ENHANCEMENT OF DIACYLGLYCEROL LEVEL AND INOSITOL PHOSPHATES TURNOVER IN FULLY HABITUATED SUGAR-BEET CELL-LINE

A fully habituated (HNO, auxin- and cytokinin-independent) sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L., var, altissima) cell line (plant tumour occurring s pontaneously in plant cell cultures) exhibits many cytological, ultras tructural and biochemical similarities to animal cancerous cells. The diacylglycerol (DAG) content as well as inositol phosphates (LPs) leve ls and turnovers have been studied in the habituated cell lines, in co mparison with the normal (N, auxin- and cytokinin-requiring) ones deri ved from the same plant. HNO cells show higher levels of DAG, InsP(3), InsP(2) and InsP(1) than their normal counterparts. The turnover of L nsP(3) to InsP(2) and InsP(2) to InsP(1) overpasses those in the N cel ls. The presented results are closely related to those obtained in ani mal ras-transformed tumorous cells. Involvement of ras genes is sugges ted as a possible cause of spontaneous hormone autonomous plant cell g rowth.