In vitro plant protein synthesis and cytokinins

Abstract

Despite continued suggestions that cytokinins directly affect plant protein synthesis, no evidence was obtained that cytokinins affect wheat germ in vitro protein synthesis programmed with either tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV), Reovirus or tobacco leaf poly(A +) RNA. Furthermore, cytokinins did not reverse the inhibition of protein synthesis caused by adding to the system crude protein kinase preparations isolated from wheat germ extracts by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Translation of Reovirus RNA and tobacco leaf poly(A +) RNA was much more sensitive to [KCl] than translation of TMV or TYMV RNA in vitro, raising the possibility that altered cation concentrations might affect messenger RNA selection in TMV or TYMV-infected cells and possibly also in cytokinin-treated tissues.