Inhibitors of Ethylene Biosynthesis and Signaling

Ethylene is a gas biosynthesized by plants which has many physiological and developmental effects on their growth. Ethylene affects agriculturally and horticulturally important traits such as fruit ripening, post-harvest physiology, senescence, and abscission, and so ethylene action is often inhibited to improve the shelf life of fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers. Chemical inhibitors of ethylene action are also useful for research to characterize the mechanisms of ethylene biosynthesis and signal transduction, and the role that ethylene plays in various physiological processes. Here, we describe the use of three inhibitors commonly used for the study of ethylene action in plants: 2-aminoethoxyvinyl glycine (AVG), silver ions (Ag), and the gaseous compound 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). AVG is an inhibitor of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase, a key enzyme involved in ethylene biosynthesis. Silver and 1-MCP are both inhibitors of the ethylene receptors. Inhibitor use as well as off-target effects are described with a focus on ethylene responses in dark-grown Arabidopsis seedlings. Methods for the use of these inhibitors can be applied to other plant growth assays.