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. 1987 Jun;84(2):304–310. doi: 10.1104/pp.84.2.304

Phytochrome Chromophore Biosynthesis 1

Both 5-Aminolevulinic Acid and Biliverdin Overcome Inhibition by Gabaculine in Etiolated Avena sativa L. Seedlings

Tedd D Elich 1, J Clark Lagarias 1
PMCID: PMC1056575  PMID: 16665435

Abstract

Etiolated Avena sativa L. seedlings grown in the presence of gabaculine (5-amino-1,3-cyclohexadienylcarboxylic acid) contained reduced levels of phytochrome as shown by spectrophotometric and immunochemical assays. Photochromic phytochrome levels in gabaculine-grown plants were estimated to be 20% of control plants, while immunoblot analysis showed that the phytochrome protein moiety was present at approximately 50% of control levels. Gabaculine-grown seedlings administered either 5-aminolevulinic acid or biliverdin exhibited a rapid increase of spectrophotometrically detectable phytochrome. Phytochrome concentrations estimated immunochemically did not similarly increase throughout treatment with either compound. Similar experiments with 5-amino[4-14C] levulinic acid showed radiolabeling of phytochrome with kinetics that paralleled the spectrally detected increase. These results are consistent with (a) the intermediacy of both 5-aminolevulinic acid and biliverdin in the biosynthetic pathway of the phytochrome chromophore and (b) the lack of coordinate regulation of chromophore and apoprotein synthesis in Avena seedlings.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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