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Fructan and fructan‐metabolizing enzymes in the growth zone of barley leaves
Author(s) -
ROTH ADRIAN,
LÜSCHER MARCEL,
SPRENGER NORBERT,
BOLLER THOMAS,
WIEMKEN ANDRES
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-8137.1997.00714.x
Subject(s) - fructan , invertase , sucrose , biology , carbohydrate , botany , food science , biochemistry
To study the role of fructan in leaf development of barley seedlings, fructan contents and the activities of enzymes involved in fructan metabolism were measured in segments of the third leaf at the stage of maximal growth. Fructans amounted to more than 10% of the d. wt in the growth zone at the base of the developing leaf and decreased sharply in the zone above. The specific activities of sucrose∶sucrose 1‐fructosyltransferase (1‐SST) and sucrose∶fructan 6‐fructosyltransferase (6‐SFT), two key enzymes in fructan synthesis, also peaked in the growth zone but decreased more slowly in the zone above. By contrast, the specific activities of invertase and fructan exohydrolase (FEH) were low in the growth zone at the leaf base and had their peak just above it. The specific activity of fructan∶fructan 1‐fructosyltransferase (1‐FFT) was approx. constant over the whole leaf. These results indicate that transitory accumulation of fructans in the growth zone plays a key role in the development of barley leaves.