Enzymes in biogenesis of plant cell wall polysaccharides: enzyme characterization using tracer techniques
Tracers are indispensable in the study of plant enzymes. Labelled compounds are employed in routine enzyme assays and in studies of the kinetic and regulatory properties of enzymes. The advantages of radiochemical enzyme assays include their great sensitivity and specificity. These permit assays of crude plant extracts, often in the presence of inhibitors of contaminating enzymes that would interfere with a less sensitive type of assay. Potential disadvantages of radiochemical assays are the time and effort needed to separate labelled product from labelled substrate, particularly if solubility properties or net electrical charges of these compounds are not sufficiently different to permit rapid separation by solvent extraction or ion-exchange chromatography. Isotope effects are seldom a problem for biologists. Our research deals with enzymes and metabolic pathways by which starch and cell wall polysaccharides are formed. The goal is to learn how these processes are regulated and particularly to identify the enzymatic regulatory mechanisms involved. Germinating lily pollen is used for studies of cell wall formation; both pollen and maize endosperm are used for studies of starch biosynthesis. Hexokinase is the first step in conversion of hexoses to starch, wall polysaccharides and respiratory substrates. The maize endosperm enzyme was assayed by its conversion of $sup 14$C-hexose to $sup 14$C- hexose-6-P, and rapid separation of the two labelled compounds on anion-exchange paper. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- State Univ. of New York, Buffalo
- NSA Number:
- NSA-33-026378
- OSTI ID:
- 4019207
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Proceedings of tracer techniques for plant breeding, Vienna, Austria, 2 Dec 1974; Other Information: See STI/PUB--419; CONF-741261--. Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-76; Related Information: Tracer techniques for plant breeding
- Country of Publication:
- IAEA
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
N48830 -Life Sciences-New Tracer Techniques-Other
551201*
*CARBOHYDRATES- METABOLISM
*CELL WALL- BIOCHEMISTRY
*ENZYMES- BIOASSAY
*HEXOKINASE- METABOLISM
CARBON 14
ENDOSPERM
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MAIZE
PLANT CELLS
POLLEN
POLYSACCHARIDES
TRACER TECHNIQUES