IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CDNAS ENCODING ETHYLENE BIOSYNTHETIC-ENZYMES FROM PELARGONIUM X HORTORUM CV SNOW MASS LEAVES

Two Pelargonium 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase cDNAs (GAC-1 and GAC-2) were identified and characterized. GAC-1 is 1934 bp long with a 1446-bp open reading frame encoding a 54.1-kD polypeptide. GAC-S is a 1170-bp-long ACC synthase polymerase chain reaction fragment encoding 390 amino acids. Expression of GAC-1 and GAC-P together with a previously identified ACC oxidase (CEFE-1) was examined in different Pelargonium plant parts, and leaves were subjected to osmotic stress (sorbitol), metal ion stress (CuCl2), auxin (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid [2,4-D]), and ethylene. GAG-I expression was not detectable in any of the plant parts tested, whereas high levels of GAC-2 were expressed in the leaf bud, young leaf, young floret, fully open floret, and senescing floret. GAC-2 was expressed to a lesser degree in fully expanded leaves or roots and was undetectable in old leaves and floret buds. CEFE-1 was detectable at all leaf ages tested, in young and fully open florets, and in the roots; however, the highest degree of expression was in the senescing florets. GAC-1 was induced by sorbitol. Both GAG-I and GAC-P were only slightly affected by CuCl2 and induced indirectly by 2,4-D. GEFE-1 was highly induced by sorbitol, CuCl2, and 2,4-D. GAC-1, GAC-2, and GEFE-1 were unaffected by ethylene treatment. These results suggest that GAC-1 is only induced by stress and that GAC-2 may be developmentally regulated, whereas GEFE-1 is influenced by both stress and development.