Is a cysteine proteinase inhibitor involved in the regulation of petal wilting in senescing carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) flowers?
Open Access
- 1 March 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Experimental Botany
- Vol. 53 (368), 407-413
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jexbot/53.368.407
Abstract
Senescence of carnation petals is accompanied by autocatalytic ethylene production and wilting of the petals; the former is caused by the expression of 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase genes and the latter is related to the expression of a cysteine proteinase (CPase) gene. CPase is probably responsible for the degradation of proteins, leading to the decomposition of cell components and resultant cell death during the senescence of petals. The carnation plant also has a gene for the CPase inhibitor (DC‐CPIn) that is expressed abundantly in petals at the full opening stage of flowers. In the present study, DC‐CPIn cDNA was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The recombinant DC‐CPIn protein completely inhibited the activities of a proteinase (CPase) extracted from carnation petals and papain. Northern blot analysis showed that the mRNA for CPase (DC‐CP1) accumulated in large amounts, whereas that for DC‐CPIn disappeared, corresponding to the onset of petal wilting in flowers undergoing natural senescence and exogenous ethylene‐induced senescence. Based on these findings, a role of DC‐CPIn in the regulation of petal wilting is suggested; DC‐CPIn acts as a suppressor of petal wilting, which probably functions to fine‐tune petal wilting in contrast to coarse tuning, the up‐regulation of CPase activity by gene expression.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cloning of a cDNA encoding EIN3-like protein (DC-EIL1) and decrease in its mRNA level during senescence in carnation flower tissues.Journal of Experimental Botany, 2001
- Expression of genes responsible for ethylene production and wilting are differently regulated in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) petalsPlant Science, 2000
- An ethylene-induced cDNA encoding a lipase expressed at the onset of senescenceProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2000
- Differential Expression of Three Members of the 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate Synthase Gene Family in Carnation1Plant Physiology, 1999
- Inhibition by 1-Aminocyclobutane-l-Carboxylate of the Activity of 1-Aminocyclopropane-l-Carboxylate Oxidase Obtained from Senescing Petals of Carnation {Dianthus caryophyllus L.) FlowersPlant and Cell Physiology, 1997
- Ethylene-regulated expression of a carnation cysteine proteinase during flower petal senescencePlant Molecular Biology, 1995
- Expression of Ethylene Biosynthetic Pathway Transcripts in Senescing Carnation FlowersPlant Physiology, 1992
- Mechanism of inhibition of papain by chicken egg white cystatinFEBS Letters, 1989
- A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye bindingAnalytical Biochemistry, 1976
- Magnesium precipitation of ribonucleoprotein complexes. Expedient techniques for the isolation of undegraded polysomes and messenger ribonucleic acidBiochemistry, 1974