Conversion of proplastids to amyloplasts in tobacco cultured cells is accompanied by changes in the transcriptional activities of plastid genes.
When tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cultured cells (line BY-2) at the stationary phase were transferred to culture medium that contained cytokinin (benzyladenine) instead of auxin (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), proplastids in the BY-2 cells were converted to amyloplasts within 48 h. The data obtained from in vitro transcription assays using isolated plastid-nucleoids (nuclei) strongly suggested that amyloplast formation in BY-2 cells was accompanied by changes in the transcriptional activities of plastid genes.
Sakai
A
A
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo, 113 Japan.
Kawano
S
S
Kuroiwa
T
T