Soybean seed coat peroxidase: a comparison of high-activity and low-activity genotypes

Peroxidase activity in the seed coats of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is controlled by the Ep locus. We compared peroxidase activity in cell-free extracts from seed coat, root, and leaf tissues of three EpEp cultivars (Harosoy 63, Harovinton, and Coles) to three epep cultivars (Steele, Marathon, and Raiden). Extracts from the seed coats of EpEp cultivars were 100-fold higher in specific activity than those from epep cultivars, but there was no difference in specific activity in crude root or leaf extracts. Isoelectric focusing of root tissue extracts and staining for peroxidase activity showed that EpEp cultivars had a root peroxidase of identical isoelectric point to the seed coat peroxidase, whereas roots of the epep types were lacking that peroxidase, indicating that the Ep locus may also affect expression in the root. In seed coat extracts, peroxidase was the most abundant soluble protein in EpEp cultivars, whereas this enzyme was present only in trace amounts in epep genotypes, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Histochemical localization of peroxidase activity in seed coats of EpEp cultivars shows that the enzyme occurs predominately in the cytoplasm of hourglass cells of the subepidermis. No obvious difference in the gross or microscopic structure of the seed coat was observed to be associated with the Ep locus. These results suggest that soybean seed coat peroxidase may be involved in processes other than seed coat biosynthesis