Molecular mechanism of the control of nyctinastic leaf-movement in Lespedeza cuneata G. Don

The nyctinastic leaf-movement of plants is controlled by an endogenous biological clock. In a nyctinastic plant, Lespedeza cuneata G. Don, this movement is controlled by the balance of the concentration between the leaf-closing and -opening substances. Quantitative HPLC analysis revealed that the change in the concentration of this leaf-opening substance is inversed through a day, and the deactivation of this substance is performed by a glucosidase whose activity is controlled by a biological clock. The leaf-movement of nyctinastic plants is caused by the balance of two leaf-movement factors, which is controlled by the enzymatic transformation.