Six cellulase genes were isolated from total RNA of the ethylene-treated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) flower abscission zone by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction using degenerate primers to conserved amino acid sequences from known plant cellulases. Four of the gene fragments are homologous to fruit pericarp cellulases. The other two are novel cellulase genes, referred t...

Abscission is the final step of cytokinesis that involves the cleavage of the intercellular bridge connecting the two daughter cells. Recent studies have given novel insight into the spatiotemporal regulation and molecular mechanisms controlling abscission in cultured yeast and human cells. The mechanisms of abscission in living metazoan tissues are however not well understood. Here we show tha...

Abscission is a process that involves shedding of plant organs from the main plant body. In this study it is shown that the process of petal separation in the fragrant rose, Rosa bourboniana, is accompanied by the expression of two xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase genes, RbXTH1 and RbXTH2. The sequences of the two genes show 52% amino acid identity but are conserved at the catalytic si...

Treatment with ethylene accelerated the abscission of branches of Azolla filiculoides plants. An Azolla plantlet treated with ethylene at 10 microl liter(-1) divided into 4-5 fragments after a lag period of 6-8 h. Ethylene-induced abscission was effectively inhibited by cycloheximide and was associated with an increase in the activities of cellulase and polygalacturonase. At the fracture surfac...

After cleavage furrow ingression during cytokinesis, nascent daughter cells remain connected by an intercellular bridge (ICB) and the midbody [1, 2]. The midbody becomes an assembly platform for ESCRT complexes that split apart the plasma membrane (PM) anchored to the ICB and complete abscission, which is the final step of cell division [3-5]. Aurora B governs abscission by regulating its timin...

Abscission zone (AZ) development and the progression of abscission (detachment of plant organs) have been roughly separated into four stages: first, AZ differentiation; second, competence to respond to abscission signals; third, activation of abscission; and fourth, formation of a protective layer and post-abscission trans-differentiation. Stage three, activation of abscission, is when changes ...

The role of alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) in the control of abscission in Citrus (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) leaf explants and its conjugation were studied in non-aged and 24-hour-aged explants. Dipping non-aged explants in 1.5 micromolar NAA for 15 minutes immediately after excision did not delay abscission whereas 150 micromolar NAA effectively delayed it. As incubation time was prolonge...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The stimulatory and inhibitory role of ethylene and auxin, respectively, in leaf abscission (leaf drop) is well documented. More recently, IDA (INFLORESCENCE DEFICIENT IN ABSCISSION) peptides and their putative interacting receptor-like-kinase partners, HAESA and HAESA-like2, were shown to be essential components in Arabidopsis floral organ abscission. Prior to research on I...

Polygalacturonase (PG) is crucial in plant organ abscission process. This paper investigated the cellular and subcellular localization of PG in ethylene-stimulated abscission of tomato pedicel explants. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of abscission zone sections with the fluorescent probe Cy3 revealed that PG was initially accumulated in parenchyma cells in cortical and vascular tissues afte...

To shed unfertilized flowers or ripe fruits, many plant species develop a pedicel abscission zone (AZ), a specialized tissue that develops between the organ and the main body of the plant. Regulation of pedicel abscission is an important agricultural concern because pre-harvest abscission can reduce yields of fruit or grain crops, such as apples, rice, wheat, etc. Tomato has been studied as a m...