Sulfonylurea herbicides: Growth inhibition in soybean cell suspension cultures and in bacteria correlated with block in biosynthesis of valine, leucine, or isoleucine

Abstract

The sulfonylurea herbicides chlorsulfuron (CS) and sulfometuron methyl (SM) inhibit the growth of soybean cells ( Glycine max L. var. Amsoy 71) in suspension culture with 50% inhibition at 170 and 62 ppb, respectively, relative to the initial cell dry weight, and CS is not rapidly metabolized in these cultures. In Glycine max L. cv Merrill var. Mandarin, CS inhibits the growth by 50% at 4 ppm on the basis of initial cell dry weight. This inhibition is partially reversed by valine, leucine, or 2-ketoisovalerate, but not by pyruvate, isoleucine, or any other single amino acid. CS drastically reduces the content of free valine and leucine in soybean cells without significant effect on the amount of other free amino acids. Deoxyribonucleosides alleviate a portion of the CS growth inhibition in soybean cells in vivo, though CS and SM do not inhibit ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase in vitro. CS and SM are bacteriostats for Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium in minimal growth medium. E. coli growth is retarded at CS concentrations (100–300 μg/ml) that inhibit RNA and protein synthesis but not DNA synthesis. CS growth inhibition in E. coli is enhanced by cysteine and valine and partially alleviated by isoleucine and the aromatic amino acids, but not by leucine. The sulfonylureas appear to act in soybean by blocking the synthesis of valine and leucine between pyruvate and 2-ketoisovalerate and in E. coli by inhibiting isoleucine biosynthesis.