Skip to main content
PMC home page
Biochemical Journal logoLink to Biochemical Journal
. 1989 May 15;260(1):231–235. doi: 10.1042/bj2600231

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase as a molecular target for diphenyl ether herbicides.

M Matringe 1, J M Camadro 1, P Labbe 1, R Scalla 1
PMCID: PMC1138650  PMID: 2775186

Abstract

Diphenyl ether herbicides induce an accumulation of protoporphyrin IX in plant tissues. By analogy to human porphyria, the accumulation could be attributed to decreased (Mg or Fe)-chelatase or protoporphyrinogen oxidase activities. Possible effects of acifluorfen-methyl on these enzymes were investigated in isolated corn (maize, Zea mays) etioplasts, potato (Solanum tuberosum) and mouse mitochondria, and yeast mitochondrial membranes. Acifluorfen-methyl was strongly inhibitory to protoporphyrinogen oxidase activities whatever their origins [concn. causing 50% inhibition (IC50) = 4 nM for the corn etioplast enzyme]. By contrast, it was roughly 100,000 times less active on (Mg or Fe)-chelatase activities (IC50 = 80-100 microM). Our results lead us to propose protoporphyrinogen oxidase as a cellular target for diphenyl ether herbicides.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

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

  1. Bassel J., Hambright P., Mortimer R., Bearden A. J. Mutant of the yeast Saccharomycopsis lipolytica that accumulates and excretes protorphyrin IX. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jul;123(1):118–122. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.1.118-122.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bradford M. M. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem. 1976 May 7;72:248–254. doi: 10.1006/abio.1976.9999. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brenner D. A., Bloomer J. R. The enzymatic defect in variegate prophyria. Studies with human cultured skin fibroblasts. N Engl J Med. 1980 Apr 3;302(14):765–769. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198004033021401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Camadro J. M., Ibraham N. G., Levere R. D. Kinetic studies of human liver ferrochelatase. Role of endogenous metals. J Biol Chem. 1984 May 10;259(9):5678–5682. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Camadro J. M., Urban-Grimal D., Labbe P. A new assay for protoporphyrinogen oxidase - evidence for a total deficiency in that activity in a heme-less mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1982 Jun 15;106(3):724–730. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(82)91771-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Castelfranco P. A., Weinstein J. D., Schwarcz S., Pardo A. D., Wezelman B. E. The Mg insertion step in chlorophyll biosynthesis. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1979 Feb;192(2):592–598. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(79)90130-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Deybach J. C., de Verneuil H., Nordmann Y. The inherited enzymatic defect in porphyria variegata. Hum Genet. 1981;58(4):425–428. doi: 10.1007/BF00282829. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ferreira G. C., Dailey H. A. Mouse protoporphyrinogen oxidase. Kinetic parameters and demonstration of inhibition by bilirubin. Biochem J. 1988 Mar 1;250(2):597–603. doi: 10.1042/bj2500597. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jacobs N. J., Jacobs J. M. Assay for enzymatic protoporphyrinogen oxidation, a late step in heme synthesis. Enzyme. 1982;28(2-3):206–219. doi: 10.1159/000459103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Labbe P., Camadro J. M., Chambon H. Fluorometric assays for coproporphyrinogen oxidase and protoporphyrinogen oxidase. Anal Biochem. 1985 Aug 15;149(1):248–260. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(85)90502-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Matringe M., Scalla R. Studies on the mode of action of acifluorfen-methyl in nonchlorophyllous soybean cells : accumulation of tetrapyrroles. Plant Physiol. 1988 Feb;86(2):619–622. doi: 10.1104/pp.86.2.619. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Orr G. L., Hess F. D. Mechanism of Action of the Diphenyl Ether Herbicide Acifluorfen-Methyl in Excised Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Cotyledons : LIGHT ACTIVATION AND THE SUBSEQUENT FORMATION OF LIPOPHILIC FREE RADICALS. Plant Physiol. 1982 Feb;69(2):502–507. doi: 10.1104/pp.69.2.502. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Pardo A. D., Chereskin B. M., Castelfranco P. A., Franceschi V. R., Wezelman B. E. ATP requirement for mg chelatase in developing chloroplasts. Plant Physiol. 1980 May;65(5):956–960. doi: 10.1104/pp.65.5.956. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Urban-Grimal D., Labbe-Bois R. Genetic and biochemical characterization of mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae blocked in six different steps of heme biosynthesis. Mol Gen Genet. 1981;183(1):85–92. doi: 10.1007/BF00270144. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Witkowski D. A., Halling B. P. Accumulation of photodynamic tetrapyrroles induced by acifluorfen-methyl. Plant Physiol. 1988 Jul;87(3):632–637. doi: 10.1104/pp.87.3.632. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biochemical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biochemical Society

RESOURCES