Detection of Wound-inducible Trans-Cinnamic Acid-4-Hydroxylase in Avocado, Persea americana, Roots

Trans-cinnamic acid-4-hydroxylase(tC4H) is the first cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase of the phenylpropanoid pathway. The roots of avocado seedlings were wounded and examined to determine whether the tC4H would be activated in response to wounding and/or whether tC4H activity be modulated by the application of exogenous p-coumarate. At the specified length of times, the wounded and treated roots were either frozen in liquid nitrogen or used immediately to extract microsomal proteins. The microsomal proteins were subjected to immunoblot analysis using polyclonal antibodies against CYP73 of tC4H gene. In this study, tC4H was induced in wounded roots sealed in bags within 6 hours, and in low level({TEX}$10^{-8}${/TEX}M) of p-coumarate solution within 24 hours, whereas the olution without p-coumarate and high levels of p-coumarate solution repressed tC4H induction in wounded roots. These results indicate that tC4H is induced by wounding in the root of avocado, and is inhibited by the application of exogenous p-coumarate.