ENZYME DISTRIBUTION IN SOME RADIATION-INDUCED MUTANTS OF PISUM SATIVUM WITH DIFFERENT INTERNODE LENGTHS

The activities of peroxidase, catalase, laccase, and tyrosinase in radiation-induced homozygous Pisum mutants have been investigated. The mutants differ from the parental stock only with respect to internode length. A direct relationship could be found between internode length and enzyme activity: the shorter the internodes the higher the activities of all four enzymes. An exception from this pattern in enzyme activity is a mutant with extremely long internodes; it shows a lower peroxidase activity while the activities of all other enzymes is greater than in the original line. The anomalous results are interpreted as being due to metabolic imbalance. © 1970.