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Effects of Canavanine on Arginine Utilization in Plants with Special Reference to Mitotic Activity
Author(s) -
WEAKS T. E.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1974.tb03119.x
Subject(s) - canavanine , mitosis , arginine , phaseolus , biology , biochemistry , prophase , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , amino acid , meiosis , gene
Excised primary roots of Phaseolus vulgaris L. were treated with canavanine and the effect on arginine utilization was studied. Arginine utilization was observed to be depressed to a low level by canavanine (1.8 × 10 −4 M ) in rapidly dividing and growing tissues. In addition, canavanine inhibited arginine utilization to a lesser degree in root sections composed of mature and non‐dividing tissues. This demonstrated that canavanine inhibition is not limited to those tissues where active DNA synthesis occurs. Canavanine was observed to inhibit the onset of mitosis in primary roots as evidenced by a significant reduction of the frequency of mitotic figures. In addition, this amino acid was found to affect the course of mitosis once it was initiated by altering the relative frequency of mitotic stages, decreasing the percentage of prophase figures and increasing the percentage observed in the telophase. An influence on the rate of spiralization and despiralization of the chromosomes is suggested. The effects on mitosis are probably related to growth‐inhibitory and toxic effects of canavanine. The possible function of canavine as an allelopathic substance is hypothesized.