Effect of Kinetin on Protein & Nucleic Acid Metabolism in Xanthium Leaves During Senescence

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Abstract
The effect of kinetin in delaying cellular senescence was studied in excised leaves of Xanthium pensylvanicum. Experiments with both entire leaves and discs of leaf-blade have shown that the fall which occurs in the level of chlorophyll is temporarily retarded in the presence of kinetin, while the levels of protein and RNA may be temporarily increased by this treatment before eventually declining to the control levels. The incubation of leaf-discs in solutions of 14-C-l-leucine or 14-C-orotic acid in the presence or absence of kinetin has shown that both the incorporation of leucine into protein and orotic acid into RNA, and the specific activities of the isolated protein and RNA, are increased in the presence of kinetin. Results suggest that the role of kinetin in the retardation of leaf senescence may be mediated through its action on nucleic acid and protein metabolism.
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