Minimal Time Requirement for Lasting Elicitor Effects in Cultured Parsley Cells

Abstract

Abstract Elicitor preparations derived from cell walls of phytopathogenic Alternaria spp. rapidly inhibited uptake of both inorganic phosphate and amino acids by cultured parsley cells. The inhibition of phosphate uptake was completely reversed if the elicitor was removed within a time period of approximately 20 min following its addition to the cell cultures. Cells which had been exposed to the elicitor for more than 20 min prior to washing, however, exhibited an increasingly reduced rate of phosphate uptake as compared to non-induced controls. Maximal inhibition of phosphate uptake (about 30 to 40% of the controls) required 40 min or more of elicitor treatment. These results confirm that a minimal time of exposure to elicitor of about 20 min is necessary to induce lasting effects in parsley cells. Moreover, the initial inhibition of amino acid uptake into the parsley cells suggests that the elicitor rapidly decharged the plasmalemma potential of the cells.