Biochemical plant responses to ozone : I. Differential induction of polyamine and ethylene biosynthesis in tobacco.

Polyamine metabolism was examined in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) exposed to a single ozone treatment (5 or 7 hours) and then postcultivated in pollutant-free air. The levels of free and conjugated putrescine were rapidly increased in the ozone-tolerant cultivar Bel B and remained high for 3 days. This accumulation was preceded by a transient rise of l-arginine decar-boxylase (ADC, EC 4.1.1.19) activity. The ozone-sensitive cultivar Bel W3 showed a rapid production of ethylene and high levels of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid after 1 to 2 hours of exposure. Induction of putrescine levels and ADC activity was weak in this cultivar and was observed when necrotic lesions developed. Leaf injury occurred in both lines when the molar ratio of putrescine to 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid or ethylene fell short of a certain threshold value. Monocaffeoyl-putrescine, an effective scavenger for oxyradicals, was detected in the apo-plastic fluid of the leaves of cv Bel B and increased upon exposure to ozone. This extracellular localization could allow scavenging of ozone-derived oxyradicals at the first site of their generation. Induction of either polyamine or ethylene pathways may represent a control mechanism for inhibition or promotion of lesion formation and thereby contribute to the disposition of plants for ozone tolerance.