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Leaf senescence is a highly coordinated process which involves programmed cell death (PCD). Early stages of leaf senescence occurring during normal leaf ontogenesis, but not triggered by stress factors, are less well known. In this study, we correlated condensation of chromatin and nuclear DNA (nDNA) fragmentation, two main features of PCD during early senescence in barley leaves, with the appearance of nitric oxide (NO) within leaf tissue. With the help of the alkaline version of the comet assay, together with measurements of nDNA fluorescence intensity, we performed a detailed analysis of the degree of nDNA fragmentation. We localised NO in vivo and in situ within the leaf and photometrically measured its concentration with the NO-specific fluorochrome 4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluorofluorescein. We found that both nDNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation occurred quite early during barley leaf senescence and always in the same order: first nDNA fragmentation, in leaves of 6-day-old seedlings, and later chromatin condensation, in the apical part of leaves from 10-day-old seedlings. PCD did not start simultaneously even in neighbouring cells and probably did not proceed at the same rate. NO was localised in vivo and in situ within the cytoplasm, mainly in mitochondria, in leaves at the same stage as those in which chromatin condensation was observed. Localisation of NO in vascular tissue and in a large number of mesophyll cells during the senescence process might imply its transport to other parts of the leaf and its involvement in signalling between cells. The fact that the highest concentration of NO was found in the cytoplasm of mesophyll cells in the earliest stage of senescence and lower concentrations were found during later stages might suggest that NO plays an inductive role in PCD.

Leaf senescence is a highly regulated stage in the plant life cycle, leading to cell death, recently examined as a type of the programmed cell death (PCD). One of the basic features of PCD is the condensation of nuclear chromatin which is caused by endonucleolytic degradation of nuclear DNA (nDNA). In our investigations, we applied the technique of the single-cell electrophoresis system (“comet assay”) in order to determine the type of nDNA fragmentation during leaf senescence. The comet assay, a sensitive method revealing nonrandom internucleosomal damage that is specific for PCD, is especially useful for the detection of nDNA degradation in isolated viable cells. Simultaneously, we analyzed the mesophyll cell ultrastructure and the photosynthetic-pigment concentration in the leaves of two species,Ornithogalum virens andNicotiana tabacum, representing mono- and dicotyledonous plants which differ in the pattern of leaf differentiation. These investigations demonstrated that, in both species, the comet assay revealed nDNA degradation in yellow-leaf protoplasts containing chloroplasts that showed already changed ultrastructure (swelled or completely degraded thylakoids) and cell nuclei with a significant condensation of chromatin. There was no nDNA degradation in green-leaf protoplasts containing differentiated chloroplasts with numerous grana stacks and nuclei with dispersed chromatin. The analysis of intermediate developmental stage showed that the degradation of nDNA precedes condensation of nuclear chromatin. Thus the comet assay is a very useful and sensitive method for early detection of PCD. Moreover, results of our studies indicate that leaf senescence involves PCD.

We have examined ultrastructural changes of mesophyll cells in pea leaves induced by the photodynamic herbicide 1,10-phenanthroline (Phe). Dark incubation of pea plants did not cause any damage in plants or changes in the ultrastructure of mesophyll cells. Two hours of illumination after pretreatment with Phe caused photooxidative damage in plant but was not sufficient to markedly change the ultrastructure, although dilation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cisternae occurred. Illumination for 12 h caused inhibition of grana formation in pretreated plants. These ultrastructural changes and the inhibition of chlorophyll (Chl) accumulation may be due to the inhibition of transport of certain proteins to the plastids, diminished accumulation of chlorophyll proteins (e.g., LHCP) and a decrease in activity of the chlorophyll synthetase.

Analysis of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Delta Psi(m)) with the help of the JC-1 fluorochrome (5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolcarbocyanine iodide) during mesophyll leaf senescence was performed in order to determine whether a reduction of Delta Psi(m) takes place during mesophyll senescence and whether plant mitochondria, like mammalian ones, might be involved in the induction of programmed cell death. Fluorescence analysis of mesophyll protoplasts of Pisum sativum in a confocal microscope, fluorescent spectra analysis and time dependence of fluorescence intensity of monomers and of J-aggregates revealed that JC-1 is incorporated and accumulated specifically in plant mitochondria. Analysis of Delta Psi(m) during mesophyll protoplast senescence revealed that two subpopulations of mitochondria which differ in Delta Psi(m) exist in all analyzed stages of leaf senescence. The first subpopulation contains mitochondria with red fluorescence of J-aggregates due to an unperturbed high Delta Psi(m). The second subpopulation comprises mitochondria with green fluorescence of monomers due to a low Delta Psi(m), proving total depolarization of mitochondrial membranes. Fluorescence analysis demonstrated that even in the latest analyzed stages of leaf senescence, mitochondria with a high Delta Psi(m) still exist. Fluorometric measurements revealed that the fluorescence intensity of J-aggregates decreases with the age of plants, which indicates that a reduction of Delta Psi(m) during the mesophyll senescence process takes place; however, it does not take place within the whole population of mitochondria of the same protoplast. The reason of this can be due to a dramatic reorganization of mitochondria in mesophyll cells and the appearance of large mitochondria with local heterogeneity of Delta Psi(m) in the oldest analyzed stages. All mitochondria in every stage of senescence maintained their membrane organization even when their size, distribution, and spatial organization in protoplasts changed dramatically. We stated that the reduction of Delta Psi(m) does not directly induce programmed cell death in mesophyll cells, as opposed to animal apoptosis.

We analyzed transformation, recrystallization, splitting and dispersion of prolamellar bodies during chloroplast development in pea seedlings illuminated by white, red and blue light of low intensity. With the help of a stereometric method we determined that there was a significant increase of prolamellar body number and a sharp decrease of their volume in differentiating chloroplast even in the first 2 hours of illumination. Decrease of prolamellar body dimensions was due both to gradual dispersion of its elements into primary thylakoids (indicated by the decrease of total volume of prolamellar bodies in plastid) and to splitting of prolamellar bodies (indicated by the increase of number of promellar bodies in plastid). Red light was more effective in transformation, splitting and dispersion of prolamellar bodies than blue light during the first 8–12 hours. Longer treatment with blue light had a stronger influence on these processes and on complete recrystallization than other light treatments.

We analyzed the formation of thylakoids and grana during the development of pea chloroplasts, illuminated by white, red and blue low intensity light. The total length of granal and intergranal thylakoids, and the length of granal thylakoids per unit area of plastid section were measured. Initially the greatest increase in length of granal thylakoids and the highest incidence of grana with large thylakoid content occurred in red light. On the other hand, with illumination times of over 12 hours blue light appeared to be more efficient in stimulating grana formation and thylakoid growth.