Chlorsulfüron effects on protein synthesis and accumulation in cultured root tips of Pisum sativum L.

Abstract

Summary The effects of chlorsulfuron, a potent inhibitor of cell division and branched-amino-acid biosynthesis, on protein synthesis and accumulation were studied in root tip cultures of pea ( Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska). Cultures were equilibrated for 24 h and then treated with 28 nM chlorsulfuron or left untreated for 36 h. Quantitative and qualitative changes in the rate and pattern of protein synthesis in treated and control cultures were investigated. The results suggest that chlorsulfuron's effect on cell cycle activity is not caused by either specific or nonspecific inhibition of protein synthesis or accumulation. This study supports the idea that chlorsulfuron's potency as an herbicide may be due to the accumulation of intermediates of the branched-amino-acid pathway rather than the depletion of these branched amino acids.