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ISOLATION OF beta-GLUCAN SYNTHETASE PARTICLES FROM PLANT CELLS AND IDENTIFICATION WITH GOLGI MEMBRANES
P M Ray1, T L Shininger, M M Ray
1DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, STANFORD UNIVERSITY STANFORD, CALIFORNIA.
Summary
Researchers identified specific Golgi membranes in peas responsible for synthesizing cell wall polysaccharides using sugar nucleotides. This finding clarifies the cellular location of key enzymes involved in plant cell wall formation.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Biochemistry
- Cell biology
Background:
- Particle-bound synthetases form cell wall polysaccharides using sugar nucleotides.
- The specific particles involved have remained unidentified in plant tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and identify the polysaccharide synthetase particles from pea plants.
- To characterize the enzymatic activities and composition of these particles.
Main Methods:
- Velocity and isopycnic density gradient centrifugation were used to separate cell particles.
- Enzymatic assays were performed to determine the activity of isolated particles.
Main Results:
- Polysaccharide synthetase particles forming beta-1,4-glucan were isolated.
- These particles have a density of 1.15 gm cm(-3) and exhibit nucleoside diphosphatase, acid phosphatase, and ATPase activities.
- The isolated particles consist of Golgi dictyosomes and associated membranes.
Conclusions:
- The identified synthetase particles are concluded to be Golgi membranes.
- Latent nucleoside diphosphatase activity may indicate inactivated polysaccharide synthetase within these Golgi membranes.