US EPA

1231098 

Journal Article 

Association of latent cellulase activity with plasma membranes from kidney bean abscission zones 

Koehler, DE; Leonard, RT; Vanderwoude, WJ; Linkins, AE; Lewis, LN 

1976 

1 

Plant Physiology
ISSN: 0032-0889
EISSN: 1532-2548 

58 

3 

324-330 

English 

16659672 

Membranes isolated from abscission zones of Phaseolus vulgaris L., cv. Red Kidney, contained cellulase activity. This particulate activity was enhanced 10- to 20-fold by treatment with Triton X-100. Sucrose density gradient analyses of cell fractions showed that the membranes with which cellulase was associated had a peak equilibrium density of 1.16 to 1.17 g/cm(3) which coincided with that of ion-activated ATPase, a marker for plasma membranes. The membrane fraction having the highest cellulase activity also contained a high proportion of plasma membranes as shown by electron microscopy of sucrose density gradient fractions after staining by periodic acid-chromic acid-phosphotungstic acid. It was concluded that the particulate cellulase was associated with the plasma membrane.