Skip to main content
PMC home page
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1994 May;105(1):61–67. doi: 10.1104/pp.105.1.61

Hypoxic Induction of Anoxia Tolerance in Roots of Adh1 Null Zea mays L.

J R Johnson 1, B G Cobb 1, M C Drew 1
PMCID: PMC159329  PMID: 12232186

Abstract

Seedlings of alcohol dehydrogenase 1 null mutants (Adh1-) of Zea mays L., which fail to synthesize alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (ADH1) isozymes, were hypoxically acclimated by 18 h of exposure to an atmosphere of 4% (v/v) O2 in N2 at 25[deg]C. Their ability to tolerate subsequent anoxia by exposure to anaerobic (O2-free) conditions was compared with that of unacclimated seedlings that were transferred immediately from an atmosphere of 40% (v/v) O2 to anaerobic conditions. Only 10% of the root tips of unacclimated seminal roots survived 6 h of anoxia, whereas 70% of the hypoxically acclimated root tips were viable at 24 h. During anoxia, acclimated root tips had enhanced ADH activity compared with unacclimated root tips, through induction of Adh2. Despite this, enzyme activity was still only about 5% that of acclimated, wild-type root tips and about half that of unacclimated, wild-type root tips. During anoxia, acclimated Adh1- root tips showed a higher rate of anaerobic respiration and ethanol production, greater concentrations of ATP and total adenylates, and a greater adenylate energy charge compared with unacclimated root tips. These results suggest that although enhanced ADH activity may have raised fermentation rates in acclimated Adh1- tissues and thereby contributed to energy metabolism and viability, the high levels of ADH activity inducible in acclimated, wild-type maize root tips appear to be in excess of that required to increase rates of fermentation.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (708.7 KB).

Selected References

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

  1. Andrews D. L., Cobb B. G., Johnson J. R., Drew M. C. Hypoxic and Anoxic Induction of Alcohol Dehydrogenase in Roots and Shoots of Seedlings of Zea mays (Adh Transcripts and Enzyme Activity). Plant Physiol. 1993 Feb;101(2):407–414. doi: 10.1104/pp.101.2.407. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Andrews D. L., Drew M. C., Johnson J. R., Cobb B. G. The Response of Maize Seedlings of Different Ages to Hypoxic and Anoxic Stress (Changes in Induction of Adh1 mRNA, ADH Activity, and Survival of Anoxia). Plant Physiol. 1994 May;105(1):53–60. doi: 10.1104/pp.105.1.53. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. 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]
  4. Freeling M. Simultaneous induction by anaerobiosis or 2,4-D of multiple enzymes specificed by two unlinked genes: differential Adh1-Adh2 expression in maize. Mol Gen Genet. 1973 Dec 31;127(3):215–227. doi: 10.1007/BF00333761. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hole D. J., Cobb B. G., Hole P. S., Drew M. C. Enhancement of Anaerobic Respiration in Root Tips of Zea mays following Low-Oxygen (Hypoxic) Acclimation. Plant Physiol. 1992 May;99(1):213–218. doi: 10.1104/pp.99.1.213. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Johnson J., Cobb B. G., Drew M. C. Hypoxic Induction of Anoxia Tolerance in Root Tips of Zea mays. Plant Physiol. 1989 Nov;91(3):837–841. doi: 10.1104/pp.91.3.837. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kelley P. M. Maize pyruvate decarboxylase mRNA is induced anaerobically. Plant Mol Biol. 1989 Aug;13(2):213–222. doi: 10.1007/BF00016139. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Menegus F., Cattaruzza L., Chersi A., Fronza G. Differences in the Anaerobic Lactate-Succinate Production and in the Changes of Cell Sap pH for Plants with High and Low Resistance to Anoxia. Plant Physiol. 1989 May;90(1):29–32. doi: 10.1104/pp.90.1.29. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Roberts J. K., Callis J., Jardetzky O., Walbot V., Freeling M. Cytoplasmic acidosis as a determinant of flooding intolerance in plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Oct;81(19):6029–6033. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.19.6029. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Roberts J. K., Callis J., Jardetzky O., Walbot V., Freeling M. Cytoplasmic acidosis as a determinant of flooding intolerance in plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Oct;81(19):6029–6033. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.19.6029. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Roberts J. K., Chang K., Webster C., Callis J., Walbot V. Dependence of Ethanolic Fermentation, Cytoplasmic pH Regulation, and Viability on the Activity of Alcohol Dehydrogenase in Hypoxic Maize Root Tips. Plant Physiol. 1989 Apr;89(4):1275–1278. doi: 10.1104/pp.89.4.1275. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rumpho M. E., Kennedy R. A. Anaerobic Metabolism in Germinating Seeds of Echinochloa crus-galli (Barnyard Grass) : METABOLITE AND ENZYME STUDIES. Plant Physiol. 1981 Jul;68(1):165–168. doi: 10.1104/pp.68.1.165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Russell D. A., Sachs M. M. Protein Synthesis in Maize during Anaerobic and Heat Stress. Plant Physiol. 1992 Jun;99(2):615–620. doi: 10.1104/pp.99.2.615. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Russell D. A., Sachs M. M. The maize cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene family: organ-specific expression and genetic analysis. Mol Gen Genet. 1991 Oct;229(2):219–228. doi: 10.1007/BF00272159. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Sachs M. M., Freeling M., Okimoto R. The anaerobic proteins of maize. Cell. 1980 Jul;20(3):761–767. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90322-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Saglio P. H., Drew M. C., Pradet A. Metabolic Acclimation to Anoxia Induced by Low (2-4 kPa Partial Pressure) Oxygen Pretreatment (Hypoxia) in Root Tips of Zea mays. Plant Physiol. 1988 Jan;86(1):61–66. doi: 10.1104/pp.86.1.61. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Saglio P. H., Rancillac M., Bruzan F., Pradet A. Critical oxygen pressure for growth and respiration of excised and intact roots. Plant Physiol. 1984 Sep;76(1):151–154. doi: 10.1104/pp.76.1.151. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Saint-Ges V., Roby C., Bligny R., Pradet A., Douce R. Kinetic studies of the variations of cytoplasmic pH, nucleotide triphosphates (31P-NMR) and lactate during normoxic and anoxic transitions in maize root tips. Eur J Biochem. 1991 Sep 1;200(2):477–482. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1991.tb16207.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES