Ga. King et al., SIMILARITIES IN GENE-EXPRESSION DURING THE POSTHARVEST-INDUCED SENESCENCE OF SPEARS AND NATURAL FOLIAR SENESCENCE OF ASPARAGUS, Plant physiology, 108(1), 1995, pp. 125-128
Changes in gene expression and tissue composition were investigated du
ring foliar development and natural senescence of asparagus (Asparagus
officinalis L.). Three phases in development and senescence of the fo
liage were characterized: early fern growth, mature fern, and senescen
ce, when a marked loss of chlorophyll, sucrose, and protein occurred a
nd major changes in translatable mRNAs were detected. Transcripts for
three asparagus spear harvest-induced cDNA clones, pTIP9, pTIP11, and
pTIP12 (G.A. King and K.M. Davies [1992] Plant Physiol 100: 1661-1669)
, accumulated during natural foliar senescence, suggesting that the un
derlying regulatory mechanisms may be similar in both developmental si
tuations. We have used our knowledge of asparagus spear physiology, th
e probable proteins encoded by the cDNA clones, and our fern developme
nt data to propose that sugar depletion regulates the accumulation of
at least pTIP12 transcripts in senescing asparagus tissue.