Biochemical Plant Responses to Ozone

A single pulse of O(3) (0.15 microliter per liter, 5 hours) induced beta-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities in O(3)-sensitive and -tolerant tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cultivars. In the O(3)-sensitive cultivar Bel W3, the response was rapid (maximum after 5 to 10 hours) and was far more pronounced for beta-1,3-glucanase (40- to 75-fold) than for chitinase (4-fold). In the O(3)-tolerant cultivar Bel B, beta-1,3-glucanase was induced up to 30-fold and chitinase up to 3-fold under O(3) concentrations that did not lead to visible damage. Northern blot hybridization showed a marked increase in beta-1,3-glucanase mRNA in cultivar Bel W3 between 3 and 24 hours following O(3) treatment, a transient induction in cultivar Bel B, and no change in control plants. The induction of beta-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities following O(3) treatment occurred within the leaf cells and was not found in the intercellular wash fluids. In addition, O(3) treatment increased the amount of the beta-1,3-glucan callose, which accumulated predominantly around the necrotic spots in cultivar Bel W3. The results demonstrate that near-ambient O(3) levels can induce pathogenesis-related proteins and may thereby alter the disposition of plants toward pathogen attack.