Cyanide-Induced Death of Cells in Plant Leaves

---

L. A. Vasil'ev, A. A. Vorobyov, E. V. Dzyubinskaya, A. V. Nesov, A. A. Shestak, and V. D. Samuilov^*

Department of Physiology of Microorganisms, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia; fax: (495) 939-3807; E-mail: vdsamuilov@mail.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received January 10, 2007

---

Destruction of guard cell nuclei in epidermis isolated from leaves of pea, maize, sunflower, and haricot bean, as well as destruction of cell nuclei in leaves of the aquatic plants waterweed and eelgrass were induced by cyanide. Destruction of nuclei was strengthened by illumination, prevented by the antioxidant alpha-tocopherol and an electron acceptor N,N,N´,N´-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine, and removed by quinacrine. Photosynthetic O₂ evolution by the leaf slices of a C₃ plant (pea), or a C₄ plant (maize) was inhibited by CN^- inactivating ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase, and was renewed by subsequent addition of the electron acceptor p-benzoquinone.

---

KEY WORDS: programmed cell death, cyanide, quinacrine, leaf cells, light microscopy, Pisum sativum L., Helianthus annuus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Zea mays L., Elodea canadensis Michx., Vallisneria spiralis L.

DOI: 10.1134/S000629790705015X

---