A possible role of divalent manganese ions in the photoinduction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase.

Divalent Mn ions cause an increase in the level of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in gherkin hypocotyls. With the exception of Mg ions, which had a small effect, no other metal ion has so far been found which could replace the Mn ion in this respect. Invertase and peroxidase were not significantly affected by the Mn treatment. The increase in phenylalanine ammonialyase activity is explained by the removal, under the influence of Mn ions, of hydroxycinnamic acids, which cause repression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase synthesis and/or inactivation of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Arguments are advanced for the hypothesis that photochemical transformations of Mn complexes are involved in the photoinduction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in dark-grown gherkin seedlings.