Cytokinin-induced decrease in ribonuclease activity and initiation of gametophore buds in the protonema of mosses

Abstract

As early as after 4 hours of kinetin treatment a decrease in RNase activity was found in the moss protonema and it was maintained to at least 10 hours. It was shown that this decrease was correlated with the morphogenetic effect of kinetin (bud induction). No allosteric inhibition of RNase toy kinetin could be found. The decrease in enzyme activity was more pronounced When additionally inhibitors of protein and RNA synthesis were used. It is concluded that kinetin affects the RNase rather by an inhibition of de novo synthesis of the enzyme than by an increase of its decomposition by proteases.