The Effects of Wounding and Mite Infestation on Soybean Leaf Lipoxygenase Levels

Abstract

Numerous studies have demonstrated induction of proteins in plant tissues by wounding and infestations by various pests and pathogens. Lipoxygenase (LOX) is among the proteins that has been found to be induced by pathogens, but detailed information on the induction of LOX has not been reported. We have found a large (up to 10-fold) increase in LOX activity upon wounding of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) leaves and variable increases due to feeding of the twospotted spider mite. This induction in LOX activity was reflected in increases in amounts of both LOX protein and transcripts suggesting that the induction was at the transcriptional level. LOX activity was also found to be increased in unwounded leaves from plants with wounded leaves lower on the stem indicating that translocatable factors can cause remote induction of LOX activity. © 1989, Verlag der Zeitschrift. All rights reserved.