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Induction of swelling in pea internode tissue by ethylene
1Department of Biology, University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California 95053.
Plant Physiology
|December 1, 1978
Summary
Ethylene gas irreversibly alters pea internode cell expansion, causing swelling. Even after ethylene removal, the altered growth rate persists, indicating a permanent change in cell behavior.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Plant physiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Ethylene is a plant hormone known to influence various growth processes.
- Polar cell expansion is crucial for plant development, while radial expansion can lead to tissue swelling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of ethylene on polar and radial cell expansion in pea internode tissue.
- To understand the kinetics and irreversibility of ethylene-induced changes in cell expansion.
- To explore the metabolic changes associated with ethylene-induced swelling.
Main Methods:
- Development of a specialized gas-tight growth chamber for continuous monitoring.
- Experiments involving excised pea internode segments exposed to ethylene.
- Ethylene removal experiments at different time points.
- Analysis of imino acid metabolism, including proline incorporation.
Main Results:
- Ethylene inhibits polar cell expansion and induces radial swelling in pea internodes after a ~3-hour induction period.
- Ethylene-induced changes in cell expansion mode were found to be irreversible.
- The rate of growth established during ethylene exposure continued even after gas removal.
- Ethylene treatment inhibited [(14)C]proline incorporation into wall-associated proteins during swelling, suggesting an effect on proline pool sizes.
Conclusions:
- Ethylene induces a persistent, irreversible alteration in the cell expansion mode of pea internode tissue.
- The observed swelling is linked to changes in proline metabolism, specifically affecting proline incorporation into cell wall proteins.
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