Isolation of Plastids from Sunflower Cotyledons during Germination 1

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Plastids from cotyledons of sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) seedlings, germinated in the dark or in the light, were isolated by isopycnic sucrose density gradient centrifugation. At all stages of development the whole plastids contained triose phosphate isomerase, NADPH-glyoxylate reductase, and l-dihydroxyphenylalanine oxidase, which were used as marker enzymes. At the beginning of germination the isopycnic density of whole plastids (proplastids) was about 1.22 g cm−3. During development of proplastids into etioplasts in the dark, their isopycnic density increased to 1.26 g cm−3. During exposure of germinating seedlings to white light for 2 days, the isopycnic density of whole plastids decreased from 1.26 to 1.22 g cm−3. These changes in isopycnic density of plastids on sucrose density gradients are consistent with changes in the plastid ultrastructure caused by the protein-rich prolamellar body or by the lipid-rich thylakoids. Broken plastids (thylakoids), determined by the main peak of chlorophyll, increased in isopycnic density from less than 1.14 to about 1.17 g cm−3 during illumination. During germination no major changes occurred in the isopycnic density of mitochondria. Microbodies had an isopycnic density of 1.24 g cm−3 in very early stages of germination, and their density increased to 1.265 g cm−3, when glyoxysomal enzymes reached maximum development.

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