Cell wall-bound peroxidase activity and lignin formation in azuki bean epicotyls grown under hypergravity conditions

The effects of accelerated gravity stimuli on the cell wall-bound peroxidase activity and the lignin content were investigated along epicotyls of azuki bean (Vigna angularis) seedlings. The endogenous growth occurred primarily in the upper regions of the epicotyl, but no growth was detected in the middle or basal regions. Hypergravity treatment at 300g for 6 h suppressed elongation growth and stimulated lateral expansion of the upper regions. The content of acetyl bromide-soluble lignin increased gradually from the apical to the basal regions of epicotyls. Hypergravity treatment stimulated the increase in the lignin content in epicotyls, particularly in the middle and basal regions. The peroxidase activity in the protein fraction extracted with a high ionic strength buffer from the cell wall preparation also increased gradually toward the basal region, and hypergravity treatment increased the activity in all epicotyl regions. There was a close correlation between the lignin content and the enzyme activity. These results suggest that hypergravity increases the activity of cell wall-bound peroxidase followed by increases of the lignin formation in epicotyl cell walls, which may contribute to increasing the rigidity of cell walls against the gravitational force.