Open AccessAbscisic Acid and the Developmental Regulation of Embryo Storage Proteins in Maize
Author(s) -
Carol J. Rivin,
Timothy Grudt
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
plant physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.554
H-Index - 312
eISSN - 1532-2548
pISSN - 0032-0889
DOI - 10.1104/pp.95.2.358
Subject(s) - abscisic acid , germination , storage protein , embryo , biology , mutant , globulin , embryogenesis , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene , botany , endocrinology
The relationship of abscisic acid (ABA) inhibition of precocious germination and ABA-induced storage protein accumulation was examined over the course of embryogenesis in wild-type and viviparous mutants of maize (Zea mays L.). We show that a high level of embryo ABA and the product of the Viviparous-1 gene are both required in early maturation phase for germination suppression and the accumulation of storage globulins encoded by the gene Glb1. Suppressing precocious germination with a high osmoticum is not sufficient to initiate Glb1 protein synthesis, although continued accumulation is contingent upon this inhibition; germination of immature or mature embryos leads to a decline in synthesis and the degradation of stored globulins. Late in embryogenesis, fragments of Glb1 protein accumulate, coinciding with the loss of ABA sensitivity. These results suggest that ABA influences storage globulin accumulation by initiating synthesis, suppressing degradation, and inhibiting precocious germination.