Protein Differences between Two Isogenic Cultivars of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) that Differ in Sensitivity to Photoperiod and Far-Red Light

A photoperiodically sensitive cultivar of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. Shabet) (BMDR-8) and an isogenic, single-gene recessive mutant of this genotype that is insensitive to photoperiod (BMDR-1) were grown under continuous cool white light with or without supplemental far-red fluorescent light. BMDR-1 initiates flowers 6 days after germination, irrespective of light treatment, whereas BMDR-8 remains vegetative for at least a week longer, even in continuous light. When far-red light is added, the delay of flowering in BMDR-8 is overcome and both genotypes initiate floral primordia at the same time. Total phenol extracted proteins of seedlings of both genotypes were resolved by two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. No protein differences were found between the genotypes when isoelectric focusing gels were run in the first dimension. Two qualitative genotypic differences were found when nonequilibrium pH gradient gel electrophoresis was run in the first dimension. An 85-kilodalton polypeptide (A) and a 26-kilodalton polypeptide (B) were always present in BMDR-8 but never found in BMDR-1. The levels of A appeared to decrease from the BMDR-8 during the first 3 days of far-red treatment but did not disappear completely even after 6 days of growth in the presence of farred. Polypeptide B decreases rapidly in continuous cool white light but is stabilized by far-red. The phytochrome content of BMDR-1 was found to be greater than that for BMDR-8. This increase appears to be caused by the type I (etiolated-tissue abundant) phytochrome pool, even in plants grown in continuous light.