CHANGES IN IN-VIVO PROTEIN COMPLEMENTS IN DRYING LEAVES OF THE DESICCATION-TOLERANT GRASS SPOROBOLUS-STAPFIANUS AND THE DESICCATION-SENSITIVE GRASS SPOROBOLUS-PYRAMIDALIS
J. Kuang et al., CHANGES IN IN-VIVO PROTEIN COMPLEMENTS IN DRYING LEAVES OF THE DESICCATION-TOLERANT GRASS SPOROBOLUS-STAPFIANUS AND THE DESICCATION-SENSITIVE GRASS SPOROBOLUS-PYRAMIDALIS, Australian journal of plant physiology, 22(6), 1995, pp. 1027-1034
Protein synthesis in vivo was studied with two-dimensional SDS-PAGE of
extracts of leaves on intact drying plants of Sporobolus stapfianus (
a desiccation-tolerant grass) and S. pyramidalis (a desiccation-sensit
ive species). Protein complements were also studied in dried, detached
leaves of S. stapfianus (detached leaves are also desiccation-sensiti
ve). Extensive changes in in vivo proteins were observed in S. stapfia
nus plants drying intact: 25 novel proteins, 10 proteins augmented, 13
proteins decreased and 7 proteins disappeared. Two main phases could
be distinguished in leaves as plants dry. In the first phase (85-51% r
elative water content (RWC) range), 10 novel proteins appeared and 2 p
roteins increased in content. In the second phase (37-3.5% RWC), 15 no
vel proteins appeared and 2 proteins increased in content. Some change
s in protein patterns were also observed in desiccation-sensitive leav
es, i.e. in (a) S. stapfianus leaves drying detached and in (b) drying
S. pyramidalis leaves attached. These changes were fewer than those i
n desiccation-tolerant leaves, i.e. in (c) S. stapfianus leaves drying
on intact plants; that is, (a) and (b) differed from each other and f
rom (c), which indicates that there is no common injury-related patter
n of protein change. These results are consistent with the view that c
hanges in protein complements accompany the induction of desiccation t
olerance in drying plants of S. stapfianus.