Comparison between Ageing of Slices and Ethylene or Rindite Treatments of Whole Potato Tubers: Studies on Microsomal and Mitochondrial Enzymatic Activities

• Published in: Journal of experimental botany 1985-01, Vol.36 (162), p.129-139
• Main Authors: BONNEROT, CLAIRE, DIZENGREMEL, PIERRE, KADER, JEAN-CLAUDE
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Cyanide resistant respiration; Cyanides; Cytochromes; Economic plant physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth and development; Microsomes; Mitochondria; Morphogenesis, differentiation, rhizogenesis, tuberization. Senescence; Oxidation; Plant physiology; Plant physiology and development; Plant tissues; Respiration; Tubers; Vegetative apparatus, growth and morphogenesis. Senescence
• ISSN: 0022-0957; 1460-2431
• DOI: 10.1093/jxb/36.1.129

When potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) are treated with Rindite (ethylene chlorohydrin, ethylene dichloride, carbon tetrachloride, 7/3/1, v/v/v) for 2 d, and then stored at 20 °C, important changes in enzymatic activities are observed in mitochondrial as well as in microsomal fractions isolated from these tubers. In mitochondria isolated from Rindite-treated tubers, the oxidation of succinate was more active and more resistant to cyanide than in mitochondria from untreated tubers. The functioning of a cyanide-resistant, SHAM-sensitive oxidative activity was similar to that observed after an ageing treatment of tuber slices or an ethylene treatment of whole tubers. However, in the latter case, changes in oxidative properties or cyanide-resistance were less important. Moreover, all the observed changes disappeared after 4 d of storage. The NADH-ferricyanide reductase and NADH-cytochrome c reductase activities of microsomal fractions isolated from Rindite-treated tubers increased after 1 d or 4 d of storage, relative to the activities of untreated tubers. Moreover, the oleate-desaturase activity, which could not be detected in microsomes prepared from untreated tubers, was high in microsomes from treated tubers stored for 1 d and 4 d, and then the activity decreased. The induction of an oleate-desaturase activity by Rindite treatment can be compared to the effect of the ageing treatment on tuber slices. The enhancement of oleate-desaturase activity was linked to an increase in cytochrome b5-content of microsomes of treated tubers. However, all these changes were not observed when whole tubers were treated with ethylene alone.