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. 1990 Jul;93(3):1253–1260. doi: 10.1104/pp.93.3.1253

Induction of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in the Facultative Halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum by Abscisic Acid 1

Chun Chu 1,2, Ziyu Dai 1, Maurice S B Ku 1, Gerald E Edwards 1
PMCID: PMC1062660  PMID: 16667587

Abstract

The facultative halophyte, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, shifts its mode of carbon assimilation from the C3 pathway to Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in response to water stress. In this study, exogenously applied abscisic acid (ABA), at micromolar concentrations, could partially substitute for water stress in induction of CAM in this species. ABA at concentrations of 5 to 10 micromolar, when applied to leaves or to the roots in hydroponic culture or in soil, induced the expression of CAM within days (as indicated by the nocturnal accumulation of total titratable acidity and malate). After applying ABA there was also an increase in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and NADP-malic enzyme activities. The degree and time course of induction by ABA were comparable to those induced by salt and water stress. Electrophoretic analyses of leaf soluble protein indicate that the increases in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity during the induction by ABA, salt, and water stress are due to an increase in the quantity of the enzyme protein. ABA may be a factor in the stress-induced expression of CAM in M. crystallinum, serving as a functional link between stress and biochemical adaptation.

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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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