GABA shunt deficiencies and accumulation of reactive oxygen intermediates: Insight from Arabidopsis mutants

Aaron Fait, Ayelet Yellin, Hillel Fromm

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

115 Scopus citations

Abstract

In plants, succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH)-deficiency results in the accumulation of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI), necrotic lesions, dwarfism, and hypersensitivity to environmental stresses [Bouché, N., Fait, A., Moller, S.G. and Fromm, H. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 100, 6843-6848]. We report that Arabidopsis ssadh knockout mutants contain five times the normal level of γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which in SSADH-deficient mammals accounts for phenotypic abnormalities. Moreover, the level of GHB in Arabidopsis is light dependent. Treatment with γ-vinyl-γ- aminobutyrate, a specific γ-aminobutyrate (GABA)-transaminase inhibitor, prevents the accumulation of ROI and GHB in ssadh mutants, inhibits cell death, and improves growth. These results provide novel evidence for the relationship between the GABA shunt and ROI, which may, in part, explain the phenotype of SSADH-deficient plants and animals.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)415-420
Number of pages6
JournalFEBS Letters
Volume579
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 17 Jan 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Arabidopsis
  • Reactive oxygen intermediate
  • Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase
  • γ-Aminobutyrate
  • γ-Hydroxybutyrate

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

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