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Related Experiment Videos

Expansins in growing tomato leaves.

E Keller1, D J Cosgrove

  • 1Department of Horticulture, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USA.

The Plant Journal : for Cell and Molecular Biology
|December 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Scientists identified a key protein in tomato leaves that drives cell wall expansion. This expansin-like protein restores the acid-growth response, suggesting a shared mechanism for plant growth across different tissues.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Plant cell wall expansion is crucial for growth.
  • The acid-growth hypothesis explains cell wall loosening under acidic conditions.
  • Expansins are known to facilitate cell wall extension in stems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify expansin-like proteins in growing tomato leaves.
  • To investigate the role of these proteins in the acid-growth response.
  • To compare cell wall extension mechanisms in tomato leaves and stems.

Main Methods:

  • Assessing acid-induced wall creep in tomato leaf cell walls.
  • Heat inactivation of wall activity and restoration with protein extracts.
  • High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for protein fractionation.
  • Immunological cross-reactivity testing using antibodies against cucumber expansin.

Main Results:

  • Tomato leaf walls exhibit acid-induced extension (creep) similar to cucumber hypocotyls.
  • Heat treatment inactivated this activity, which was restored by leaf protein extracts.
  • A 27 kDa protein in the active fraction cross-reacted with anti-cucumber expansin antibodies.
  • This protein is identified as a tomato leaf expansin responsible for acid-growth.

Conclusions:

  • Tomato leaves possess an expansin-like protein mediating the acid-growth response.
  • Cell wall extension in tomato leaves shares a common protein mechanism with stem expansion.
  • This finding highlights conserved molecular mechanisms in plant growth.

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