Identificação da enzima oxido nitrico sintase em vegetais

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

1999

RESUMO

The enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is responsible for the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), from the oxidation of L-arginine to L-citrulline. This enzyme has been found largely distributed in nature. In the animal kingdom, the NOS isoforms constitutively expressed are frequently Ca2+ -dependent and involved in physiological processes while Ca2+ -independent NOS isoforms are normally induced to produce large amounts of NO under pathological situations. Evidences for the existence of an endogenous pathway for NO synthesis in the plant kingdom has emerged in recent years. In the present work we investigate the presence of NOS in some plant species, by checking the ability of antibodies raised against mouse macrophage NOS and rabbit brain NOS cross-react with Iysates prepared from different plant tissues and also measured NOS activity, by L- [U_14C]-citrulline production from L-[U-14C]-arginine. Antibodies against macrophage NOS and brain NOS detected a protein of about 166 kDa in Western blot assays of cytosolic fractions of root tips and young leaves of maize seedlings. Immunochemical localization, using antibodies against macrophage NOS, conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate, revealed this protein in the cytosol of the cells at division zone as well as in the nucleus of the cells at the elongation zone of maize root tips. Cytosolic fractions of maize root tips and young leaves presented a2+-dependent NOS activity, as measured by the sensitivity to NOS inhibitors, such as, L NAME, L-NMMA, L-NNA and aminoguanidine. These results suggest the existence of a constitutive NOS enzyme in these maize tissues with the subcellular localization of this protein depending on the phase of 0011 growth. Cytosolic fraction derived from orange cells in culture also presented cross-immunoreactivity with antibodies raised against macrophage and brain NOS. Cytosolic fraction derived from the maize root hair zone presented a much higher NOS activity compared to root tips and young leaves and this activity was shown to be Ca2+ -independent, suggesting the existence of an inducible isoform in this root zone. A Ca2+ -independent NOS activity was also detected in coffee pollen mother cells in different stages of meiotic division suggesting a role for this enzyme in the process of microsporogenesis of coffee. The overall results indicate the existence, in plants, of different NOS-like enzyme isoforms, that may have important role in the control of cell growth and differentiation

ASSUNTO(S)

plantas identificação oxido nitrico

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