Synthesis of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in anthocyanin-containing and anthocyanin-free callus cells of Daucus carota L.

When callus cells of Daucus carota are grown on a medium containing gibberellic acid (GA3) in a physiological concentration of 3x10(-6) M the cells cease to accumulate anthocyanins. This anthocyanin-free cell line has a very low activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. After density labelling with D2O an intensive de novo synthesis of the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (E.C. 4.3.1.5; PAL) in the anthocyanin-containing cells does occur. 58% of the C-bound H-atoms are replaced by deuterium. The anthocyanin-free cells show only a very low enzyme synthesis which is difficult to detect with density labelling experiments. To ascertain that de novo synthesis occurs in the anthocyanin-free cells, the incorporation of (14)C-labelled amino acids into the partially purified enzyme protein was measured after separation of the protein a) in CsCl gradients and b) on polyacrylamide gels. In both cases the enzyme bears (14)C-label. These results suggest that in the anthocyanin-free cells de novo synthesis of PAL is still occuring but the synthesis is reduced in comparison to the anthocyanin-containing cells.