title: The climacteric-like behaviour of young, mature and wounded citrus leaves.
abstract: Although leaves and other vegetative tissues are generally considered as non-climacteric, citrus leaves show a climacteric system II behaviour after detachment. Upon harvest, young, fully expanded 'Valencia' orange (Citrus sinensis) leaves ( approximately 60-d-old) exhibited two phases of ethylene production. The first phase, up to 6 d after detachment, was characterized by a low and constant ethylene production (system I pathway), associated with a constitutive expression of ACC synthase 2 (CsACS2), CsERS1, and CsETR1. ACC synthase 1 (CsACS1) was not expressed during this phase and autoinhibition of ethylene production was apparent following treatment with exogenous ethylene or propylene. The second phase, 7-12 d after detachment, was characterized by a climacteric rise in ethylene production, preceded by the induction of CsACS1 and ACC oxidase 1 (CsACO1) gene expression in the system II pathway. This induction was accelerated and augmented by exogenous ethylene or propylene, indicating an autocatalytic system II ethylene biosynthesis. Mature leaves (6-8-months-old) behaved similarly, except that the climacteric peak in ethylene production occurred earlier (day 5). Young and mature leaves varied in the timing of the climacteric ethylene rise and CsACS1 and CsACO1 induction. The two phases of ethylene production, system I and system II, were also detected in wounded leaf discs of both young and mature leaves. The first phase peaked 15 min after excision and the second phase peaked after 6 h.
authors.affiliation: The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, PO Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel. ekatz@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Ehud
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Riov
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Eliezer E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Goldschmidt
mesh_terms: D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002957:Citrus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002980:Climate; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D007557:Israel; D009154:Mutation; D009636:Norbornanes / Q000494:pharmacology; D010935:Plant Diseases; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D009636:Norbornanes; D018749:RNA, Plant; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C036216:ethylene; C048294:2,5-norbornadiene