Brian D. Patterson

Estimation of hydrogen peroxide in plant extracts using titanium(IV).

Methods for the estimation of hydrogen peroxide in acetone extracts using titanium(IV) are likely to overestimate hydrogen peroxide when applied to plant leaves. Pigments appear to co-precipitate with the titanium complex and cannot be removed by washing with solvents. Fluoride, which specifically removes the color of the titanium-peroxide complex, removes only some of the color from the reactions with plant extracts. This problem has been avoided by extracting tissues with trichloroacetic acid, and measuring peroxide against catalase-treated blanks by its reaction with the complex of titanium(IV) with 4-(2-pyridylazo) resorcinol. Levels of hydrogen peroxide in leaves of a variety of species were found to range from about 0.1 to 0.6 mumol X g-1.

Chemical Properties, Distribution, and Physiology of Plant and Algal Carbonic Anhydrases

Plant carbonic anhydrases (CAs) have a range of molecular weights (MW). Among flowering plants, dicotyledons with C3 photosynthesis have two isoenzymes of 140-250K each with 6 subunits, while monocotyledons have two isoenzymes of 42-45K. Plant and animal CAs have a similar amino acid content, subunit size and zinc content, suggesting they are homologous proteins, although the higher plant CAs have no esterase activity and are not strongly inhibited by sulfonamides. Algal CAs vary widely in MW and some are highly sensitive to sulfonamides like the animal enzymes. The two plant isoenzymes, from the chloroplast and cytosol, can be separated by gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and subsequently visualized by enzymic H+ ion production. In plants, CAs probably facilitate diffusion of CO2 to the site of photosynthetic fixation; they may also have a role in pH regulation, in the use of bicarbonate by aquatic plants and in concentrating inorganic carbon within the chloroplast.

Lipids of chill-sensitive and -resistant Passiflora species: Fatty acid composition and temperature dependence of spin label motion

Abstract Polar lipids were extracted from the leaves of Passiflora species which varied in their resistance to chilling injury. The fatty acid compositions of the 8 major polar lipid classes from P. caerulea (chill-resistant) were generally similar to those of the corresponding lipids from P. flavicarpa (chill-sensitive). Using ESR spectroscopy, the motion of spin-labelled molecules was measured in phospholipids isolated from a range of Passiflora species. The temperature dependence of the motion of the spin labels showed a change at 1° for lipids of the most chill-resistant species and at 9° for the lipids of the most chill-sensitive species. Lipids from other species showed changes at intermediate temperatures, and the greater the chilling sensitivity of the species, the higher was the temperature of the change. It is concluded that pronounced differences in chilling sensitivity of the Passiflora species are correlated with physical differences in their membrane lipids; however, the degree of unsaturation of the lipids is not a reliable guide to chilling sensitivity.

Carbonic anhydrase: a new method of detection on polyacrylamide gels using low-temperature fluorescence.

Abstract Carbonic anhydrase was located on polyacrylamide gels with carbon dioxide as the substrate and bromocresol purple to indicate hydrogen ion formation. The developed gels were fixed by freezing to −70°, and the enzyme bands were detected by their low-temperature fluorescence in ultraviolet light.

Ethylene, a plant hormone from fluorescent lighting.

FLUORESCENT lighting is used as a source of artificial light in plant growth chambers and to extend day length for plants grown in greenhouse conditions. The electrical circuit for a fluorescent light includes a ballast choke which usually consists of lacquered copper wire wound on an iron core and insulated with impregnated paper or cloth. We found that peas grown in our growth room were affected by ethylene which was being produced by the ballast chokes. Ethylene is a plant hormone which has a physiological effect on plants at concentrations as low as 0.06 µg/1, (ref. 1).