Effect of Lincocin Treatment on the Greening Process in Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Leaves

Abstract

The effect of lincocin (a plastid protein synthesis inhibitor) treatment on the greening process of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) leaves have been studied. In comparison with control leaves treated ones had a decreased rate of chloroplast development. They had a marked chlorophyll deficiency and a decreased chlorophyll a/b ratio. Some long and short wavelength forms of chlorophyll a were lacking as evidenced from the absorption spectra at 25°C and the fluorescence spectra at 77°K. The –14CO2 fixation was inhibited by 80–90% in treated leaves. The fluorescence induced by the measuring light was greater in the treated leaves than in the control ones, and the kinetics of the decline of the relative fluorescence intensity were also different. Electron microscopic studies showed macrogranum‐like structures and incomplete membrane vesicles in the treated plastids. After longer treatment a destruction of membranes was observed. The results indicate some structural and functional membrane deficiencies and instability of the membranes.

A Developmental Study of Photosystem I Peripheral Chlorophyll Proteins

“…The location of information coding for the peripheral antennae of PSI is at present unknown. However, it has been reported that addition of far red Chl a antennae to PSI is blocked by lincomycin, an inhibitor of protein synthesis in chloroplasts (16,20). We that the Chl b-less barley mutant is deficient in PSI peripheral antennae.…”

Presence of ‘PSI free’ LHCI and monomeric LHCII and subsequent effects on fluorescence characteristics in lincomycin treated maize

“…Lincomycin being an inhibitor of bacterial protein synthesis (Josten and Allen 1964) binds to the 50S ribosomal subunit (Fernandez-Mun˜oz et al 1971), allosterically inhibits peptidyl-transferase activity (Campbell et al 1979) and thus specifically hinders protein synthesis in the chloroplast (Ellis 1975;Mulo et al 2003). Accordingly, the accumulation of both PSI and PSII cores were shown being highly affected by lincomycin treatment (Sa´rva´ri et al 1976;Hiller et al 1977;Aliev et al 1993), while the accumulation of LHCII and LHCI remained constant or was even slightly stimulated by inhibitors of chloroplastic translation during the development of the photosynthetic apparatus (Duysen et al 1987;Sa´rva´ri et al 1996). It is not known how the relatively high amount of antenna, particularly LHCI, which is usually strongly bound to PSI core, is organised in lincomycin treated plants.…”