Abstract
This paper reports the effects of several inhibitors of protein and RNA synthesis on the respiration of banana peels stimulated by ethylene.
As for method of addition of inhibitors to the banana peels, dip-infiltration was better than vacuum-infiltration, because vacuum-infiltration had severe effects on tissue and respiration was stimulated by ethylene produced by the stress of the infiltration.
Actinomycin D did not inhibit respiration of the tissue. Cycloheximide almost eliminated the peaks of induced respiration by ethylene treatment. But this inhibitor rapidly stimulated carbon dioxide production, so it seems that cycloheximide affected not only protein synthesis but respiration directly. Basic respiration before treatment of ethylene, was slightly reduced by D-threo-chloramphenicol, but the stimulated respiration by applied ethylene overcame the action of this inhibitor. Puromycin decreased the incorporation rate of L-Valine-U-14C into protein from 90 to 60% at 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after the start of ethylene treatment. In spite of this inhibition of amino acid incorporation, this inhibitor did not reduce the respiration rate after ethylene treatment.
There were no changes of total free amino acid and protein contents in peel tissue while respiration was stimulated with added ethylene.
These data suggest that the stimulation of respiration by ethylene may not be associated with de novo protein synthesis.
