Protein synthesis in avocado fruit tissue

The question wag raised whether enhanced protein synthesis was associated with the rise in respiration of the avocado fruit which occurs at the end of maturation and is known as the “climacteric rise.” The methodology consisted of following the incorporation of ¹⁴C-L-valine and ¹⁴C-L-leucine into proteins of tissue slices secured from fruits at several stages of the climacteric. It was found that the incorporation of these amino acids rose sharply during the early stage of the climacteric rise and declined rapidly thereafter. Incorporation was virtually absent in tissue of fruit at the peak of the climacteric rise. Puromycin effectively inhibited the incorporation of valine and leucine into proteins of climacteric tissue, but did not affect the oxygen uptake of the discs. It was concluded that oxygen uptake along the rise was not directly related to protein synthesis.