This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Oo, K. C. Articles by Stumpf, P. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Oo, K. C. Articles by Stumpf, P. K. Agricola Articles by Oo, K. C. Articles by Stumpf, P. K.

Articles

Some Enzymic Activities in the Germinating Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Seedling ¹

Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, Davis, California 95616

In germinating oil palm (Elaeis guineensis var D x P) seedling, an active lipase was present in the shoot but absent from both the kernel and the haustorium. It has an optimum pH of 6.2 and a smaller peak at pH 8.6. The shoot lipase was active against a number of mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols as well as the endogenous lipids present in the shoot, haustorium, and kernel. Activity against related substrates were in the order: trilaurin > dilaurin > monolaurin but monopalmitin > dipalmitin > tripalmitin. The level of the enzyme in the seedling was highest at a relatively early stage of growth (18-21 days) and also higher in dark-grown seedlings. Glyoxylate bypass enzymes (malate synthetase and isocitrate lyase), glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and lauroyl-coenzyme A oxidase were located in the haustorium. The levels of the enzymes paralleled seedling development and were slightly higher in light-grown seedlings. Fatty acyl-coenzyme A synthetase activity was very low and was found in both the shoot and haustorium.

¹ Supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant PCM 79-03976.