Investigations on the mechanism of oxygen-dependent plant processes: ethylene biosynthesis and cyanide-resistant respiration

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6025936

Stegink, S J

Two oxygen-dependent plant processes were investigated. A cell-free preparation from pea (Pisum sativum L., cv. Alaska) was used to study ethylene biosynthesis from 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid. Mitochondrial cyanide-resistant respiration was investigated in studies with /sup 14/C-butyl gallate and other respiratory effectors. Ethylene biosynthesis was not due to a specific enzyme, or oxygen radicals. Rather, hydrogen peroxide, generated at low levels, coupled with endogenous manganese produced ethylene. /sup 14/C-butyl gallate bound specifically to mitochondria from cyanide-sensitive and -resistant higher plants and Neurospora crassa mitochondria. The amount of gallate bound was similar for all higher plant mitochondria. Rat liver mitochondria bound very little /sup 14/C-butyl gallate. Plant mitochondria in which cyanide-resistance was induced bound as much /sup 14/C-butyl gallate as before induction. However mitochondria from recently harvested white potato tubers did not bind the gallate. The observations suggest that an engaging factor couples with a gallate binding site in the mitochondrial membrane. With skunk cabbage spadix mitochondria the I/sub 5//sup 0/ for antimycin A inhibition of oxygen uptake was decreased by salicylhydroxamic acid pretreatment; this was also true for reverse order additions. No shift was observed with mung bean hypocotyl or Jerusalem artichoke tuber mitochondria.

• Research Organization: Duke Univ., Durham, NC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6025936
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ETHYLENE
BIOSYNTHESIS
GALLIC ACID
RECEPTORS
MITOCHONDRIA
RESPIRATION
SENSITIVITY
BRASSICA
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
CELL MEMBRANES
CYANIDES
NEUROSPORA
PISUM
RATS
SOLANUM TUBEROSUM
ALKENES
ANIMALS
BACTERIA
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CELL CONSTITUENTS
FOOD
FUNGI
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY ACIDS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LEGUMINOSAE
MAMMALS
MEMBRANE PROTEINS
MEMBRANES
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANOIDS
PLANTS
PROTEINS
RHIZOBIUM
RODENTS
SOLANUM
SYNTHESIS
VEGETABLES
VERTEBRATES
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques