by leaf tissues ofSolanum tuberosum L. (cv. Bintje). Relation with calcium fluxes and with calmodulin

M. Penot, Annick Hourmant, Sausan Suleiman, Annie Feray

Biologia plantarum 33:10-19, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873780

Previous results with potato leaf tissues revealed that a treatment with ABA (10^-4 M) induced an increase of K⁺ uptake (Suleimanet al., 1990a).In this study, we investigate the relationship between increased K⁺ uptake, Ca²⁺ fluxes and calmodulin by treating potato leaf discs with Ca²⁺ channel blockers (La³⁺, verapamil and nifedipine) and with calmodulin inhibitors (chlorpromazine, W₇: N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene-sulfonamide, and compound 4880).We found : a) all these inhibitors decreased K⁺ uptake in the same ratio in tissues treated or...

Book review

P. Šiffel

Biologia plantarum 33:19, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873781

Enzymatic and anatomical changes in abscission zone cells of apple fruits induced by Ethephon

V. K Pandita, K. K Jindal

Biologia plantarum 33:20-25, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873782

The enhancement of fruit abscission zone formation with ethephon treatment caused an increase in soluble proteins, endo-cellulase, exo-polygalacturonase and peroxidase activities. Exo-cellulase and endo-polygalacturonase did not show any relationship with apple abscission. The separation of cells initiated in the cortex region and progressed towards vascular tissue. Cell separation in the cortex appeared to be due to dissolution of middle lamella but vascular tissues ruptured mechanically.

Book review

Ivana Macháčková

Biologia plantarum 33:25, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873783

The role of indol-3-ylacetic acid in regulation of juvenility inXanthium strumarium L.

V. Z. Podolnyi, Ivana Macháčková, Zuzana Josefusová-Vondráková, J. Eder, J. Krekule, M. Kh. Chailakhyan

Biologia plantarum 33:26-31, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873784

Cotyledons ofXanthium strumarium, organs with low sensitivity to photoperiodic treatment show a higher free indol-3-ylacetic acid level (by about 35 %) than the first pair leaves, organs with high sensitivity to photoperiodic treatment. This was seen in plants of three different age groups : A. with the first pair of leaves of 15-20 mm in length; B. with the first pair of leaves having finished their growth and C. with the third leaf of 30-40 mm in length.Changes in free IAA level during the inductive dark period were similar in both cotyledons and leaves of the first pair. The level of IAA rose in the first half of the dark period, began...

The effect of Lead on early stages ofPhaseolus vulgaris L. growthin vitro conditions

A. Wozny, E. Jerczyńska

Biologia plantarum 33:32-39, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873785

Lead chloride (10^-5 M) inhibited the growth of the main root, the duration of development, the number and growth of lateral roots, primary and trifoliate leaves, and also the mitotic index in root apical meristems. Lead strongly inhibited root growth rate, mainly by reducing the number of dividing cells. Other mechanisms of this inhibition are discussed.

Transgenic Tobacco plants with T-DNA Phytohormone synthesis genes

M. OndŘej, Tamara V. Bavrina, Natalja Dudko, M. Hrouda, J. Krekule, Veronika N. Lozhnikova, Ivana Machácková, Frideta Seidlová, J. Vlasák

Biologia plantarum 33:40-48, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873786

Agrobacterium tumefaciens binary vectors carrying kanamycin resistance gene and either C58 T-DNA gene 4 for cytokinin synthesis or genes 1 and 2 for auxin synthesis were constructed and used for transformation of a short-day tobacco Maryland Mammoth. Kanamycin resistant plants were regenerated from a small fraction of transformed tissue and the presence of T-DNA in their genome was verified by Southern blotting. The level of endogenous cytokinin in plants transgenic for gene 4 and the level of endogenous IAA in those transgenic for genes 1 and 2 increased by more than 100 %. A number of morphological characteristics distinguish them from untransformed...

Book review

Ivana Macháčková

Biologia plantarum 33:48, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873787

Influence of Abscisic acid on K⁺ absorption by leaf discs ofSolanum tuberosum

Sausan Suleiman, Annick Hourmant, M. Penot

Biologia plantarum 33:49-57, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873788

It is shown that, contrary to what is generally found, treatment with abscisic acid (ABA) of potato leaf tissues resulted in an increase of K⁺ uptake. Comparison with other hormones was made: BAP induced an inhibition and GA₃ a stimulation of K⁺ uptake. The uptake was sensitive to several metabolic inhibitors, external pH and ATPase inhibitors while p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid (PCMBS) had no effect. Uptake kinetics revealed the presence of both saturable and linear components which were both stimulated by ABA treatment. Our data are consistent with an effect of ABA on the active and passive components of K⁺...

Effects of exogenous salicylate on basal and stress-induced ethylene formation in soybean

S. Pennazio, P. Roggero

Biologia plantarum 33:58-65, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873789

Aqueous salicylate solutions stimulated ethylene formation only when injurious, or potentially injurious, concentrations were exogenously supplied to soybean cuttings. Stimulation occurred via the biochemical sequence involving ACC as an intermediate, and was attributable to stimulation of ACC synthesis but not of EFE activity. Similar results were obtained by testing wound-induced ethylene, whereas the production of virus-induced ethylene was not affected by salicylate. Prolonged salicylate treatments which did not produce evident injurious effects inhibited soybean growth and rooting, probably through the moderate antiauxinic property attributable...

Regulation of the activity of Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isolated from germinating maize (Zea mays L.) seeds by some metabolites

Sylva Leblová, Alexandra Strakošová, Martina Vojtěchová

Biologia plantarum 33:66-74, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873790

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) was isolated from maize seeds which were germinated for 20 h, using a procedure which included extraction of seed homogenate with Tris-HCl or sodium phosphate buffer, precipitation of the extract with ammonium sulphate, chromatography on DEAE cellulose, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. Phosphate buffer was found to be less suitable than Tris-HCl buffer both for maize seed extraction and for further PEPC purification steps. The enzyme preparation obtained was electrophretically homogenous. PEPC activity was inhibited by both phosphate and malate. It values obtained at pH 8.1 which is the pH optimum of the...

Differential effects of calmodulin antagonists on indol-3-ylacetic Add-and gibberellic acid-induced biphasic growth responses

Gordana Naunović, Mirjana Nešković

Biologia plantarum 33:75-80, 1991 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02873791

The effects of chlorpromazine and calmidazolium on rapid IAA- and GA₃-induced changes in growth rate of etiolated pea stems were measured. During the initial period of up to 160 min after hormone application, the responses to both IAA and GA₃ were seen to be biphasic, showing two acceleration peaks. Chlorpromazine or calmidazolium applied simultaneously with the hormones blocked the first IAA-induced acceleration peak, but did not affect the second one. In contrast, the first GA₃-induced peak was not prevented by chlorpromazine or calmidazolium, while the second one was completely abolished. The results support the...