Abstract
Previous work in our laboratory has demonstrated the existence of high affinity binding sites for the plant growth regulator ethylene. The ethylene binding protein (EBP), from Phaseolus cotyledons, shows many of the characteristics of a functional receptor for ethylene, has been purified on SDS-PAGE and polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbits. Current work involves the investigation of the ethylene transduction signal in a number of ethylene-responsive tissues.
In peas, it has been shown that ethylene promotes the phosphorylation of specific proteins of similar molecular weight to the EBP from Phaseolus. Such ethylene-induced phosphorylation can be inhibited by the ethylene antagonist, 2,5-NBD. The antibodies raised to the EBP from Phaseolus have been shown to immunoprecipitate 32P-labelled proteins from membrane protein preparations obtained from pea tissue. Studies on ethylene binding in pea have also shown that the binding of ethylene may be regulated by phosphorylation. Thus, under conditions which promote phosphorylation, binding is inhibited, whereas the reverse is true under conditions which enhance dephosphorylation.
Further work is described which examines the effect of protein kinase, protein phosphatase and calcium channel inhibitors on ethylene-induced phosphorylation in peas, together with wild-type (WT) and ethylene insensitive (eti) mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana. The effects of these treatments can be monitored in vivo using the ethylene-induced triple response as a screen. Furthermore, the protein profiles of such treated seedlings can then be compared by labelling protein extracts with 32P and subjecting the samples to SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cohen, P, Holmes, CFB and Tsukitani, Y (1990) Okadaic acid — A new probe for the study of cellular recognition. TIBS 5: 98–102
Hall, MA, Aho, HM, Berry, AW, Cowan, DSC, Harpham, NVJ, Holland, MG, Moshkov, IE, Novikova, GV and Smith, AR (1993) Ethylene receptors. In: Peche, Latache and Balague (eds) Cellular and Molecular Aspects of the Plant Hormone Ethylene, pp 168–173. Dordrecht, Boston, London: Kluwer Academic Publishers
Hall, MA, Berry, AW, Cowan, DSC, Evans, JE, Harpham, NVJ, Moshkov, I, Novikova, G, Raskin, IO, Smith, AR, Turner, R and Zhang, Xiuqing (1994) Ethylene receptors. In: Smith, CJ, Gallon, J, Chiatante, D and Zocchi, G (eds) Biochemical Mechanisms Involved in Plant Growth Regulation. Proceedings of the Phytochemical Society of Europe. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
Hall, MA, Connern, CPK, Harpham, NVJ, Isizawa, K, Roveda-Hoyos, G, Raskin, I, Sanders, IO, Smith, AR, Turner, R and Wood, CK (1990) Ethylene receptors and action. In: Roberts, JA, Kirk, C and Venis, MA (eds) Hormone Signal Perception and Signal Transduction in Animals and Plants, pp 87–110. SEB Symposium number 44. Cambridge, UK: The Company of Biologists Ltd
Harpham, NVJ, Berry, AW, Knee, EM, Roveda-Hoyos, G, Raskin, I, Sanders, IO, Smith, AR, Wood, CK and Hall, MA (1991) The effect of ethylene on the growth and development of wild-type and mutant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Ann Bot 68: 56–61
Kiss, Z and Deli, E (1992) Regulation of phospholipase-D by sphingosine involves protein-kinase C-dependent and C-independent mechanisms in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Biochem J 288: (DEC) 853–858
Nelson MT (1984) Reduction of single calcium channel currents by lanthanum and cadmium. Biophys J 45: (2) (meeting abstract)
Novikova, GV, Moshkov, IE, Smith, AR and Hall, MA (1993) Ethylene and phosphorylation of pea epicotyl proteins. In: Peche, Latache and Balague (eds) Cellular and Molecular Aspects of the Plant Hormone Ethylene, pp 371–372. Dordrecht, Boston, London: Kluwer Academic Publishers
Sanders, IO, Harpham, NVJ, Raskin, I, Smith, AR and Hall, MA (1991) Ethylene binding in wild-type and mutant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Ann Bot 68: 97–103
Sanders, IO, Ishizawa, K, Smith, AR and Hall, MA (1990) Ethylene binding and action in rice seedlings. Plant Cell Physiol 31: 1091–1099
Sanders, IO, Smith, AR and Hall, MA (1991) Ethylene binding in epicotyls of Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska. Planta 183: 209–217
Venis, MA (1985) Hormone Binding Sites in Plants. New York, London: Longman
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Berry, A.W., Cowan, D.S.C., Harpham, N.V.J. et al. Studies on the possible role of protein phosphorylation in the transduction of the ethylene signal. Plant Growth Regul 18, 135–141 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00028498
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00028498