Inhibitors of tri- and tetra- polyamine oxidation, but not diamine oxidation, impair the initial stages of wound-induced suberization.

The mechanisms regulating, and modulating potato wound-healing processes are of great importance in reducing tuber infections, reducing shrinkage and maintaining quality and nutritional value for growers and consumers. Wound-induced changes in tuber polyamine metabolism have been linked to the modulation of wound healing (WH) and in possibly providing the crucial amount of H₂O₂ required for suberization processes. In this investigation we determined the effect of inhibition of specific steps within the pathway of polyamine metabolism on polyamine content and the initial accumulation of suberin polyphenolics (SPP) during WH. The accumulation of SPP represents a critical part of the beginning or inchoate phase of tuber WH during closing-layer formation because it serves as a barrier to bacterial infection and is a requisite for the accumulation of suberin polyaliphatics which provide the barrier to fungal infection. Results showed that the inhibitor treatments that caused changes in polyamine content generally did not influence wound-induced accumulation of SPP. Such lack of correlation was found for inhibitors involved in metabolism and oxidation of putrescine (arginine decarboxylase, ornithine decarboxylase, and diamine oxidase). However, accumulation of SPP was dramatically reduced by treatment with guazatine, a potent inhibitor of polyamine oxidase (PAO), and methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone), a putative inhibitor of S-adenosylmethione decarboxylase which may also cross-react to inhibit PAO. The mode of action of these inhibitors is presumed to be blockage of essential H₂O₂ production within the WH cell wall. These results are of great importance in understanding the mechanisms modulating WH and ultimately controlling related infections and associated postharvest losses.