Mild temperature stress modulates cytokinin content and cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase activity in young pea plants.

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX: EC 1.5.99.12) is able to provide a means for the rapid turnover of its substrate and it has been considered responsible for changes in the cytokinin pool in an adverse environment. Mild temperature stresses (10°C and 33°C average) were applied to young pea plants of two varieties (cvs. Manuela and Scinado) in order to assess the response of the cytokinin pool and CKX activity to altered growth conditions. Both temperature treatments increased the isopentenyl adenine (iP) and isopentenyl adenine riboside (iPR) contents in stressed plants. This trend was far more pronounced in the leaves. Low temperature additionally resulted in elevated cis zeatin riboside ( cis ZR) and CKX activity. Heat did not influence the enzymatic activity in the leaves, while opposing trends were observed in the root-derived CKX activity of the two tested varieties. The data suggest that variance in the temperature provokes adaptive reactions in the cytokinin pool, which is maintained by CKX act...