A glycoconjugate from corms of saffron plant (Crocus sativus L.) inhibits root growth and affects in vitro cell viability.

A glycoconjugate has been characterized from saffron corms (Crocus sativus L.) that inhibits the growth of roots of Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana, at concentrations ranging from 1-100 micrograms m-3. Roots of seedlings grown in the presence 0.1 microgram m-3 glycoconjugate showed bulging of epidermal cells, whereas at 10 micrograms m-3, roots were completely devoid of hairs. At 100 micrograms m-3 glycoconjugate the cell walls of the root vascular tissues were thicker and, overall, the vascular tissue was enlarged. In addition, this glycan is cytotoxic to isolated tobacco cells and protoplasts, with 50% cell death induced by 0.5 and 2 micrograms m-3 glycoconjugate, respectively. Morphological and biochemical changes induced by the exposure to the glycoconjugate included cell size decrease, loss of regular cell shape, cytoplasm collapse, and release of intracellular proteins. This molecule at low concentrations (0.1 microgram m-3) mimics the effects of Yariv phenylglycosides and of mutant Arabidopsis which present defective or missing arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) in roots, indicating the glycoconjugate might interact with cell surface AGPs.

[1]  M. Díaz-Guerra,et al.  The cytolytic effect of a glycoconjugate extracted from corms of saffron plant (Crocus sativus) on human cell lines in culture. , 2000, Planta medica.

[2]  M. Álvarez-Ortí,et al.  Production of a cytotoxic proteoglycan using callus culture of saffron corms (Crocus sativus L.). , 1999, Journal of biotechnology.

[3]  J. Escribano,et al.  Isolation and cytotoxic properties of a novel glycoconjugate from corms of saffron plant (Crocus sativus L.). , 1999, Biochimica et biophysica acta.

[4]  Andrew J. Fleming,et al.  Induction of Leaf Primordia by the Cell Wall Protein Expansin , 1997 .

[5]  E. Nothnagel.  Proteoglycans and related components in plant cells. , 1997, International review of cytology.

[6]  L. Ding,et al.  A role for arabinogalactan-proteins in root epidermal cell expansion , 1997, Planta.

[7]  A. Bacic,et al.  Arabinogalactan-proteins: a class of extracellular matrix proteoglycans involved in plant growth and development. , 1996, Trends in cell biology.

[8]  W. Willats,et al.  A role for arabinogalactan-proteins in plant cell expansion: evidence from studies on the interaction of beta-glucosyl Yariv reagent with seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana. , 1996, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[9]  L. Robert,et al.  Molecular Characterization of Two Brassica napus Pollen-Expressed Genes Encoding Putative Arabinogalactan Proteins , 1996, Plant physiology.

[10]  A. Bacic,et al.  Molecular characterization of a stigma-specific gene encoding an arabinogalactan-protein (AGP) from Nicotiana alata. , 1996, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[11]  L. Dolan,et al.  Secondary thickening in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana: anatomy and cell surface changes. , 1995, New Phytologist.

[12]  J P Knox,et al.  Developmentally regulated proteoglycans and glycoproteins of the plant cell surface , 1995, FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

[13]  P. Schopfer,et al.  Arabinogalactan proteins in maize coleoptiles: developmental relationship to cell death during xylem differentiation but not to extension growth. , 1995, The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology.

[14]  R. Chasan.  Arabinogalactan-Proteins: Getting to the Core , 1994 .

[15]  A. Bacic,et al.  Isolation of the protein backbone of an arabinogalactan-protein from the styles of Nicotiana alata and characterization of a corresponding cDNA. , 1994, The Plant cell.

[16]  Y. Murata,et al.  Salt Adaptation of K+ Channels in the Plasma Membrane of Tobacco Cells in Suspension Culture , 1994 .

[17]  T. Baskin,et al.  Root morphology mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana , 1992 .

[18]  P. Gleeson,et al.  Characterization of the hydroxyproline-rich protein core of an arabinogalactan-protein secreted from suspension-cultured Lolium multiflorum (Italian ryegrass) endosperm cells. , 1989, The Biochemical journal.

[19]  G. Fincher,et al.  Arabinogalactan-Proteins: Structure, Biosynthesis, and Function , 1983 .

[20]  V. Walbot.  Plant cells. , 1980, Science.

[21]  B. Stone,et al.  Form and function of arabinogalactans and arabinogalactan-proteins , 1979 .

[22]  M. M. Bradford.  A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. , 1976, Analytical biochemistry.

[23]  F. Skoog,et al.  A revised medium for the growth and bioassay with tobacco tissue culture , 1962 .