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L Taiz

Publications and source records attributed to L Taiz.

50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Evidence for a KCl-Stimulated, Mg-ATPase on the Golgi of Corn Coleoptiles.

Membranes of corn (Zea mays, cv Trojan 929) coleoptiles were fractionated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and the locations of organelles were determined using marker enzymes and electron microscopy. Latent IDPase (or UDPase) was selected as the Golgi marker and UDPG-sterol glucosyl transferase was selected as the plasma membrane (PM) marker, because they were clearly separable from markers for the other organelles. Golgi-rich and PM-rich fractions were studied in relation to their ATPase activities. The pH optimum of the KCl, Mg(2+)-ATPase of the PM-rich fraction from a step gradient was 6.0 to 6.5, while the Golgi-rich fraction had peaks at pH 6.0 to 6.5 and pH 7.5. It is hypothesized that the peak at pH 6.0 to 6.5 for the Golgi-rich fraction is due to PM-contamination, while the peak at pH 7.5 represents the activity of a Golgi ATPase. To reduce PM contamination, Golgi-rich fractions obtained from step or rate-zonal gradients were recentrifuged isopycnically on linear sucrose gradients. The distribution of KCl, Mg(2+)-ATPase activity was measured at pH 6.5 and 7.5. The pH 6.5 ATPase was coincident with UDPG-sterol glucosyl transferase, a PM marker, while the pH 7.5 ATPase overlapped with latent UDPase, a Golgi marker. These results provide strong evidence for a KCl, Mg(2+)-ATPase, active at pH 7.5, associated with the Golgi membranes of corn coleoptiles.

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Ethylene-induced lateral expansion in etiolated pea stems : kinetics, cell wall synthesis, and osmotic potential.

Treatment of etiolated pea (Pisum sativum L.) internode tissue with ethylene gas inhibits elongation and induces lateral expansion. Precise kinetics of the induction of this altered mode of growth of excised internode segments were recorded using a double laser optical monitoring device. Inhibition of elongation and promotion of lateral expansion began after about 1 hour of treatment and achieved a maximum by 3 hours. Similar induction kinetics were observed after treating internodes with colchicine and 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile, an inhibitor of cellulose synthesis. In sealed flask experiments, ethylene had no detectable effect on incorporation of label from [(14)C]glucose into any of the classical pectin, hemicellulose, or cellulose wall fractions. Ethylene inhibited fresh weight increase (total cell expansion) of both excised internode segments (in sealed flasks) and intact seedlings. Ethylene treatment resulted in an increase in cell sap osmolality in those tissues (intact and excised) which are inhibited by the gas. A model for ethylene-induced inhibition of elongation and induction of lateral expansion is presented.

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Ethylene-induced lateral expansion in etiolated pea stems : the role of Acid secretion.

Ethylene-induced inhibition of elongation and promotion of lateral expansion in the stems of etiolated pea (Pisum sativum L. var Alaska) seedlings is not associated with any alteration of auxin-stimulated proton extrusion. Indeed, lateral expansion in response to ethylene apparently requires an acidified wall since it is prevented by strong neutral buffers and by the ATPase inhibitor orthovanadate. Ethylene treatment reduces the capacity of live and frozen-thawed sections to extend in the longitudinal direction in response to acid. The effect of ethylene on lateral acid growth capacity is more complicated. Ethylene-treated internodes do not exhibit acid-induced lateral expansion. Ethylene-treated segments which have been frozen-thawed do show an enhanced capacity to extend in the transverse direction at acid pH, but only when the inner tissues have been removed by coring. We conclude that two of the factors which control the directionality of expansion during ethylene treatment are a decrease in the sensitivity of the walls to acid longitudinally and an increase in the sensitivity of the outer cortical parenchyma walls to acid in the transverse direction.

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Characterization of in vitro proton pumping by microsomal vesicles isolated from corn coleoptiles.

Corn (Zea mays L. cv Golden Cross Bantam) coleoptile microsomal vesicles have been isolated which are capable of ATP-driven H(+)-transport as measured by [(14)C]methylamine accumulation and quinacrine fluorescence quenching. Formation of the pH gradient in vitro shows a high specificity for ATP.Mg, is temperature-sensitive, exhibits a pH optimum at 7.5, and is inhibited by carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone. Of the divalent cations tested, Mn(2+) is almost as effective as Mg(2+), while Ca(2+) is ineffective. Excess divalent cations, particularly Ca(2+), reduces the pH gradient. H(+) transport is strongly promoted by anions, especially chloride, while potassium does not affect pump activity. Studies with (36)Cl(-) indicate that ATP-driven H(+) transport into the vesicles is associated with chloride uptake. Both carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone and the anion transport inhibitor, 4,4'-diisothiocyano-2,2'-disulfonic acid stilbene, inhibit methylamine accumulation and (36)Cl(-) uptake. Proton pumping is also blocked by diethyl stilbestrol and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, but is insensitive to oligomycin and vanadate. These properties of the pump are inconsistent with either a mitochondrial or plasma membrane origin.

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Localization of the proton pump of corn coleoptile microsomal membranes by density gradient centrifugation.

Previous studies characterizing an ATP-dependent proton pump in microsomal membrane vesicles of corn coleoptiles led to the conclusion that the proton pump was neither mitochondrial nor plasma membrane in origin (Mettler, Mandala, Taiz 1982 Plant Physiol 70: 1738-1742). To facilitate positive identification of the vesicles, corn coleoptile microsomal membranes were fractionated on linear sucrose and dextran gradients, with ATP-dependent [(14)C]methylamine uptake as a probe for proton pumping. On sucrose gradients, proton pumping activity exhibited a density of 1.11 grams/cubic centimeter and was coincident with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the presence of high magnesium, the ER shifted to a heavier density, while proton pumping activity showed no density shift. On linear dextran gradients, proton pumping activity peaked at a lighter density than the ER. The proton pump appears to be electrogenic since both [(14)C]SCN(-) uptake and (36)Cl(-) uptake activities coincided with [(14)C] methylamine uptake on dextran gradients. On the basis of density and transport properties, we conclude that the proton pumping vesicles are probably derived from the tonoplast. Nigericin-stimulated ATPase activity showed a broad distribution which did not coincide with any one membrane marker.

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Vanadate inhibition of auxin-enhanced H secretion and elongation in pea epicotyls and oat coleoptiles.

In experiments carried out to investigate the acid secretion theory of auxin action, we utilized sodium orthovanadate, an agent found to be a selective inhibitor of a plasma membrane-associated H(+)-pumping ATPase in Neurospora [Bowman, B. J. & Slayman, C. W. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 2928-2934]. At 1 mM, vanadate inhibited auxin-enhanced medium acidification by pea epicotyl segments within 5 min, whether added 0.5 or 2.5 hr after auxin. Inhibition of acidification was total after 10-15 min but could be reversed within 10 min after vanadate removal. When given as a 40-min pretreatment, vanadate completely prevented any auxin-enhanced acidification. Vanadate inhibition of medium acidification by oat coleoptile segments was also total and reversible, but both inhibition and reversal occurred after longer lag times than in pea. Inhibitory effects of vanadate on elongation in pea and oat tissue closely paralleled its effects on acidification, and the inhibitory effect of vanadate on elongation could be reversed by an acidic buffer. Vanadate did not inhibit respiration or protein synthesis in pea epicotyl segments, although it strongly inhibited L-[(14)C]leucine uptake. These results indicate the importance of cell wall acidification for short- and long-term auxin-enhanced growth and suggest the participation in wall acidification of a plasma membrane-associated ATPase acting as an H(+) pump.

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Control of Cell Elongation in Nitella by Endogenous Cell Wall pH Gradients: MULTIAXIAL EXTENSIBILITY AND GROWTH STUDIES.

The multiaxial stress of turgor pressure was stimulated in vitro by inflating isolated Nitella cell walls with mercury. The initial in vitro extension at pH 6.5, 5 atmospheres pressure, returned the wall approximately to the in vivo stressed length, and did not induce any additional extension during a 15-minute period. Upon release of pressure, a plastic deformation was observed which did not correlate with cell growth rates until the final stages of cell maturation. Since wall plasticity does not correlate with growth rate, a metabolic factor(s) is implicated. Walls at all stages of development exhibited a primary yield stress between 0 and 2 atmospheres, while rapidly growing cells (1-3% per hour) exhibited a secondary yield stress of 4 to 5 atmospheres. The creep rate and plastic deformation of young walls were markedly enhanced by acid buffers (10 millimolar, pH </= 5.3).Nitella cells produce acid and base "bands" along their length due to localized excretion of protons and hydroxyl ions. Marking experiments showed that growth is largely restricted to the acid regions. Growth in the acid bands was inhibited by alkaline buffers, and growth in the base bands was stimulated by acidic buffers. The two zones have similar mechanical properties. When the proton-binding capacity of the wall was taken into account, the pH of the solution in contact with inner wall surface in the acid band was estimated to be about 4.3, well within the threshold of acid-enhanced creep. Since the inner 25% of the wall controls extensibility, we conclude that growth in the acid band is caused by the action of protons on the wall.

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Cell expansion patterns and directionality of wall mechanical properties in nitella.

As a means of assessing the extent to which deformation of isolated walls relates to in vivo cell expansion, the directionality of wall mechanical properties was examined in Nitella. Measurements were made of plastic and elastic deformation and creep under both uniaxial and multiaxial stress conditions. Walls of different structural characteristics were obtained from control, isopropyl N-phenylcarbamate (IPC)-treated and IPC recovery cells. Although microfibrils in the inner portion of the wall were transverse for control and recovery cells but random for IPC cells, all walls had similar over-all microfibrillar orientations. Consequently, differences in wall mechanical properties should reflect structural differences in the inner wall. It is the action of the prevailing stress pattern on the inner, not overall, wall microfibrillar organization which dictates the directionality of growth in Nitella. The results indicate that the directional character of expansion is preserved to a large extent in the mechanical properties of isolated walls, and that most, but not all, of the deformation is determined by the inner wall. In addition, directional differences in the threshold for acid-induced extension varied in accord with the pattern of inner wall microfibrils.

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Transverse Viscoelastic Extension in Nitella: II. Effects of Acid and Ions.

The transverse viscoelastic extension of isolated Nitella cell walls is stimulated by acid pH and by Mg(2+) and K(+) ions. In the presence of 1 millimolar citrate-phosphate buffer the threshold pH in the transverse direction is 3.5, compared to 4.5 in the longitudinal direction. The relative amounts of extension stimulated by acid are comparable in the two directions at their respective thresholds. Longitudinal and transverse Mg(2+) ion-induced extensibility begins at 10 millimolar and reaches a plateau between 10 and 100 millimolar. The threshold for K(+) ion enhancement is near 10 millimolar in the longitudinal direction and 50 millimolar in the transverse direction. Maximum stimulation by K(+) is obtained at 250 millimolar. At their respective maxima, Mg(2+) and K(+) induce equal amounts of extension. However, the relative amount of extension induced by ions is significantly less in the transverse than in the longitudinal direction. Ions and acids appear to affect different sites in the wall, inasmuch as neither treatment abolishes the effect of the other. Walls from rapidly growing cells are more sensitive to stimulation than nongrowing cells in the longitudinal direction but not in the transverse direction.

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Transverse viscoelastic extension in nitella: I. Relationship to growth rate.

Transverse viscoelastic extensibility was measured directly in isolated walls of Nitella internode cells. Cell walls extended transversely exhibit a yield point which is approximately twice the yield point in the longitudinal direction. Walls from young, growing cells are four to seven times more extensible longitudinally than transversely, while walls from mature, nongrowing cells are only two times more extensible longitudinally. Although longitudinal extensibility decreases drastically with the decrease in the growth rate, lateral extensibility is constant through development. There is a discrepancy between the lateral growth rate and transverse creep, since the lateral growth rate is not constant. However, the degree of wall anisotropy observed is consistent with the view that the transversely oriented cellulose microfibrils act as a "reinforcing filler" in Nitella cell walls.

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Cell wall extension in Nitella as influenced by acids and ions.

The giant internode cells of Nitella axillaris exhibit acid-induced growth similar to that found in higher plants. The threshold pH is 4.5, with a maximum at 3.5. The acid growth effect is transient, lasting no more than 32 min. Extensibility measurements of isolated cell walls showed a similar pattern of acid enhancement. Prolonged boiling in water (12 hr) only partially inhibited the acid-induced wall extensibility and actually increased the extensibility at pH 6. It was concluded that physical, rather than enzymatic, processes were responsible for acid-enhanced continuous extension ("creep") in Nitella walls. A complex cation-sensitive mechanism that affects extensibility was also characterized. Among the stimulatory (wall-softening) cations, divalents were generally more effective than monovalents, with magnesium being the most stimulatory. The inhibitory (wall-hardening) cations included divalents and trivalents, aluminum being the most inhibitory. Ionic effects on extensibility were even less sensitive to prolonged boiling in water than acid effects.

Cations, Divalent↗

Gibberellic Acid enhancement of DNA turnover in barley aleurone cells.

When imbibed, deembryonated halfseeds from barley (Hordeum vulgare L., var. Himalaya) are incubated in buffer, the DNA content of the aleurone layer increases 25 to 40% over a 24-hour period. In contrast, the DNA of isolated aleurone layers declines by 20% over the same time period. Gibberellic acid (GA) causes a reduction in DNA levels in both halfseed aleurone layers and isolated aleurone layers. GA also increases the specific radioactivity of [(3)H]thymidine-labeled halfseed aleurone layer DNA during the first 12 hours of treatment. Pulse-chase studies demonstrated that the newly synthesized DNA is metabolically labile.The buoyant density on CsCl density gradients of hormone-treated aleurone DNA is identical with that of DNA extracted from whole seedlings. After density-labeling halfseed DNA with 5-bromodeoxyuridine, a bimodal absorption profile is obtained in neutral CsCl. The light band (1.70 g/ml) corresponds to unsubstituted DNA, while the heavy band (1.725-1.74 g/ml) corresponds to a hybrid density-labeled species. GA increases the relative amount of the heavy (hybrid) peak in halfseed aleurone layer DNA, further suggesting that the hormone enhances semiconservative replication in halfseeds.DNA methylation was also demonstrated. Over 60% of the radioactivity from [(3)H-Me]methionine is incorporated into 5-methylcytosine. GA has no effect on the percentage distribution of label among the bases.It was concluded that GA enhances the rate of DNA degradation and DNA synthesis (turnover) in halfseeds, but primarily DNA degradation in isolated aleurone layers. Incorporation by isolated aleurone layers is due to DNA repair. Semiconservative replication apparently plays no physiological role in the hormone response, since both isolated aleurone layers and gamma-irradiated halfseeds respond normally. The hypothesis was advanced that endoreduplication and DNA degradation are means by which the seed stores and mobilizes deoxyribonucleotides for the embryo during germination.

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Production of cell wall hydrolyzing enzymes by barley aleurone layers in response to gibberellic Acid.

The cell walls of barley (Hordeum vulgare var. Himalaya) aleurone layers undergo extensive degradation during the tissue's response to gibberellic acid. Previous work had shown that these cell walls consist almost entirely of arabinoxylan. In this study we show that gibberellic acid stimulates endo-beta-1,4-xylanase activity in isolated aleurone layers. In addition, gibberellic acid enhances the activity of two glycosidases: beta-xylopyranosidase and alpha-arabinofuranosidase. No gibberellic acid-stimulated cellulase activity was detected. Germination studies showed a similar pattern of enzyme development in intact seeds.

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Molecular evolution of H+-ATPases. I. Methanococcus and Sulfolobus are monophyletic with respect to eukaryotes and Eubacteria.

The classification of methanogenic bacteria as archaebacteria based on 16 s rRNA sequence analysis is currently in dispute. To provide an alternative molecular marker, the polymerase chain reaction technique was used to amplify a 930 bp fragment of Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus genomic DNA corresponding to the catalytic domain of the membrane H+-ATPase. The deduced amino acid sequence was 54-58% identical to the approximately 70 kDa subunits of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and the eukaryotic vacuolar-type H+-ATPase, and only 29% identical to the beta subunit of the eubacterial-type F0F1-ATPases. Interestingly, a highly conserved aspartate residue in the phosphorylation domain of E1E2-ATPases (P-type) is conserved in the Methanococcus sequence, but is absent from all other known vacuolar and F0F1-ATPases. This suggests that the H+-ATPase of M. thermolithotrophicus, like that of M. voltae, may have a phosphorylated intermediate, despite belonging to the vacuolar-type class of proton pumps. Phylogenetic analysis using Felsenstein's maximum likelihood method and Lake's evolutionary parsimony method confirmed that the H+-ATPases of the two archaebacteria, Methanococcus and Sulfolobus, when compared to eukaryotic vacuolar-type ATPases and eubacterial F0F1-ATPases, form a monophyletic group.

Amino Acid Sequence↗