P. Frendo et al., Localisation of glutathione and homoglutathione in Medicago truncatula is correlated to a differential expression of genes involved in their synthesis, PLANT J, 17(2), 1999, pp. 215-219
Glutathione (GSH) and homoglutathione (hGSH) were quantified in Medicago tr
uncatula during plant development. hGSH was detectable only 48 h after seed
germination whereas GSH was present in the dry seeds, indicating that only
GSH is used for sulphur storage in seeds. The hGSH was detectable only in
the underground part of mature plants whereas GSH was present in all the or
gans. gamma-EC synthetase (gamma-ECS) and GSH synthetase (GSHS) activities
were found in roots and leaves whereas hGSH synthetase (hGSHS) was found on
ly in roots. Full-length cDNA encoding gamma-ECS and two partial cDNAs (gsh
s1 and gshs2) showing high identity with GSHS were isolated in M. truncatul
a. High gamma-ECS activity was detected in protein extracts of a gamma-ECS-
deficient E. coli strain expressing the M. truncatula gamma-ECS. Northern b
lot analysis showed that the gamma-ECS gene was similarly expressed in all
the mature plant organs tested, whereas gshs1 had a higher expression in le
aves and flowers and gshs2 was preferentially expressed in roots and nodule
s. We hypothesise that gshs1 and gshs2 encode a GSHS and an hGSHS, respecti
vely.