Apoptosis-like DNA fragmentation in leaves and floral organs precedes their developmental senescence

We investigated the senescence of flag leaves of durum wheat (Triticum durum) during grain-filling, and of petal-like ray flowers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) at anthesis. In both systems, we observe cleavage of DNA to high molecular weight fragments, followed by further degradation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant biosystems 2001-01, Vol.135 (2), p.183-189
Main Authors: Mazzucato, Andrea, Caccia, Riccardo, De Pace, Ciro, Delledonne, Massimo, Levine, Alex
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Helianthus tuberosus
leaf senescence
petal senescence
programmed cell death
Triticum aestivum
Triticum durum
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Summary:We investigated the senescence of flag leaves of durum wheat (Triticum durum) during grain-filling, and of petal-like ray flowers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) at anthesis. In both systems, we observe cleavage of DNA to high molecular weight fragments, followed by further degradation to nucleosomal fragments (laddering), a classical hallmark of apoptosis. We show that DNA fragmentation in such specialised leaves is triggered early in organ development, before the appearance of visual symptoms of senescence. Our observations support the hypothesis that senescence and cell death are part of the plant developmental program, activated by developmental cues.
ISSN:1126-3504
1724-5575
DOI:10.1080/11263500112331350810