Redox Enzymes of Red Beetroot Vacuoles (Beta vulgaris L.)

Years of research have shown that some of the redox elements (enzymes, coenzymes, and co-substrate) are isolated from each other kinetic and spatial manner (compartmentalization) in the eukaryotic cells. The redox elements forming the "highly" and "widely" specialized redox system are found in all cell structures: mitochondria, plastids, peroxisomes, apoplast, nucleus etc. In recent years the active involvement of the central vacuole in the maintenance of the plant cell redox homeostasis is discussed, actually the information about the vacuolar redox system is very small. The high-priority redox processes and "redox-specialization" of the vacuolar compartment are not known. We have begun a study of red beet-root vacuole redox systems (Beta vulgaris L.) and have identified redox enzymes such as: phenol peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7), superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and glutathione reductase (EC 1.8.1.7). This paper presents some of the characteristics of these enzymes and considers the probable ways of their functioning in vacuolar redox chains