Changes in the composition of the soluble and chromosomal proteins of jack pine ( Pinus banksiana lamb.) seedlings induced by fenitrothion

Abstract

Germinating jack pine seeds were exposed to the insecticide fenitrothion, commonly used to combat Canada's major forest pests, the spruce and pine budworm. Field dosage (10 ppm) and excess concentrations (1,000 ppm) of fenitrothion were applied to determine the effects on the chromosomal proteins of jack pine, a non-target host species. Analysis on polyarcylamide gels of the cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic soluble proteins extracted from seedlings incubated after 4 and 10 days of germination in 1,000 ppm fenitrothion resulted in quantitative and qualitative changes when compared with the control. At 4 and 10 days of germination and in response to field doses of fenitrothion, histones were largely unaffected. However, at 1,000 ppm the very-lysine-rich F1 histone decreased when compared with the control. The decrease was supported by changes in lysine content of histone fractions. Non-histone chromosomal proteins (NHCP) extracted from 4- and 10-day-old seedlings incubated in 1,000 ppm fenitrothion resulted in significant quantitative changes and in increased numbers of proteins. Germination in 10 ppm fenitrothion did not affect the chromosomal proteins as greatly as did the higher dosage. Results indicate that in the non-target germinating jack pine seeds fenitrothion affects the metabolism of the chromosomal proteins. These changes serve as possible indicators of the environmental impact of fenitrothion and point to the need to evaluate implications of the changes associated with the chromosomal proteins.