EFFECTS OF N-PHENYLIMIDE S-23142 AND N-METHYL MESOPORPHYRIN IX ON THE SYNTHESIS OF THE PHYTOCHROME CHROMOPHORE IN PEA EMBRYONIC AXES

Abstract Treatment of imbibed embryonic axes taken from seeds of Pisum sativum with N-phenylimide S-23142, a herbicide that has been suggested to inhibit protoporphyrin synthesis, or with N -methyl mesoporphyrin IX, an inhibitor of the iron chelatase for heme, resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of spectrophotometrically detectable phytochromc in the axes in both cases. However, the amount of immunochemically detectable phytochrome was not affected by either treatment. If S-23142 inhibits the synthesis of protoporphyrin IX in pea, it appears that the conversion of protoporphyrinogen IX to protoporphyrin IX is involved in the biosynthesis of the phytochrome chromophore. The conversion of protoporphyrin IX to heme (Fe-protoporpbyrin) also appears to be a step in the biosynthesis of the chromophore, since N -methyl mesoporphyrin IX prevented the synthesis of spectrophotometrically detectable phytochrome but did not affect the magnesium chelatase activity required for the synthesis of chlorophyll in pea embryonic axes. The results suggest that protoporphyrinogen IX, protoporphyrin IX and heme are intermediates in the biogenesis of the phytochromc chromophore. The pathway to phytochromobilin might become fixed after protoporphyrin IX, being directed toward the Fe branch for heme rather than to the Mg branch for chlorophyll.