Influence of histamine on the germination of seeds

Abstract

A causal relation between the histamine-forming capacity and cell multiplication in soine animal tissues has been observed by different authors. In the present work we study the influence of the histamine, aminoguanidine (an histaminase inhibitor) and semicarbazide (an histidindecarboxilase inhibitor) on the germinating seeds of wheat; growth-rate and DNA, RNA and nitrogen (protein and total) content of the seedlings were determinated after six days of treatment.

Histamine 10-3 M and aminoguanidi­ne 10-4 M caused a slight stimulus of growth; aminoguanidine 10-3 M and semicarbazide 10-3 M and 10-4 M produced a strong inhibition of root growth, the effect of semicarbazide 10-3 M beeing particularly pronounced on the whole plant.

DNA and RNA content in both ami­ noguanidine-treated and semicarbazide-treated groups of plants was clearly in­ferior than that of Controls, even in ca­ses when vegetativo development were greater than the normal. The effect of histamine on DNA and RNA content was slight.

Histamine 10-3 M and aminoguanidi­ne 10-4 M and 10-3 M caused a signifi­cative increase of the nitrogen movilitation from the endosperm, as reflected in the greater nitrogen content of the germinated plants. Semicarbazide 10-3 M strongly inhibited nitrogen mobilization.

There is formation of histamine during the process of germination. Hista­mine added to the culture medium is taken into the plant tissues, and it appears to be a lineal relationship between the amounth taken and the concentra­tion in the medium.