The Plant enzymology group, in close cooperation with the Department of Biochemistry of the Faculty of Science, Palacký University, is currently interested in the biochemical properties of cytokinin dehydrogenase/oxidase (CKX), an enzyme degrading the cytokinins, group of plant hormones, by oxidative cleavage of their side chains. Recently we have characterized the catalytic mechanism of CKX, revealing the dehydrogenase character of the enzyme, which prefers p-quinones as electron acceptors in vitro.
Our current study focuses on isolation and characterization of physiological electron acceptor. As plants contain small families of CKX genes encoding differently localized proteins, we are also interested in biochemical properties of different classes of CKX enzyme, especially in their substrate specificity, electron acceptors and subcellular localization. We also study cytokinin-like effect of substituted phenylureas in bioassays in correlation with their inhibitory effect on CKX and are interested in new inhibitors of CKX in general.
GA ČR 522/05/0448 (2005-2007)
Izolace a identifikace přirozeného elektronového akceptoru rostlinné cytokinindehydrogenasy a její interakce s nízkomolekulárními látkami