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- Author or Editor: Youyoun Moon x
- Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science x
Metacaspases are cysteine proteases from plants, fungi, and protozoans that have structural similarity to metazoan caspases. They play a critical role in programmed cell death (PCD) induced by developmental cues and environmental signals. In this study, a type I metacaspase (PhMC1) was identified and characterized from Petunia ×hybrida ‘Mitchell Diploid’ (MD) (petunia). The recombinant PhMC1 had activity against the metacaspase substrate Boc-GRR-AMC (GRR). Activity was highest at pH 7–9 and was dependent on the active site C237. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed that PhMC1 transcripts increased at a later stage of petal development, when corollas were visibly senescent in both pollinated and unpollinated flowers. Gene expression patterns were similar to that of the senescence-related gene PhCP10, a homolog of Arabidopsis thaliana (arabidopsis) AtSAG12. PhMC1 transcripts were upregulated in the petals by ethylene treatment. This ethylene regulation did not require protein synthesis, indicating that PhMC1 is a primary ethylene response gene. Metacaspase-like activity against Boc-GRR-AMC increased in protein extracts from senescing petals. RNAi was used to knock down the expression of PhMC1. Transgenic PhMC1 petunias had no abnormal, vegetative growth phenotypes under normal greenhouse conditions, but flower senescence was accelerated by an average of 2 days.