Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Protoplasts”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,207 records · Page 67Linked to original sources

C Fixation by Leaves and Leaf Cell Protoplasts of the Submerged Aquatic Angiosperm Potamogeton lucens: Carbon Dioxide or Bicarbonate?

Protoplasts were isolated from leaves of the aquatic angiosperm Potamogeton lucens L. The leaves utilize bicarbonate as a carbon source for photosynthesis, and show polarity; that is, acidification of the periplasmic space of the lower, and alkalinization of the space near the upper leaf side. At present there are two models under consideration for this photosynthetic bicarbonate utilization process: conversion of bicarbonate into free carbon dioxide as a result of acidification and, second, a bicarbonate-proton symport across the plasma membrane. Carbon fixation of protoplasts was studied at different pH values and compared with that in leaf strips. Using the isotopic disequilibrium technique, it was established that carbon dioxide and not bicarbonate was the form in which DIC actually crossed the plasma membrane. It is concluded that there is probably no true bicarbonate transport system at the plasma membrane of these cells and that bicarbonate utilization in this species apparently rests on the conversion of bicarbonate into carbon dioxide. Experiments with acetazolamide, an inhibitor of periplasmic carbonic anhydrase, and direct measurements of carbonic anhydrase activity in intact leaves indicate that in this species the role of this enzyme for periplasmic conversion of bicarbonate into carbon dioxide is insignificant.

Journal Article↗

Calvin-Benson Cycle Enzymes in Guard-Cell Protoplasts from Vicia faba L: Implications for the Greater Utilization of Phosphoglycerate/Dihydroxyacetone Phosphate Shuttle between Chloroplasts and the Cytosol.

Activities of Calvin-Benson cycle enzymes were found in protoplasts of guard cells from Vicia faba L. The activities of NADP-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP-GAPD) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC) were 2670 and 52 micromoles per milligrams chlorophyll per hour, respectively. Activities of NADP-GAPD and RuBPC in guard cells were increased by red light illumination, and the light activations were inhibited completely by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU), an inhibitor of photosystem II. Enzymes related to the Calvin-Benson cycle such as 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (PGAK), triose phosphate (TP) isomerase, and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) were shown to be present in guard-cell chloroplasts. From these results, we conclude that the photosynthetic carbon reduction pathway is present in guard-cell chloroplasts of Vicia faba. We compared these enzyme activities in guard cells with those in mesophyll cells. The activities of NADP-GAPD and PGAK were more than several-fold higher and that of TP isomerase was much higher in guard-cell chloroplasts than in mesophyll chloroplasts. In contrast, activities of RuBPC and FBPase were estimated to be roughly half of those in mesophyll chloroplasts. High activities of PGAK, NAD-GAPD, and TP isomerase were found in fractions enriched in cytosol of guard cells. Illumination of guard-cell protoplasts with red light increased the cellular ATP/ADP ratio from 5 to 14. These results support the interpretation that guard cells utilize a shuttle system (e.g. phosphoglycerate [PGA]/dihydroxyacetone phosphate [DHAP] shuttle) for an indirect transfer of ATP and reducing equivalents from chloroplasts to the cytosol.

Journal Article↗

Isolation of Guard Cell Protoplasts from Mechanically Prepared Epidermis of Vicia faba Leaves.

A method for isolating guard cell protoplasts (GCP) from mechanically prepared epidermis of Vicia faba is described. Epidermis was prepared by homogenizing leaves in a Waring blender in a solution of 10% Ficoll, 5 millimolar CaCl(2), and 0.1% polyvinylpyrrolidone 40 (PVP). Attached mesophyll and epidermal cells were removed by shaking epidermis in a solution of Cellulysin, mannitol, CaCl(2), PVP, and pepstatin A. Cleaned epidermis was transferred to a solution of mannitol, CaCl(2), PVP, pepstatin A, cellulase "Onozuka" RS, and pectolyase Y-23 for the isolation of GCP. Preparations made by this method included both adaxial and abaxial GCP and contained </=0.017% mesophyll protoplasts, </=0.6% mesophyll fragments, and no epidermal cell contaminants. Yields averaged 9 x 10(4) protoplasts/leaflet and 98 to 100% of the GCP excluded trypan blue, concentrated neutral red, and hydrolyzed fluorescein diacetate. Isolated GCP increased in diameter by 2.2 micrometers after incubation in darkness in 10 micromolar fusicoccin, 0.4 molar mannitol, 5 millimolar KCl, and 1 millimolar CaCl(2). Illumination of GCP with 800 micromoles per square meter per second of red light resulted in alkalinization of their suspension medium. When 10 micromolar per square meter per second of blue light was superimposed onto the red light background, the medium acidified. Measurements of chlorophyll a fast fluorescence transients from isolated GCP indicated that GCP were capable of electron transport, and slow transients contained the "M" peak usually associated with a functional photosynthetic carbon reduction pathway.

Journal Article↗

In Vitro Selection of Calli Resistant to a Triazole Cytochrome-P-450-Obtusifoliol-14-Demethylase Inhibitor from Protoplasts of Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Xanthi.

The selection of biochemical mutants has been undertaken in order to elucidate regulatory and functional aspects of sterol biosynthesis in plants. 2-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-phenyl-1-(1H-1,2,4- triazol-1-yl)-2,3-oxidopropane (LAB170250F), an experimental fungicide of the triazole family, was used as a selective agent. Indeed, this compound is a strong inhibitor of the cytochrome-P-450-obtusifoliol-14-demethylase in sterol biosynthesis. The selection strategy consisted of screening large populations of microcalli derived from ultraviolet-mutagenized protoplasts of Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Xanthi for resistance to a lethal concentration of LAB170250F. The best selective conditions were first determined, i.e. strength of the selection pressure as well as the time and duration of its application in the developmental process from protoplast to whole plant. Selection experiments resulted in the recovery of 40 resistant calli. These calli were divided into three classes according to the modification of their sterol content in response to LAB170250F. Some of these calli might be impaired in sterol biosynthesis, but most have a sterol profile identical to that of the control calli. This suggests that the toxic properties of LAB170250F are due to the parallel inhibition of sterol biosynthesis and of at least one additional unidentified target in the plant cell.

Journal Article↗

Transformation of Wall Deficient Cultured Tobacco Protoplasts by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Attachment of virulent Agrobacterium tumefaciens to plant cells is required for transformation. To further study the components of the plant cell wall that may be involved in the attachment process, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) protoplasts were cultured in the presence of 2,6 dichlorobenzonitrile (DB), an inhibitor of cellulose biosynthesis, and then assayed for their ability to be transformed by Agrobacterium. The DB treated protoplasts were deficient in wall production. Nevertheless, they were transformable at high frequency by wild type Agrobacterium strains but not by mutant strains that lack the ability to bind to normal, walled cells. Small quantities of calcofluor white positive material present on DB treated cells were correlated with their competence to be transformed. Further, the plant:bacterial association that leads to transformation is shown to become stable within 5 hours after bacterial co-cultivation with either control or DB treated cells.

Journal Article↗

Light-enhanced dark respiration in mesophyll protoplasts from leaves of pea.

The respiratory oxygen uptake by mesophyll protoplasts of pea (Pisum sativum cv Arkel) was stimulated up to threefold after 15 minutes of illumination at an intensity of 1250 microeinsteins per square meter per second in the presence of 5 millimolar bicarbonate at 30 degrees C. The extent of light-enhanced dark respiration (LEDR) increased progressively with duration of preillumination. The LEDR exhibited two phases. The initial high rate of respiration decreased in about 10 minutes to a lower steady value similar to that before illumination. The promotion of LEDR by the presence of bicarbonate and inhibition by glyceraldehyde or 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea suggested that LEDR was dependent on products of photosynthetic carbon assimilation/electron transport. Thus, the photosynthetic products exert a markedly quick influence on dark respiration in mesophyll protoplasts.

Journal Article↗

Karyogamy after Electrofusion of Single Egg and Sperm Cell Protoplasts from Maize: Cytological Evidence and Time Course.

In maize, in vitro fusion of isolated male gametes with isolated egg cell protoplasts can be induced by electric pulses. Until now, karyogamy has not been demonstrated. In this study, we cytologically examined fusion products fixed at different times after electrofusion with phase contrast microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. We obtained a precise timetable from 23 samples studied during the first 3 hr. The sperm nucleus was integrated within the egg cell protoplast, migrated toward the egg cell nucleus, and fused with it within 1 hr, as demonstrated by ultrastructural observations, three-dimensional reconstructions of nuclei, and subsequent nuclear volume estimates. Fusion of nuclei occurred before zygotic mitosis, as is the case in vivo. These findings demonstrate karyogamy during in vitro fertilization of maize.

Journal Article↗

The Light-Dependent Transduction Pathway Controlling the Regulatory Phosphorylation of C4 Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase in Protoplasts from Digitaria sanguinalis.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) was characterized in extracts from C4 mesophyll protoplasts isolated from Digitaria sanguinalis leaves and shown to display the structural, functional, and regulatory properties typical of a C4 PEPC. In situ increases in the apparent phosphorylation state of the enzyme and the activity of its Ca2+-independent protein-serine kinase were induced by light plus NH4Cl or methylamine. The photosynthesis-related metabolite 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) was used as a substitute for the weak base in these experiments. The early effects of light plus the weak base or 3-PGA treatment were alkalinization of protoplast cytosolic pH, shown by fluorescence cytometry, and calcium mobilization from vacuoles, as suggested by the use of the calcium channel blockers TMB-8 and verapamil. The increases in PEPC kinase activity and the apparent phosphorylation state of PEPC also were blocked in situ by the electron transport and ATP synthesis inhibitors DCMU and gramicidin, respectively, the calcium/calmodulin antagonists W7, W5, and compound 48/80, and the cytosolic protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. These results suggest that the production of ATP and/or NADPH by the illuminated mesophyll chloroplast is required for the activation of the transduction pathway, which presumably includes an upstream Ca2+-dependent protein kinase and a cytosolic protein synthesis event. The collective data support the view that the C4 PEPC light transduction pathway is contained entirely within the mesophyll cell and imply cross-talk between the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells in the form of the photosynthetic metabolite 3-PGA.

Journal Article↗

Modulation of membrane fluidity in living protoplasts of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia by catalytic hydrogenation.

A homogeneous water-soluble Ru catalyst, has been incorporated into mesophyll protoplasts isolated from Nicotiana plumbaginifolia leaves. In the presence of hydrogen gas this complex causes an extensive loss of unsaturated fatty acid bonds and a concomitant increase in microviscosity of the cellular membranes. Although the gradual reduction of the level of unsaturation, per se, is accompanied by considerable cell damage, there is an optimum reaction time where approximately 50% of the protoplasts are still living and about 20% of the double bounds initially present in fatty acyl residues have undergone hydrogenation. The possible mechanism of the self regulatory process competing with the hydrogenation in the early stages of the reaction is also discussed.

Catalysis↗

Induced transfer of higher plant chloroplasts into fungal protoplasts.

Chloroplasts isolated from spinach leaves have been transferred in large numbers into protoplasts of Neurospora crassa with the help of polyethylene glycol. The chloroplasts show high photosynthetic activity--at least until the time of uptake--and the protoplasts continue to show active cytoplasmic streaming after chloroplast uptake.

Chloroplasts↗

Enhancement of Lignin Degradation in Streptomyces spp. by Protoplast Fusion.

Protoplast fusion was investigated as a technique for genetically manipulating two lignin-degrading Streptomyces strains, Streptomyces viridosporus T7A and Streptomyces setonii 75Vi2. Four of 19 recombinants tested showed enhanced production of acid-precipitable polymeric lignin (APPL), producing 155 to 264% more APPL from corn stover lignocellulose than was produced by the wild-type S. viridosporus T7A. APPLs are lignin degradation intermediates known to be potentially valuable chemical products produced by bioconversion of lignin with Streptomyces spp. The prospects of utilizing protoplast fusion to construct APPL-overproducing Streptomyces strains was considered especially promising.

Journal Article↗

Composition of Regenerated Cell Walls of Reverting Aureobasidium pullulans Protoplasts.

Protoplasts of Aureobasidium pullulans, formed by treating normal blastospores with polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzymes, synthesized glycans when incubated in shallow culture. The polysaccharides formed a loose, thick coating on the cells. The glycans that were formed are similar to the glycans in normal cell walls; however, they lack the branching that is normally found. This result is consistent with the findings of others who have studied the cell wall composition of reverting yeast protoplasts.

Journal Article↗

Genetic Recombination and Transformation in Protoplasts of Thermomonospora fusca.

Protoplasts were produced from the thermophilic actinomycete Thermomonospora fusca and were regenerated to 0.1% of the direct count on regeneration agar. Recombination after protoplast fusion was demonstrated with drug-resistant mutants of T. fusca YX. A single thiostrepton-resistant colony was isolated after transformation of T. fusca YX with the streptomycete vector pIJ702, providing the first evidence for transformation in the genus Thermomonospora and suggesting that some mesophilic streptomycete genes can be expressed in thermophilic actinomycetes. Of 20 thermophilic actinomycete strains isolated from self-heated composts, 3 were found to harbor native plasmid DNA, providing potential sequences for the development of Thermomonospora-Streptomyces shuttle vectors.

Journal Article↗

Optimization of Protoplast Formation and Regeneration in Leuconostoc mesenteroides.

Conditions are reported for efficient protoplast formation and regeneration in four strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Protoplasts were produced from each strain at frequencies greater than 99%, although the rate of their production was variable from strain to strain. Bovine serum albumin and Mg were required for maximal regeneration, while the presence of Ca was inhibitory. Regeneration frequencies of 16% could be obtained with strain ATCC 10830. This frequency was four- to eightfold higher than the frequencies of the other strains examined.

Journal Article↗