Amino acid and peptide uptake in the scutella of germinating grains of barley, wheat, rice, and maize

Scutella separated from germinating grains of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) took up the four amino acids and the three peptides tested from incubation media. The uptake of amino acids by wheat scutella was similar to that of barley scutella and was via at least four uptake systems: two nonspecific amino acid uptake systems, one system specific for proline, and another system specific for basic amino acids. The scutellum of rice apparently has two nonspecific systems and a system specific for the basic amino acids, but the proline-specific system is lacking. The scutellum of maize seems to have the same systems as the scutellum of rice, but one (or both) of the nonspecific systems differs from that of the other species studied in taking up arginine only slowly. No great differences were observed in the uptake of peptides in the four species studied. The rates of uptake of different amino acids and peptides were of the same order of magnitude in the four cereals. The fact that carboxypeptidase activities in the endosperms of wheat and barley are 20- to 100-fold higher than those in rice and maize, does thus not seem to be reflected in the uptake properties of the scutella.