Studies of intermediary metabolism in radish cotyledons. Turnover of photosynthetic products in 14CO2 pulse-chase experiments

1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1191-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Caballero ◽  
E. A. Cossins

Ability of 11-day-old radish cotyledons to carry out photosynthesis has been examined by supplying 14CO2 to cotyledon disks for periods ranging from 30 s to 20 min. Carbon-14 was rapidly incorporated into malate, citrate, sugar phosphates, and a number of amino acids. The kinetics of 14C incorporation suggest that carbon initially enters components of the organic acid and sugar phosphate fraction, being then rapidly transferred to the amino acids and sugars. In pulse-chase experiments, illuminated cotyledon disks were incubated with 14CO2 for 30 min then transferred to air containing 12CO2 for periods up to 240 min with illumination. During such postpulse incubations, considerable losses of 14C occurred from most of the principal compounds labeled during the chase incubation. As these losses were not entirely accounted for by losses of label to the incubation medium they can largely be attributed to metabolic turnover of these compounds. It is concluded that, in general, the photosynthesis of radish cotyledons is similar to that of mature leaves and of physiological significance as a route for synthesis of several important cellular constituents required for seedling growth and development.

1971 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 817-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Hider ◽  
E. B. Fern ◽  
D. R. London

1. The kinetics of radioactive labelling of extra- and intra-cellular amino acid pools and protein of the extensor digitorum longus muscle were studied after incubations with radioactive amino acids in vitro. 2. The results indicated that an extracellular pool could be defined, the contents of which were different from those of the incubation medium. 3. It was concluded that amino acids from the extracellular pool, as defined in this study, were incorporated directly into protein.


1985 ◽  
Vol 40 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 527-530
Author(s):  
Günter Döhler ◽  
Joachim Zink

Abstract The marine diatoms Bellerochea yucatanensis and Thalassiosira rotula were grown at different salinities (20/25, 35, and 40/45‰ salinity (S), respectively) under normal air (0.035 vol.% CO2). No significant variations in the percentage of gross photosynthetic products (e.g. total amino acids, sugar phosphates) were found as a function of salinity during growth. The bulk of the soluble 14C-radioactivity was detected in amino acids. 14C-labelling of glutamine increased markedly with salinity. Low salt - grown algae are characterized by enhanced amino acid pools, mainly of aspartic acid, asparagine and glutamine. It was found that the tested amino acids are not involved in osmoregulation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerzy W. Poskuta ◽  
Eugeniusz Parys ◽  
Elżbieta Romanowska ◽  
Halina Gajdzis-Gujdan ◽  
Barbara Wróblewska

Roots of whole 3 week-old seedlings of maize were exposed for 24 h to a solution of PbCl<sub>2</sub>. The concentrations of Pb were: 0, 200, 400, 800, 1200, 2400 mg dm<sup>-3</sup>. The amount of Pb taken up by roots was independent of the concentration of this element in the medium. The Pb taken up by shoots increased linearly with increasing treatment concentration. Pb caused: concentration-dependent inhibition of photosynthesis (PS), transpiration (T), <sup>14</sup>CO<sub>2</sub> uptake and incorporation of label into photosynthetic products. The largest limitation by Pb of the flow of photoassimilated carbon occurred into starch and sugar phosphates. Among the water-soluble photoassimilates, the largest limitation of carbon flow occurred into organic acids and sugars and the smallest into amino acids.


Microbiology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 150 (5) ◽  
pp. 1225-1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keriman Sener ◽  
Zuojun Shen ◽  
David S. Newburg ◽  
Edward L. Jarroll

The parasite Giardia intestinalis exists as a trophozoite (vegetative) that infects the human small intestine, and a cyst (infective) that is shed in host faeces. Cyst viability in the environment depends upon a protective cyst wall, which consists of proteins and a unique β(1-3) GalNAc homopolymer. UDP-GalNAc, the precursor for this polysaccharide, is synthesized from glucose by an enzyme pathway that involves amino sugar phosphate intermediates. Using a novel method of microanalysis by capillary electrophoresis, the levels of amino sugar phosphate intermediates in trophozoites before encystment, during a period of active encystment and after the peak of encystment were measured. These levels were used to deduce metabolic control of amino sugar phosphates associated with encystment. Levels of amino sugar phosphate intermediates increased during encystment, and then decreased to nearly non-encysting levels. The most pronounced increase was in glucosamine 6-phosphate, which is the first substrate unique in this pathway, and which is the positive effector for the pathway's putative rate-controlling enzyme, UDP-GlcNAc pyrophosphorylase. Moreover, more UDP-GalNAc than UDP-GlcNAc, its direct precursor, was detected at 24 h. It is postulated that the enhanced UDP-GalNAc is a result of enhanced synthesis of UDP-GlcNAc by the pyrophosphorylase, and its preferential conversion to UDP-GalNAc. These results suggest that kinetics of amino sugar phosphate synthesis in encysting Giardia favours the direction that supports cyst wall synthesis. The enzymes involved in synthesis of UDP-GalNAc and its conversion to cyst wall might be potential targets for therapeutic inhibitors of Giardia infection.


1977 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard E. Dickson

Mature and developing cottonwood (Populusdeltoides Bartr.) and bean (Phaseolusvulgaris L.) leaves were photosynthetically labeled for 30 min with 14CO2. Radioactive compounds in exudate obtained by placing the cut petioles in 20 mM Na2EDTA for 6 h were compared with those found in chloroform–methanol–water extracts of leaf lamina and petiole. Of the total activity lost in 6 h, 54% was recovered in the exudate from mature bean leaves compared with 3% recovered from cottonwood leaves. Smaller amounts were recovered in exudate from developing leaves compared with mature leaves of both species. Thus EDTA was not very effective for maintaining translocation rates in excised cottonwood leaves. Most of the radioactivity in the exudate was in sugars, indicating relatively pure sieve tube contents. However, radioactive amino acids and organic acids were always present, particularly in exudate from developing leaves. These amino and organic acids could either be derived from metabolism outside of the phloem with subsequent leakage into the EDTA solution, or be a component of the normal translocation stream. Of the total activity in exudates from developing cottonwood leaves, 17% was found in the amino acid and 33% was found in the organic acid fraction compared with 7% and 5% in these fractions, respectively, from developing bean leaves. The distribution of activity in the sugar, amino acid, and organic acid fractions of cottonwood petiole extract was similar to that found in the exudate. In contrast, proportionally less sugar and more amino acids and organic acids were labeled in bean petiole extract compared with the exudate, indicating lateral movement and metabolism in the bean petiole.


1966 ◽  
Vol 16 (01/02) ◽  
pp. 277-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Silver ◽  
M Murray

SummaryVarious investigators have separated the coagulation products formed when fibrinogen is clotted with thrombin and identified fibrinopeptides A and B. Two other peaks are observed in the chromatogram of the products of coagulation, but these have mostly been dismissed by other workers. They have been identified by us as amino acids, smaller peptides and amorphous material (37). We have re-chromatographed these peaks and identified several amino acids. In a closed system of fibrinogen and thrombin, the only reaction products should be fibrin and peptide A and peptide B. This reasoning has come about because thrombin has been reported to be specific for the glycyl-arginyl peptide bond. It is suggested that thrombin also breaks other peptide linkages and the Peptide A and Peptide B are attacked by thrombin to yield proteolytic products. Thrombin is therefore probably not specific for the glycyl-arginyl bond but will react on other linkages as well.If the aforementioned is correct then the fibrinopeptides A and B would cause an inhibition with the coagulation mechanism itself. We have shown that an inhibition does occur. We suggest that there is an autoinhibition to the clotting mechanism that might be a control mechanism in the human body.The experiment was designed for coagulation to occur under controlled conditions of temperature and time. Purified reactants were used. We assembled an apparatus to record visually the speed of the initial reaction, the rate of the reaction, and the density of the final clot formed after a specific time.The figures we derived made available to us data whereby we could calculate and plot the information to show the mechanism and suggest that such an inhibition does exist and also further suggest that it might be competitive.In order to prove true competitive inhibition it is necessary to fulfill the criteria of the Lineweaver-Burk plot. This has been done. We have also satisfied other criteria of Dixon (29) and Bergman (31) that suggest true competitive inhibition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 727-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Wu ◽  
Zhibin Cheng ◽  
Yueyu Bai ◽  
Xi Ma

Nutrients can regulate metabolic activities of living organisms through epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and RNA regulation. Since the nutrients required for early embryos and postpartum lactation are derived in whole or in part from maternal and lactating nutrition, the maternal nutritional level affects the growth and development of fetus and creates a profound relationship between disease development and early environmental exposure in the offspring’s later life. Protein is one of the most important biological macromolecules, involved in almost every process of life, such as information transmission, energy processing and material metabolism. Maternal protein intake levels may affect the integrity of the fetal genome and alter DNA methylation and gene expression. Most amino acids are supplied to the fetus from the maternal circulation through active transport of placenta. Some amino acids, such as methionine, as dietary methyl donor, play an important role in DNA methylation and body’s one-carbon metabolism. The purpose of this review is to describe effects of maternal dietary protein and amino acid intake on fetal and neonatal growth and development through epigenetic mechanisms, with examples in humans and animals.


1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 557 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Canny ◽  
ME Mccully

Three methods of sampling xylem sap of maize roots were compared: sap bleeding from the stem cut just above the ground; sap bleeding from the cut tops of roots still undisturbed in the ground; and sap aspirated from excavated roots under reduced pressure. The bleeding saps were often unobtainable. When their composition was measured with time from cutting, the concentrations of the major solutes approximately doubled in 2 h. Aspirated sap was chosen as the most reliable sample of root xylem contents. Solute concentrations of the saps showed great variability between individual roots for all solutes, but on average the concentrations found (in �mol g-1 sap) were: total amino acids, 1.8; nitrate, 1.8; sugars (mainly sucrose), 5.4; total organic acids, 18.3. Individual amino acids also varied greatly between roots. Glutamine, aspartic acid and serine were generally most abundant. The principal organic acid found was malic, approximately 8 �mol g-1. From these analyses the ratios of carbon in the fractions (sugars : amino acids : organic acids) = (44 : 6 : 50). 14Carbon pulse fed to a leaf appeared in the root sap within 30 min, rose to a peak at 4-6 h, and declined slowly over a week. During all this time the neutral, cation and anion fractions were sensibly constant in the proportions 86 : 10 : 4. The 14C therefore did not move towards the equilibrium of 12C-compounds in the sap. It is argued that the results do not support a hypothesis of formation of amino carbon from recent assimilate and reduced nitrate in the roots and an export of this to the shoot in the transpiration stream.


2002 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1086-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Lee ◽  
Peter Palukaitis ◽  
Stewart M. Gray

The requirement for the 17-kDa protein (P17) of Potato leafroll virus (PLRV) in virus movement was investigated in four plant species: potato (Solanum tuberosum), Physalis floridana, Nicotiana benthamiana, and N. clevelandii. Two PLRV P17 mutants were characterized, one that does not translate the P17 and another that expresses a P17 missing the first four amino acids. The P17 mutants were able to replicate and accumulate in agroinoculated leaves of potato and P. floridana, but they were unable to move into vascular tissues and initiate a systemic infection in these plants. In contrast, the P17 mutants were able to spread systemically from inoculated leaves in both Nicotiana spp., although the efficiency of infection was reduced relative to wild-type PLRV. Examination of virus distribution in N. benthamiana plants using tissue immunoblotting techniques revealed that the wild-type PLRV and P17 mutants followed a similar movement pathway out of the inoculated leaves. Virus first moved upward to the apical tissues and then downward. The P17 mutants, however, infected fewer phloem-associated cells, were slower than wild-type PLRV in moving out of the inoculated tissue and into apical tissues, and were unable to infect any mature leaves present on the plant at the time of inoculation.


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