Polyamine metabolism in ripening tomato fruit. II. Polyamine metabolism and synthesis in relation to enhanced putrescine content and storage life of alc tomato fruit

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Plant Physiology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.95.1.41· OSTI ID:5531248

Rastogi, R; Davies, P J ^[1]

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1. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

The fruit of the Alcobaca landrace of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) have prolonged keeping qualities (determined by the allele alc) and contain three times as much putrescine as the standard Rutgers variety (Alc) at the ripe stage. Polyamine metabolism and biosynthesis were compared in fruit from Rutgers and Rutgers-alc-a near isogenic line possessing the allele alc, at four different stages of ripening. The levels of soluble polyamine conjugates as well as wall bound polyamines in the pericarp tissue and jelly were very low or nondetectable in both genotypes. The increase in putrescine content in alc pericarp is not related to normal ripening as it occurred with time and whether or not the fruit ripened. Pericarp discs of both normal and alc fruit showed a decrease in the metabolism of (1,4-{sup 14}C)putrescine and (terminal labeled-{sup 3}H)spermidine with ripening, but there were no significant differences between the two genotypes. The activity of ornithine decarboxylase was similar in the fruit pericarp of the two lines. Arginine decarboxylase activity decreased during ripening in Rutgers but decreased and rose again in Rutgers-alc fruit, and as a result it was significantly higher in alc fruit than in the normal fruit at the ripe stage. The elevated putrescine levels in alc fruit appear, therefore, to be due to an increase in the activity of arginine decarboxylase.

• OSTI ID: 5531248
• Journal Information: Plant Physiology; (United States), Vol. 95:1; ISSN 0032-0889
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
TOMATOES
PHYSIOLOGY
BIOSYNTHESIS
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
GENETIC VARIABILITY
METABOLISM
PUTRESCINE
SPERMIDINE
STORAGE LIFE
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
AMINES
BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
FOOD
FRUITS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SYNTHESIS
551001* - Physiological Systems- Tracer Techniques