The induction of the “turbo reductase” is inhibited by cycloheximide, cordycepin and ethylene inhibitors in Fe-deficient cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants

Dicotyledonous plants respond to Fe deficiency by enhancing the capacity of their roots to reduce Fe(III) to Fe(II). It has been suggested that there are two different ferric redox systems in the roots: the standard reductase, active with ferricyanide and not inducible by Fe deficiency, and the turbo reductase, active with both ferricyanide and ferric chelates and inducible by Fe deficiency. We have used different experimental approaches to test whether or not the Fe(III)-reducing capacity of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Ashley) roots can be explained by considering the standard and the turbo reductase as the same enzyme. For this, we used both Fe-sufficient and Fe-deficient plants, which were treated with ethylene inhibitors (cobalt or silver thiosulfate; found to inhibit the turbo reductase in a previous work), a protein synthesis inhibitor (cycloheximide), or an mRNA polyadenylation inhibitor (cordycepin). At different times after application of these inhibitors, reduction of both ferricyanide and Fe(III)-EDTA were determined. In addition, we studied the effects of pH and temperature on the reduction of ferricyanide and Fe(III)-EDTA by both Fe-sufficient and Fe-deficient plants. Results suggest that there are, at least, two different ferric redox systems in the roots. Enhancement of Fe(III)-reducing capacity (turbo reductase) by Fe-deficient plants probably requires the de novo synthesis of a (or several) protein(s), which has a high turnover rate and whose expression is presumably regulated by ethylene.