Effects of UV-C irradiation on phosphoinositide turnover in plant cells: similarities with those occurring via the formation of reactive oxygen intermediates in animal cells

With the aim of examining the response of plant cells to UV-C irradiation, we investigated the behaviour of the phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PtdIns 4,5-P-2) molecule (the precursor of the phosphoinositide signal tra nsduction cascade) by exposing callus cells from Peucedanum verticillare to UV-C (130 J m(-2)) and by examining the level and the fatty acid compositi on of PtdIns 4,5-P-2 at different times after irradiation. We show that a p athway for the UV-C response includes transient PtdIns 4,5-P-2 breakdown. T he effect of ultraviolet rays is mimicked by H2O2 suggesting that in this p lant it may be brought about by reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI), as alr eady underlined in experimental animal models. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science In c. All rights reserved.