Peroxidase Activity In Cotton Cell Culture Infected with Verticillium Dahliae

Peroxidase Activity in Cotton Cell Culture Infected with Verticillium dahliae The molecular mechanisms of plant – pathogen interactions are still being unraveled. An important part of these interactions is signal transduction between cells which are participating in recognition and amplification of elicitor signals. Peroxidase enzymes appear to play an intricate part in these processes. We now report our observation of participation of endo- and extracellular peroxidases in the interaction between cotton plants and the plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae. Examples include an increase in extracellular peroxidase activity in the V. dahliae resistant cotton An-Bayaut-2 in comparison with the susceptible ?-4727. We have now begun a tissue culture study, and have observed a correlation between changes in chitin-specific isozymes in cell suspensions of resistant and susceptible cotton. The sharp increase in endocellular and extracellular chitin-specific peroxidase activity of resistant plants was observed as we studied the dynamic changes in peroxidase activity in these cell cultures after infection with Verticillium dahliae. Implications of these finding will be discussed.