Gum Formation by Methyl Jasmonate in Tulip Shoots is Stimulated by Ethylene

Abstract

The promotive effect of methyl jasmonate (JA-Me) on the induction of gum in tulip shoots (Tulipa gesneriana L. cvs. Gudoshnik and Apeldoorn) was studied in the presence of ethylene. Gum formation in the stem and the basal part of the leaves was induced by JA-Me (1% w/w in lanolin) and stimulated strongly by the simultaneous application of 1 or 5 mM 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). JA-Me at a concentration of 0.1% did not induce gum, but that together with ACC at a concentration of 1 or 5 mM induced it substantially. Although JA-Me stimulated ethylene production substantially in the stem of intact tulips, ethephon (1% w/w) or ACC (1 or 5 mM) did not induce gum formation in tulip shoots. JA-Me induced gum formation in tulip shoots even in the presence of aminooxyacetic acid or cobalt ions. Moreover, gum formation was also observed in the cut shoot applied with JA-Me as a solution at concentrations of 0.23 mM or more. These results strongly suggest that JA-Me is required for gum formation in tulip shoots, and ethylene probably makes the tissues of shoots sensitive to JA-Me.

Identification of jasmonic acid and its methyl ester as gum-inducing factors in tulips

“…2, Table 1) as reported previously (Saniewski and Puchalski 1988;Saniewski et al 1998bSaniewski et al , 2000. The effectiveness of JA at 1% concentration on gum formation was almost equivalent to that of JA-Me at 1% concentration, based on the amount of gum exuded.…”

“…The interactions between jasmonates and ethylene were found to exist in gummosis of tulips. The simultaneous application of jasmonates and ethylene induced an extreme increase in gum production in tulip plants (Saniewski et al 1998b). As described above, however, no gum formation was noted during the treatment of ethephon in tulip plants (Table 1).…”

“…Ethylene or ethylene-generating compounds applied exogenously to stone-fruit trees such as plum, peach, apricot (Nair et al 1980;Olien and Bukovac 1982;Boothby 1983;Morrison et al 1987;Saniewski et al 1998aSaniewski et al , 2002Ueda et al 2003) and tulip bulbs (Kamerbeek and De Munk 1976;De Hertogh et al 1980;De Munk and Saniewski 1989;De Wild et al 2002) substantially induce gummosis. Jasmonic acid (JA) and methyl jasmonate (JA-Me) applied exogenously to the first internode of tulip stems as lanolin paste clearly produced gums with ethylene production (Saniewski and Puchalski 1988;Saniewski et al 1998bSaniewski et al , 2000. At this point, it has not been determined yet whether jasmonates are an endogenous factor of gummosis in tulips or if ethylene is or both.…”

Life behind cell walls: paradigm lost, paradigm regained

“…Extensin HRGPs are hugely involved: tensile stress increases HRGP levels, indicating a role in strengthening the support tissues [174, 256 -258]. There are also quite specific responses to wounding [76, 124, 144, 145, 148, 213, 257 -264], including gummosis [265,266], pathogen elicitors [124,148,267], nematodes [268], insect herbivory, and to mycorrhizal [269,270] and rhizobial symbionts. The common theme first noted by Esquerre-Tugaye [271] is the formation of a 'barrier' that excludes pathogens [272].…”

Independent effects of jasmonates and ethylene on inhibition of Pharbitis nil flowering

“…It cannot be excluded that interactions with ethylene may also occur when flowering is inhibited by jasmonates. Interactions between these two phytohormones play an important role in regulating many physiological processes e.g., the sprouting of seeds (Nojavan-Asghari and Ishizawa 1998), plumular hook straightening (Ellis and Turner 2002), fruit ripening (Perez et al 1997) and rubber production (Saniewski et al 1998), as well as in plant defence responses (Lorenzo et al 2003). Interactions between ethylene and jasmonates on the level of biosynthesis may be either synergistic or antagonistic.…”