Protein prenylation in spinach--tissue specificity and greening-induced changes

Etiolated spinach seedlings, as well as petioles and blades of leaves of green seedlings, were labeled with [3H]mevalonate to study protein prenylation in several plant developmental stages. The polypeptide prenylation pattern of the leaf petiole and the leaf blade differed considerably, although some prenylated proteins were present in both tissues. During greening several prenylated polypeptides in the 30- to 46-kDa molecular mass region and two at 15 kDa became more abundant, while others in the 21.5- to 30-kDa region and one at 62 kDa showed a relative decrease. However, the relative amount of several of the prenylated polypeptides did not appear to be altered during the greening process. In etiolated seedlings, more thioether-linked farnesol than geranylgeraniol was found, whereas in seedlings grown under normal light conditions the converse situation prevailed.