INDEPENDENT ELICITATION OF THE OXIDATIVE BURST AND PHYTOALEXIN FORMATION IN CULTURED PLANT-CELLS

Analysis of components in a crude elicitor preparation (AP-elicitor) from the phytopathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae 277 demonstrated that a protein moiety appears to be the specific extracellular signal responsible for phytoalexin induction in cotton and soybean cell suspension cultures. However, the carbohydrate portion of the AP-elicitor appeared to be responsible for the induction of the hydrogen peroxide burst. A similar analysis of the endogeneous elicitor polygalacturonic acid (degree of polymerization = 20) showed that only the oxidative activity was induced in soybean and cotton cells but not the formation of phytoalexins.