Skip to main content
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1990 May;93(1):55–61. doi: 10.1104/pp.93.1.55

Mechanism of Sulfonylurea Herbicide Resistance in the Broadleaf Weed, Kochia scoparia

Leonard L Saari 1, Josephine C Cotterman 1, Michael M Primiani 1
PMCID: PMC1062466  PMID: 16667465

Abstract

Selection of kochia (Kochia scoparia) biotypes resistant to the sulfonylurea herbicide chlorsulfuron has occurred through the continued use of this herbicide in monoculture cereal-growing areas in the United States. The apparent sulfonylurea resistance observed in kochia was confirmed in greenhouse tests. Fresh and dry weight accumulation in the resistant kochia was 2- to >350-fold higher in the presence of four sulfonylurea herbicides as compared to the susceptible biotype. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) activity isolated from sulfonylurea-resistant kochia was less sensitive to inhibition by three classes of ALS-inhibiting herbicides, sulfonylureas, imidazolinones, and sulfonanilides. The decrease in ALS sensitivity to inhibition (as measured by the ratio of resistant I50 to susceptible I50) was 5- to 28-fold, 2- to 6-fold, and 20-fold for sulfonylurea herbicides, imidazolinone herbicides, and a sulfonanilide herbicide, respectively. No differences were observed in the ALS-specific activities or the rates of [14C]chlorsulfuron uptake, translocation, and metabolism between susceptible and resistant kochia biotypes. The Km values for pyruvate using ALS from susceptible and resistant kochia were 2.13 and 1.74 mm, respectively. Based on these results, the mechanism of sulfonylurea resistance in this kochia biotype is due solely to a less sulfonylurea-sensitive ALS enzyme.

Full text

PDF
55

Selected References

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

  1. Ali A., Fuerst E. P., Arntzen C. J., Machado V. S. Stability of chloroplastic triazine resistance in rutabaga backcross generations. Plant Physiol. 1986 Feb;80(2):511–514. doi: 10.1104/pp.80.2.511. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bowes J., Crofts A. R., Arntzen C. J. Redox Reactions on the reducing side of photosystem II in chloroplasts with altered herbicide binding properties. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1980 Apr 1;200(2):303–308. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(80)90359-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chaleff R. S., Mauvais C. J. Acetolactate synthase is the site of action of two sulfonylurea herbicides in higher plants. Science. 1984 Jun 29;224(4656):1443–1445. doi: 10.1126/science.224.4656.1443. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Falco S. C., Dumas K. S. Genetic analysis of mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistant to the herbicide sulfometuron methyl. Genetics. 1985 Jan;109(1):21–35. doi: 10.1093/genetics/109.1.21. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hartnett M. E., Newcomb J. R., Hodson R. C. Mutations in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Conferring Resistance to the Herbicide Sulfometuron Methyl. Plant Physiol. 1987 Dec;85(4):898–901. doi: 10.1104/pp.85.4.898. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Holt J. S., Stemler A. J., Radosevich S. R. Differential Light Responses of Photosynthesis by Triazine-resistant and Triazine-susceptible Senecio vulgaris Biotypes. Plant Physiol. 1981 Apr;67(4):744–748. doi: 10.1104/pp.67.4.744. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Knott G. D. Mlab--a mathematical modeling tool. Comput Programs Biomed. 1979 Dec;10(3):271–280. doi: 10.1016/0010-468x(79)90075-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LaRossa R. A., Schloss J. V. The sulfonylurea herbicide sulfometuron methyl is an extremely potent and selective inhibitor of acetolactate synthase in Salmonella typhimurium. J Biol Chem. 1984 Jul 25;259(14):8753–8757. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lee K. Y., Townsend J., Tepperman J., Black M., Chui C. F., Mazur B., Dunsmuir P., Bedbrook J. The molecular basis of sulfonylurea herbicide resistance in tobacco. EMBO J. 1988 May;7(5):1241–1248. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb02937.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Peterson G. L. A simplification of the protein assay method of Lowry et al. which is more generally applicable. Anal Biochem. 1977 Dec;83(2):346–356. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(77)90043-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ray T. B. Site of action of chlorsulfuron: inhibition of valine and isoleucine biosynthesis in plants. Plant Physiol. 1984 Jul;75(3):827–831. doi: 10.1104/pp.75.3.827. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Saxena P. K., King J. Herbicide Resistance in Datura innoxia: Cross-Resistance of Sulfonylurea-Resistant Cell Lines to Imidazolinones. Plant Physiol. 1988 Mar;86(3):863–867. doi: 10.1104/pp.86.3.863. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Shaner D. L., Anderson P. C., Stidham M. A. Imidazolinones: potent inhibitors of acetohydroxyacid synthase. Plant Physiol. 1984 Oct;76(2):545–546. doi: 10.1104/pp.76.2.545. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Stowe A. E., Holt J. S. Comparison of Triazine-Resistant and -Susceptible Biotypes of Senecio vulgaris and Their F(1) Hybrids. Plant Physiol. 1988 May;87(1):183–189. doi: 10.1104/pp.87.1.183. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Winder T., Spalding M. H. Imazaquin and chlorsulfuron resistance and cross resistance in mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Mol Gen Genet. 1988 Aug;213(2-3):394–399. doi: 10.1007/BF00339608. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Yadav N., McDevitt R. E., Benard S., Falco S. C. Single amino acid substitutions in the enzyme acetolactate synthase confer resistance to the herbicide sulfometuron methyl. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jun;83(12):4418–4422. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.12.4418. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Plant Physiology are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES