EFFECT OF CHITOSAN ON THE CELL ULTRASTRUCTURE AND ACTIVITY OF HYDROLASES IN TOBACCO LEAVES
V.P. Nagorskaya, A.V. Reunov,1 L.A. Lapshina, B.N. Davydova, I.M. Yermak
Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok;
1 e-mail: antreunov@mail.ru
Effect of chitosan on the mesophyll cell ultrastucture and activity of hydrolases in leaves of tobacco cv. Samsun was studied. It was shown that, in many cells, chitosan treatment
stimulated the protein-synthesizing apparatus (nucleolus dimension and amount of both mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum membranes increased) and, at the same time,
caused some activation of lytic compartment expressed in the stimulation of the formation of dictyosomes, smooth ER elements and cytoplasmic vacuoles all of them are prominent
constituents of this compartment. In biochemical experiments, it was established that chitosan substantially enhanced activity of hydrolases (acid phosphatase, RNase, proteases) in the
leaves as compared to untreated leaves. In some cells chitosan treatment caused considerable destructive changes (condensation of nuclear chromatin, collapse of cytoplasm and so on)
that can be classified as a result of programmed cell death development.
Key words: chitosan, hydrolase activity, mesophyll cells, programmed cell death, tobacco, ultrastructure-morphometric analysis
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