Distribution of reducing power between photosynthetic carbon and nitrogen assimilation in Scenedesmus

Enhancing growth of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and nutrient removal in diluted primary piggery wastewater by elevated CO2 supply

The coupling of primary piggery wastewater as a culture medium with elevated CO₂ aeration is thought to be an economically feasible option for the cultivation of microalgae. However, little information is available regarding the photosynthetic characteristics of microalgae and nutrient removal from wastewater at different CO₂ concentrations. It was found that elevated CO₂ aeration provided sustained growth at CO₂ concentrations ranging from 5% to 15% and performed best with 5% CO₂ aeration in primary piggery wastewater for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii growth. Photosynthesis, respiration, and nutrient uptake (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) were stimulated in response to CO₂ enrichment, thus increasing nutrient uptake in primary piggery wastewater, particularly total nitrogen and total phosphorus. A study of carbon-concentrating mechanism-related gene expression revealed that the levels of mRNAs, such as CAH1, LCIB and HLA3, were significantly downregulated. This represents a possible method for the reconciliation of CO₂-stimulated growth with mixotrophic cultivation of C. reinhardtii in diluted primary piggery wastewater.

Iron-Nutrient Interactions within Phytoplankton

Iron limits photosynthetic activity in up to one third of the world's oceans and in many fresh water environments. When studying the effects of Fe limitation on phytoplankton or their adaptation to low Fe environments, we must take into account the numerous cellular processes within which this micronutrient plays a central role. Due to its flexible redox chemistry, Fe is indispensable in enzymatic catalysis and electron transfer reactions and is therefore closely linked to the acquisition, assimilation and utilization of essential resources. Iron limitation will therefore influence a wide range of metabolic pathways within phytoplankton, most prominently photosynthesis. In this review, we map out four well-studied interactions between Fe and essential resources: nitrogen, manganese, copper and light. Data was compiled from both field and laboratory studies to shed light on larger scale questions such as the connection between metabolic pathways and ambient iron levels and the biogeographical distribution of phytoplankton species.

Strategies for the allocation of resources under sulfur limitation in the green alga Dunaliella salina

The effect of sulfur limitation on the partitioning of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur was investigated in Dunaliella salina. D. salina was able to adapt to 6 microM sulfate; under these conditions, the cells showed reduced growth and photosynthetic rates. Whereas intracellular sulfate was depleted, phosphate, nitrate, and ammonium increased. Amino acids showed a general increase, and alanine became the most abundant amino acid. The activities of four key enzymes of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolism were differentially regulated: Adenosine 5' triphosphate sulfurylase activity increased 4-fold, nitrate reductase and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase activities decreased 4- and 11-fold, respectively, whereas carbonic anhydrase activity remained unchanged. Sulfur limitation elicited specific increase or decrease of the abundance of several proteins, such us Rubisco, PEP carboxylase, and a light harvesting complex protein. The accumulation of potentially toxic ammonium indicates an insufficient availability of carbon skeletons. Sulfur deficiency thus induces an imbalance between carbon and nitrogen. The dramatic reduction in PEP carboxylase activity suggests that carbon was diverted away from anaplerosis and possibly channeled into C3 metabolism. These results indicate that it is the coordination of key steps and components of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolism that allows D. salina to adapt to prolonged sulfur limitation.

Shift in carbon flow and stimulation of amino-acid turnover induced by nitrate and ammonium assimilation in Anacystis nidulans

The influence of nitrate and ammonium assimilation on the flow of recently fixed carbon has been determined in intact Anacystis nidulans cells actively fixing CO2. Assimilation of nitrate or ammonium resulted in substantial increases in the incorporation of carbon into acid-soluble metabolites, the magnitude of the effect being dependent on the irradiance. The radiolabel in sugar phosphate was virtually unaffected by nitrogen assimilation, whereas that in organic acids and, in particular, in amino acids was markedly increased. Enhancement of carbon incorporation into amino acids induced by nitrogen assimilation was not accompanied by parallel increases in the size of the amino acid pools. This resulted in an appreciable increase of the specific radioactivity of most amino acids under conditions of nitrogen assimilation. The data indicate that nitrate and ammonium assimilation induce an enhancement of carbon flow through the glycolytic and the tricarboxylic-acid pathways to oxaloacetate and α-ketoglutarate, as well as a stimulation of amino-acid turnover. These effects were more pronounced at saturating irradiance.

Tansley Review No. 24 Why are atmospheric oxides of nitrogen usually phytotoxic and not alternative fertilizers?

Atmospheric pollution by the oxides of nitrogen, NO and NO₂ , can cause reductions in growth but rarely visible injury. This review considers their uptake into foliage, as well as their subsequent metabolism and physiology, and attempts to explain why these gases are often phytotoxic. The combined stresses of resisting cellular acidification, enhanced levels of nitrite (and ammonia), and the direct interference of the free radical ('N=O) with critical enzymes, reaction centres and regulatory mechanisms are thought to be the main reasons why oxides of nitrogen, especially NO, inhibit growth. If other air pollutants such as SO₂ are also present with NO or NO₂ then free radical-induced injury, similar to that caused by O₃ alone, also occurs. CONTENTS Summary 395 I. Introduction 396 II. Uptake and cycling of oxides of nitrogen 396 III. Biochemical responses to NO and NO₂ 405 IV. Physiological responses to NO and NO₂ 410 V. Combinations of NO and NO₂ with other pollutants 416 VI. Recapitulation and beyond 418 Acknowledgements 420 References 420.