Saccharase activity in the barley plant

Abstract

Saccharase production seems to be associated with growth and to cease when growth ceases. No evidence was found of transport of enzyme in the plant. Production is relatively greatest in the early stages of the development of each organ, and decreases regularly as dry wt. of the organ increases. The potential inverting capacity is always many times as great as the maximum requirement (measured by dry wt. increase) in any part of the plant. The existence of free sucrose therefore requires the presence of some inhibiting mechanism. An unfavorable pH is unlikely to be a major factor in this mechanism since over the range pH 3.4-6.8 the reduction in activity as compared with that at the optimum value is only of the order of 25%.