Wound-induced expression of horseradish peroxidase

Peroxidases have been implicated in the responses of plants to physiological stress and to pathogens. Wound-induced peroxidase of horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) was studied. Total peroxidase activity was increased by wounding in cell wall fractions extracted from roots, stems and leaves of horseradish. On the other hand, wounding decreased the peroxidase activity in the soluble fraction from roots. The enzyme activities of the basic isozymes were induced by wounding in horseradish leaves based on data obtained by fractionation of crude enzyme in isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis followed by activity staining. We have previously isolated genomic clones for four peroxidase genes, namely, prxC1a, prxC1b, prxC2 and prxC3. Northern blot analysis using gene-specific probes showed that mRNA of prxC2, which encodes a basic isozyme, accumulated by wounding, while the mRNAs for other peroxidase genes were not induced. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants were transformed with four chimeric gene constructs, each consisting of a promoter from one of the peroxidase genes and the β-glucuronidase (GUS) structural gene. High level GUS activity induced in response to wounding was observed in tobacco plants containing the prxC2-GUS construct.