Changes in intracellular UDP-sugar levels during the cell cycle in a synchronous culture of Catharanthus roseus

UDP-sugar contents were measured using high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography during the cell cycle in a synchronous culture of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose, UDP-glucuronic acid, UDP-xylose and UDP-arabinose could be determined, and 75–90% of the UDP-sugars were UDP-glucose. The contents of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose increased in the late G2-M and the late S-M phases, respectively, whereas UDP-glucoronic acid and UDP-arabinose increased in amount in the G1 phase. These changes in the levels of UDP-sugars during the cell cycle generally correlated well with the changes in cell wall constituents and in the activities of the enzyme involved in synthesis and interconversion of UDP-sugars reported by S. Amino et al. (Physiol. Plant. 1985. 64: 111–117).