Storage proteins and cell wall mobilisation in seeds of Sesbania virgata (Cav.) Pers. (Leguminosae)

Autor(es)

Tonini, Patricia P. ^[1] ; Carrara, Thalita B. ^[1] ; Buckeridge, Marcos S. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION; v. 24, n. 4, p. 675-684, AUG 2010.
• Citações Web of Science: 5

Resumo

The endosperm of seeds of Sesbania virgata (Cav.) Pers. accumulates galactomannan as a cell wall storage polysaccharide. It is hydrolysed by three enzymes, one of them being alpha-galactosidase. A great amount of protein bodies is found in the cytoplasm of endospermic cells, which are thought to play the major role as a nitrogen reserve in this seed. The present work aimed at understanding how the production of enzymes that degrade storage compounds is controlled. We performed experiments with addition of inhibitors of transcription (actinomycin-d and alpha-amanitin) and translation (cycloheximide) during and after germination. In order to follow the performance of storage mobilisation, we measured fresh mass, protein contents and alpha-galactosidase activity. All the inhibitors tested had little effect on seed germination and seedling development. Actinomycin-d and cycloheximide provoked a slight inhibition of the storage protein degradation and concomitantly lead to an elevation of the alpha-galactosidase activity. Although alpha-amanitin showed some effect on seedling development at latter stages, it presented the former effect and did not change galactomannan degradation performance. Our data suggest that some of the proteases may be synthesised de novo, whereas alpha-galactosidase seems to be present in the endosperm cells probably as an inactive polypeptide in the protein bodies, being probably activated by proteolysis when the latter organelle is disassembled. These evidences suggest the existence of a connection between storage proteins and carbohydrates mobilisation in seeds of S. virgata, which would play a role by assuring a balanced afflux of the carbon and nitrogen to the seedling development. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 98/05124-8 - Conservação e uso sustentável da biodiversidade vegetal do Cerrado e da Mata Atlântica: o armazenamento de carboidratos e seu papel na adaptação e manutenção de plantas em seu habitat natural
• Beneficiário: Marcos Silveira Buckeridge
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Temático