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The scutellum of germinated wheat grains undergoes programmed cell death: identification of an acidic nuclease involved in nucleus dismantling.

ABSTRACT: Programmed cell death (PCD) is a crucial phenomenon in the life cycle of cereal grains. In germinating grains, the scutellum allows the transport of nutrients from the starchy endosperm to the growing embryo, and therefore it may be the last grain tissue to undergo PCD. Thus, the aim of this work was to analyse whether the scutellum of wheat grains undergoes PCD and to perform a morphological and biochemical analysis of this process. Scutellum cells of grains following germination showed a progressive increase of DNA fragmentation, and the TUNEL assay showed that PCD extended in an apical-to-basal gradient along the scutellum affecting epidermal and parenchymal cells. Electron-transmission microscopy revealed high cytoplasm vacuolation, altered mitochondria, and the presence of double-membrane structures, which might constitute symptoms of vacuolar cell death, whereas the nucleus appeared lobed and had an increased heterochromatin content as the most distinctive features. An acid- and Zn(2+)-dependent nucleolytic activity was identified in nuclear extracts of scutellum cells undergoing PCD. This nuclease was not detected in grains imbibed in the presence of abscisic acid, which inhibited germination. This nucleolytic activity promoted DNA fragmentation in vitro on nuclei isolated from healthy cells, thus suggesting a main role in nucleus dismantling during PCD.

SUBMITTER: Dominguez F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3444264 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The scutellum of germinated wheat grains undergoes programmed cell death: identification of an acidic nuclease involved in nucleus dismantling.

Domínguez Fernando F Moreno Javier J Cejudo Francisco Javier FJ

Journal of experimental botany 20120809 15

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a crucial phenomenon in the life cycle of cereal grains. In germinating grains, the scutellum allows the transport of nutrients from the starchy endosperm to the growing embryo, and therefore it may be the last grain tissue to undergo PCD. Thus, the aim of this work was to analyse whether the scutellum of wheat grains undergoes PCD and to perform a morphological and biochemical analysis of this process. Scutellum cells of grains following germination showed a progr ...[more]

PMID: 22888125

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Developmentally regulated programmed cell death (PCD) is the controlled death of cells that occurs throughout the life cycle of both plants and animals. The lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis) forms perforations between longitudinal and transverse veins in spaces known as areoles, via developmental PCD; cell death begins in the center of these areoles and develops towards the margin, creating a gradient of PCD. This gradient was examined using both long- and short-term live cell imaging, in addition to histochemical staining, in order to establish the order of cellular events that occur during PCD. RESULTS: The first visible change observed was the reduction in anthocyanin pigmentation, followed by initial chloroplast changes and the bundling of actin microfilaments. At this stage, an increased number of transvacuolar strands (TVS) was evident. Perhaps concurrently with this, increased numbers of vesicles, small mitochondrial aggregates, and perinuclear accumulation of both chloroplasts and mitochondria were observed. The invagination of the tonoplast membrane and the presence of vesicles, both containing organelle materials, suggested evidence for both micro- and macro-autophagy, respectively. Mitochondrial aggregates, as well as individual chloroplasts were subsequently seen undergoing Brownian motion in the vacuole. Following these changes, fragmentation of nuclear DNA, breakdown of actin microfilaments and early cell wall changes were detected. The vacuole then swelled, causing nuclear displacement towards the plasma membrane (PM) and tonoplast rupture followed closely, indicating mega-autophagy. Subsequent to tonoplast rupture, cessation of Brownian motion occurred, as well as the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (??m), nuclear shrinkage and PM collapse. Timing from tonoplast rupture to PM collapse was approximately 20 minutes. The entire process from initial chlorophyll reduction to PM collapse took approximately 48 hours. Approximately six hours following PM collapse, cell wall disappearance began and was nearly complete within 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Results showed that a consistent sequence of events occurred during the remodelling of lace plant leaves, which provides an excellent system to study developmental PCD in vivo. These findings can be used to compare and contrast with other developmental PCD examples in plants.

Dataset Information

The scutellum of germinated wheat grains undergoes programmed cell death: identification of an acidic nuclease involved in nucleus dismantling.

Publications

The scutellum of germinated wheat grains undergoes programmed cell death: identification of an acidic nuclease involved in nucleus dismantling.

Similar Datasets

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