Release of phytoalexins and related isoflavonoids from intact chickpea seedlings elicited with reduced glutathione at root level

Induction of phytoalexin formation in roots of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) seedlings treated with the reduced form of glutathione (GSH) was investigated. Accumulation of phytoalexins and constitutive isoflavonoids upon GSH treatment was assessed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis of extracts from roots and liquid incubating media of seedlings, whereas the requirement for concurrent de novo synthesis of induced compounds was assessed in elicitation studies conducted in the presence of key enzyme inhibitors of the phenylpropanoid pathway and/or [U-C-14]-L-phenylalanine. The results indicate that: (a) GSH elicits the formation not only of the pterocarpan phytoalexins medicarpin and maackiain, but also that of the constitutive isoflavones biochanin A and formononetin and, in seedlings older than 4 d, that of the isoflavanones homoferreirin and cicerin. (b) GSH-induced secondary metabolites do not accumulate in plant root tissue; rather, they are released into the surrounding external medium. (c) Phytoalexins and isoflavonoids induced by GSH are de novo synthesized from early phenylpropanoid pathway precursors rather than derived from pre-existing conjugate forms or immediate precursors. (d) Because of metabolic competence and/or proximity, only a small proportion of root cells is responsive to GSH elicitation, hence the very small amounts or absence of induced compounds detected in root tissue samples. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicates Elsevier SAS.