ACCUMULATION OF GLUTAMINE-SYNTHETASE DURING EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF MARITIME PINE (PINUS-PINASTER) SEEDLINGS

Seedlings of Pinus pinaster Aiton accumulated chlorophyll (Chl) when grown in complete darkness. Contents of Chl a and Chl b increased during germination, reaching similar levels in light- and dark-grown plants. Glutamine-synthetase (GS; EC 6.3.1.2) activity was detected in the embryo and its level increased markedly in cotyledons of dark-germinated seedlings. Similar levels of GS activity were observed when the seeds were germinated in the presence of white light. Only one GS form, which eluted at about 0.1 M KCl, was found by ion-exchange chromatography. A predominant GS polypeptide of 43 kDa was detected in cotyledons, and its steady-state level increased with development in a light-independent fashion. In roots and needles, a related GS polypeptide of 43 kDa was the unique species detectable by western blot analysis. Immunoblots of soluble proteins from isolated chloroplasts showed low abundance of GS protein, indicating that glutamine synthesis in pine cotyledons occurs mainly in the cytosol. Nitrogen-feeding experiments carried out with detached shoots indicated that neither NO3- nor NH4+ regulate GS levels and the polypeptide pattern. Our results indicate that environmental factors, such as light and nitrogen supply, have a limited role in GS accumulation during pine development.