Induction of UDP-Glucose:Salicylic Acid Glucosyltransferase in Oat Roots

A UDP-glucose:salicylic acid 3- O -glucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.35) (GTase) from oat ( Avena sativa L. cv Dal) root extracts was assayed in vitro using [ 14 C]salicylic acid (SA) and an ion exchange column to separate SA from β-glucosylsalicylic acid. The GTase, present at a very low constitutive level, was inducible to 23 times the constitutive level. When excised roots were exposed to SA at pH 6.5, the specific activity of the enzyme increased within 1.5 h, peaked after 8 to 10 h, and then declined. The increase in specific activity depended on the concentration of SA in the induction medium. Among 16 phenolics and phenolic derivatives tested, GTase induction showed high specificity toward SA and acetylsalicylic acid. Specific activity of the enzyme was induced to higher levels in roots from 7-d-old seedlings than roots from younger plants. GTase activity was less inducible in basal compared with median or apical root sections. Induction of GTase activity was a result of de novo RNA and protein synthesis. Candidate peptides for the GTase were identified by comparison of two-dimensional electrophoresis gels of proteins labeled with [ 35 S]methionine during incubation of roots in the presence or the absence of SA and a gel of a partially purified GTase preparation.