Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1973 Apr;51(4):641–645. doi: 10.1104/pp.51.4.641

Embryoless Wheat Grain

A Natural System for the Study of Gibberellin-induced Enzyme Formation 1

Anwar A Khan 1,2, Rita Verbeek 1,2, Earl C Waters Jr 1,2, Henry A van Onckelen 1,2
PMCID: PMC366322  PMID: 16658386

Abstract

Yorkstar wheat, grown in New York State, has a high percentage (10-11) of grains without embryos. The embryoless grains have viable aleurone layers and show no sign of injury. These grains are able to support α-amylase synthesis only in the presence of gibberellin A3 (GA3). In the absence of GA3 some protein synthesis occurs in embryoless grains during the early hours of soaking, indicating that such activity occurs prior to and independent of GA3 induction of α-amylase. The level of β-amylase on a dry weight basis is the same in embryoless and normal grains and decreases with time of soaking. In the presence of GA3, β-amylase decreases at a slower rate. Isoenzymes of α-amylase from GA3-treated embryoless and normal grains show quantitative as well as qualitative differences. Cycloheximide (60 μg/ml) completely inhibits the synthesis of α-amylase by embryoless grains. Of the RNA synthesis inhibitors, actinomycin D (60 μg/ml) was ineffective while 6-methylpurine (60 μg/ml) gave 65% inhibition without decreasing the number of isoenzymes.

Full text

PDF
641

Images in this article

642Image
on p.642

Selected References

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

  1. BACON J. S., MACDONALD I. R., KNIGHT A. H. THE DEVELOPMENT OF INVERTASE ACTIVITY IN SLICES OF THE ROOT OF BETA VULGARIS L. WASHED UNDER ASEPTIC CONDITIONS. Biochem J. 1965 Jan;94:175–182. doi: 10.1042/bj0940175. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chrispeels M. J., Varner J. E. Gibberellic Acid-enhanced synthesis and release of alpha-amylase and ribonuclease by isolated barley and aleurone layers. Plant Physiol. 1967 Mar;42(3):398–406. doi: 10.1104/pp.42.3.398. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chrispeels M. J., Varner J. E. Hormonal control of enzyme synthesis: on the mode of action of gibberellic Acid and abscisin in aleurone layers of barley. Plant Physiol. 1967 Jul;42(7):1008–1016. doi: 10.1104/pp.42.7.1008. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gaspar T., Khan A. A., Fries D. Hormonal control of isoperoxidases in lentil embryonic axis. Plant Physiol. 1973 Jan;51(1):146–149. doi: 10.1104/pp.51.1.146. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gibson R. A., Paleg L. G. Lysosomal nature of hormonally induced enzymes in wheat aleurone cells. Biochem J. 1972 Jun;128(2):367–375. doi: 10.1042/bj1280367. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Khan A. A. Cytokinins: permissive role in seed germination. Science. 1971 Mar 5;171(3974):853–859. doi: 10.1126/science.171.3974.853. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Khann A. A., Dubucq M., Gaspar T., Roe C. H. Peroxidase synthesis in embryonic axis of lentil grown attached and detached from the cotyledons. Arch Int Physiol Biochim. 1972 Jan;80(1):195–196. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lyon M. E. EMBRYOLESS SEEDS IN CEREALS. Science. 1928 Jun 29;67(1748):652–652. doi: 10.1126/science.67.1748.652-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Minamikawa T., Uritani I. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in sliced sweet potato roots. J Biochem. 1965 May;57(5):678–688. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Stevens O. A. WHEAT GRAINS WITHOUT EMBRYOS. Science. 1943 Jan 22;97(2508):91–91. doi: 10.1126/science.97.2508.91. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES