Biomedical subjects

Carol Wagstaff

Publications and source records attributed to Carol Wagstaff.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Ethylene and flower longevity in Alstroemeria: relationship between tepal senescence, abscission and ethylene biosynthesis.

Senescence of floral organs is broadly divided into two groups: those that exhibit sensitivity to exogenous ethylene and those that do not. Endogenous ethylene production from the former group is via a well-characterized biochemical pathway and is either due to developmental or pollination-induced senescence. Many flowers from the order Liliales are characterized as ethylene-insensitive since they do not appear to produce endogenous ethylene, or respond to exogenous ethylene treatments, however, the majority of cases studied are wilting flowers, rather than those where life is terminated by perianth abscission. The role of ethylene in the senescence and abscission of Alstroemeria peruviana cv. Rebecca and cv. Samora tepals was previously unclear, with silver treatments recommended for delaying leaf rather than flower senescence. In the present paper the effects of exogenous ethylene, 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (CEPA) and silver thiosulphate (STS) treatments on tepal senescence and abscission have been investigated. Results indicate that sensitivity to ethylene develops several days after flower opening such that STS only has a limited ability to delay tepal abscission. Detachment force measurements indicate that cell separation events are initiated after anthesis. Endogenous ethylene production was measured using laser photoacoustics and showed that Alstroemeria senesce independently of ethylene production, but that an extremely small amount of ethylene (0.15 nl flower(-1) h(-1)) is produced immediately prior to abscission. Investigation of the expression of genes involved in ethylene biosysnthesis by semi-quantitative RT-PCR indicated that transcriptional regulation is likely to be at the level of ACC oxidase, and that the timing of ACC oxidase gene expression is coincident with development of sensitivity to exogenous ethylene.

Alstroemeria↗

PubMed2004

Gene expression patterns to define stages of post-harvest senescence in Alstroemeria petals.

Petal senescence in many species is regulated by ethylene but some flowers, such as those on the monocotyledonous plant Alstroemeria, var. Rebecca are ethylene insensitive. Changes in gene expression during the post-harvest senescence of Alstroemeria flowers were investigated using several different techniques. Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to obtain cDNA libraries enriched for genes expressed at selected stages of petal senescence. Sequencing of the EST clones obtained resulted in over 1000 sequences that represent approximately 500 different genes. Analysis of the potential functions of these genes provides a snapshot of the processes that are taking place during petal development. Both cell wall related genes and genes involved in metabolism were present at a higher proportion in the earlier stages. Genes encoding metal binding proteins (mostly metallothionein-like) were the major component of senescence enhanced libraries. This limited the diversity of genes identified showing differential expression at the later stages. Changes in the expression of all genes were analysed using microarray hybridization, and genes showing either up or down-regulation were identified. The expression pattern of a selection of genes was confirmed using Northern hybridization. Northern hybridization confirmed the up-regulation of metallothioneins after floral opening, however, this was not detected by the microarray analysis, indicating the importance of using a combination of methods to investigate gene expression patterns. Considerably more genes were up-regulated than down-regulated. This may reflect the need during Alstroemeria petal senescence for the expression of a whole new set of genes involved with degradation and mobilization. The potential uses of expression profiling to improve floral quality in breeding programmes or as a diagnostic tool are discussed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Defining senescence and death.

This article evaluates features of leaf and flower senescence that are shared with, or are different from, those of other terminal events in plant development. Alterations of plastid structure and function in senescence are often reversible and it is argued that such changes represent a process of transdifferentiation or metaplasia rather than deterioration. It may be that the irreversible senescence of many flowers and some leaves represents the loss of ancestral plasticity during evolution. Reversibility serves to distinguish senescence fundamentally from programmed cell death (PCD), as does the fact that viability is essential for the initiation and progress of cell senescence. Senescence (particularly its timing and location) requires new gene transcription, but the syndrome is also subject to significant post- transcriptional and post-translational regulation. The reversibility of senescence must relate to the plastic, facultative nature of underlying molecular controls. Senescence appears to be cell-autonomous, though definitive evidence is required to substantiate this. The vacuole plays at least three key roles in the development of senescing cells: it defends the cell against biotic and abiotic damage, thus preserving viability, it accumulates metabolites with other functions, such as animal attractants, and it terminates senescence by becoming autolytic and facilitating true cell death. The mechanisms of PCD in plants bear a certain relation to those of apoptosis, and some processes, such as nucleic acid degradation, are superficially similar to aspects of the senescence syndrome. It is concluded that, in terms of physiological components and their controls, senescence and PCD are at best only distantly related.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2002

Cysteine protease gene expression and proteolytic activity during senescence of Alstroemeria petals.

The functional life of the flower is terminated by senescence and/or abscission. Multiple processes contribute to produce the visible signs of petal wilting and inrolling that typify senescence, but one of the most important is that of protein degradation and remobilization. This is mediated in many species through protein ubiquitination and the action of specific protease enzymes. This paper reports the changes in protein and protease activity during development and senescence of Alstroemeria flowers, a Liliaceous species that shows very little sensitivity to ethylene during senescence and which shows perianth abscission 8-10 d after flower opening. Partial cDNAs of ubiquitin (ALSUQ1) and a putative cysteine protease (ALSCYP1) were cloned from Alstroemeria using degenerate PCR primers and the expression pattern of these genes was determined semi-quantitatively by RT-PCR. While the levels of ALSUQ1 only fluctuated slightly during floral development and senescence, there was a dramatic increase in the expression of ALSCYP1 indicating that this gene may encode an important enzyme for the proteolytic process in this species. Three papain class cysteine protease enzymes showing different patterns of activity during flower development were identified on zymograms, one of which showed a similar expression pattern to the cysteine protease cDNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Characterization of a novel lipoxygenase-independent senescence mechanism in Alstroemeria peruviana floral tissue.

The role of lipoxygenase (lox) in senescence of Alstroemeria peruviana flowers was investigated using a combination of in vitro assays and chemical profiling of the lipid oxidation products generated. Phospholipids and galactolipids were extensively degraded during senescence in both sepals and petals and the ratio of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids increased. Lox protein levels and enzymatic activity declined markedly after flower opening. Stereochemical analysis of lox products showed that 13-lox was the major activity present in both floral tissues and high levels of 13-keto fatty acids were also synthesized. Lipid hydroperoxides accumulated in sepals, but not in petals, and sepals also had a higher chlorophyll to carotenoid ratio that favors photooxidation of lipids. Loss of membrane semipermeability was coincident for both tissue types and was chronologically separated from lox activity that had declined by over 80% at the onset of electrolyte leakage. Thus, loss of membrane function was not related to lox activity or accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides per se and differs in these respects from other ethylene-insensitive floral tissues representing a novel pattern of flower senescence.

Anthocyanins↗