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Environmental and Stress Physiology

Parallel Effects of Freezing and Osmotic Stress on the ATPase Activity and Protein Composition of the Plasma Membrane of Winter Rye Seedlings ¹

Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of freezing versus hypertonic stress on the ATPase activity and polypeptide profile of the plasma membrane of nonacclimated winter rye leaves (Secale cereale L. cv Puma). Exposure of leaves to hypertonic sorbitol solutions resulted in a similar extent of injury as did freezing to subzero temperatures that resulted in equivalent osmotic stresses. When isolated with a two-phase partition system of aqueous polymers, the plasma membrane fractions of control, frozen, or hypertonically stressed leaves were of similar purity as judged by the distribution of marker enzyme activities. When assayed in the presence of Triton X-100 (0.05% w/w), ATPase activity was decreased only slightly in plasma membrane fractions isolated from either frozen or hypertonically stressed leaves. In contrast, the specific ATPase activity of the plasma membrane fractions assayed in the absence of Triton X-100 increased following freezing or hypertonic stress. As a result, the Triton X-100 stimulation of the ATPase activity decreased significantly from sixfold in control leaves to threefold in lethally stressed leaves and reflects an increase in the permeability of the plasma membrane vesicles. The increased permeability was also manifested as a decrease in H⁺-transport following exposure to freezing or hypertonic stress. Both freezing and hypertonic exposure at subzero temperatures altered the polypeptide profile of the plasma membrane, but with the exception of one polypeptide, there was no difference between the two treatments.

¹ Portions of this work were supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DE-FG02-84ER13214). Department of Agronomy Paper Series No. 1655.

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