Effects of Aspartate-Derived Amino Acids on Growth of Barley and Arabidopsis Plants and Callus

Abstract

Summary The effect of aspartate-derived amino acids on growth of Arabidopsis and barley plants and callus was studied. In barley plandets a concerted inhibition due to the addition of lysine and threonine on the culture medium was shown. The effect is reversed by the addition of methionine or its precursor homoserine. No such effect could be demonstrated either on barley callus or in Arabidopsis plantlets and callus, until arginine was added to the medium. Lysine itself exerted a growth inhibition and this effect is specifically relieved by the addition of arginine. The origin of this relief of lysine inhibition by arginine is discussed. Taking into account the characteristics of the various plant systems, a selection scheme to obtain regulatory mutants is proposed.