Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) variability in antioxidant enzyme defenses

In order to investigate the existence of genetic variability in antioxidant enzyme defenses in sunflower, twelve inbred lines, six cytoplasmic male-sterile and six restorer lines, commonly used in breeding programs have been compared with respect to (a) their levels of constitutive superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2) and guaiacol-dependent peroxidase (GPX, EC 1.11.1.7), and (b) their isoenzyme polymorphism in SOD, CAT, and GPX activities. Constitutive levels of antioxidant enzymes in the 2nd leaf pair of 15-20-day-old sunflower plants showed significant differences between lines. The ranges of variation in enzyme activities of the different lines were equivalent to 34.3% (CAT), 38.2% (SOD), 59.5% (APX), 60.0% (GR), and 62.9% (GPX) of the respective maximal values. Isoenzyme profiles of CAT, GPX and SOD revealed the existence in sunflower of at least three, six and four isoforms of these enzymes, respectively. Further characterization of SOD isoenzymes revealed that no isoenzyme corresponded to a Mn-SOD, the faster moving isoform being a Cu/Zn-SOD and the remainder three Fe-SODs. Among the twelve inbred sunflower lines studied there were ample qualitative, and sometimes quantitative too, differences in isoenzyme dotation of CAT, GPX and Fe-SOD.