Gc. Vanlerberghe et al., MOLECULAR-GENETIC EVIDENCE OF THE ABILITY OF ALTERNATIVE OXIDASE TO SUPPORT RESPIRATORY CARBON METABOLISM, Plant physiology, 113(2), 1997, pp. 657-661
With the cytochrome pathway inhibited, AOX was able to support conside
rable growth of cultured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv Petit Havana SR
1) cells but the efficiency of carbon utilization decreased dramatical
ly. Antisense cells with decreased AOX protein did not grow, whereas s
ense cells with elevated AOX protein had higher growth and respiration
rates than the wild type. In antisense cells a large accumulation of
pyruvate resulted in aerobic ethanolic fermentation.