ISSN:
1615-6102
Keywords:
Actin
;
Glycine max
;
Microfilaments
;
Soybean
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Summary Filamentous structures were observed when cytoplasmic extracts of various tissues of soybean plants and seedlings were examined by electron microscopy. Three main lines of evidence indicate that these structures represented microfilaments derived from the soybean tissues: a) the diameter of the filaments was estimated to be 6–7 nm; b) the addition of rabbit heavy meromyosin resulted in the decoration of the filaments, yielding characteristic arrow-head patterns; and c) ATP reversed the decoration of the filaments by heavy meromyosin. When the various anatomical parts of soybean plants and seedlings were compared for the presence of microfilaments, the root tips and radicles showed the highest frequency while the petioles and cotyledons yielded no observable filaments. In order to substantiate these findings, a quantitative radioimmunoassay was developed using rabbit antibodies directed against calf thymus actin. These studies demonstrated that the concentration of actin in extracts of the root tip was 15-fold higher than in those of the petiole and leaf. Similar comparisons of various parts of soybean seedlings showed that the radicle was rich in actin. These results suggest that actin filaments are found predominantly in the subterranean parts of plants.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01287621
