Effects of Prolonged Washing on Primary and Secondary Transport Processes at the Plasma Membrane in Red Beet Storage Tissue.

Changing patterns of enzyme activity and solute transport in response to washing were investigated in red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) storage tissue. Washing had a pronounced effect on the plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase with an increase in both hydrolytic and proton-pumping activities. Immunoblotting indicated that this may be due, in part, to a higher amount of this enzyme in the PM of washed tissue. Activities of the tonoplast (V)H+-ATPase and pyrophosphatase fluctuated during a 4-d washing period, but overall showed no marked change in activity. In tissue discs sucrose (Suc), glucose (Glc), and fructose uptakes increased significantly in response to washing. Cycloheximide, cordycepin, and tunicamycin inhibited both Glc- and Suc-inducible uptake. Monensin also strongly inhibited inducible Glc uptake, but the effect on Suc was less marked. N-Ethylmaleimide inhibited both Suc and Glc uptake, with its effects being more pronounced in fresh tissue. Other protein-modifying reagents showed no significant difference in their level of inhibition between fresh and washed tissue. Transport studies, carried out using energized PM vesicles from fresh and washed tissue, indicated that there was no rise in Suc and Glc uptake rates in response to washing. Results with a range of inhibitors indicated that there was no marked change in transporter sensitivity in vesicles isolated from fresh and washed tissue. The results indicate that the well-described enhancement of solute transport in washed storage tissue may be due to an increased PM H+-ATPase activity rather than to changes in PM carrier activity or to changes in metabolism such as invertase activity.