Bicarbonate Fixation and Malate Compartmentation in Relation to Salt-induced Stoichiometric Synthesis of Organic Acid

Organic acid metabolism and root excretion of malate in wheat cultivars under aluminium stress

The effects of aluminium (Al) on the metabolism of organic acids synthesised via nonphotosynthetic carbon fixation in the roots and on malate exudation were investigated in Al-tolerant Shirosanjyaku (SH) and Al-sensitive Chikushikomugi (CK) wheat cultivars labelled with bicarbonate-(14)C. Aluminum triggered the excretion of (14)C into the solution, especially in the SH that excreted 2.5 times more (14)C than the CK. The loss of radioactivity (about 10%) into the solution represented a small drain in the (14)C reserve found in the roots. In the organic acid fraction within the roots, malate contained the greatest amount of (14)C, and this amount decreased rapidly with time in both cultivars. The disappearance of radioactivity in the malate resulted from metabolism and translocation rather than to root efflux. Aluminium decreased the malate concentrations in roots of both cultivars. The Al-sensitive cultivar had higher concentrations of malate regardless of the presence of Al. It was therefore assumed that the decrease of malate concentration in roots under Al stress did not result from the decline in malate synthesis but due to an increase in malate decomposition. This response was interpreted as the result of the Al-induced stress and not as the cause of a differential Al-tolerance between the wheat cultivars. An important component of the differential Al tolerance between SH and CK is the greater ability of the Al-tolerant cultivar to excrete malate from the roots, which is independent of its internal concentration in the roots.

Quantitation of Rates of Transport, Metabolic Fluxes, and Cytoplasmic Levels of Inorganic Carbon in Maize Root Tips during K Ion Uptake

Our aim was to determine whether fixation of inorganic carbon (C(i)), due to phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity, is limited by the availability of C(i) in the cytoplasm of maize (Zea mays L.) root tips. Rates of C(i) uptake and metabolism were measured during K(2)SO(4) treatment, which stimulates dark C(i) fixation. (13)C(i) uptake was followed by (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); 5 millimolar K(2)SO(4) had no significant effect on (13)C(i) influx. The contribution of respiratory CO(2) production to cytoplasmic HCO(3) (-) was measured using in vivo(13)C-NMR and (1)H-NMR of cell extracts; K(2)SO(4) treatment had no effect on respiratory CO(2) production. The concentration of cytoplasmic HCO(3) (-) was estimated to be approximately 11 millimolar, again with K(2)SO(4) having no significant effect. These experiments allowed us to determine the extent to which extracellularly supplied (14)C(i) was diluted in the cytoplasm by respiratory CO(2) and thereby measure phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase activity in vivo using (14)C(i). PEP carboxylase activity in root tips was enhanced approximately 70% over controls within 12 minutes of the addition of 5 millimolar K(2)SO(4). The activity of carbonic anhydrase, which provides PEP carboxylase with C(i), was determined by saturation transfer (13)C-NMR to be more than 200 times that of PEP carboxylase in vivo. The regulation of PEP carboxylase in K(2)SO(4)-treated roots is discussed.

Influence of Nitrate and Ammonium Nutrition on the Uptake, Assimilation, and Distribution of Nutrients in Ricinus communis

Ricinus communis L. plants were grown in nutrient solutions in which N was supplied as NO(3) (-) or NH(4) (+), the solutions being maintained at pH 5.5. In NO(3) (-)-fed plants excess nutrient anion over cation uptake was equivalent to net OH(-) efflux, and the total charge from NO(3) (-) and SO(4) (2-) reduction equated to the sum of organic anion accumulation plus net OH(-) efflux. In NH(4) (+)-fed plants a large H(+) efflux was recorded in close agreement with excess cation over anion uptake. This H(+) efflux equated to the sum of net cation (NH(4) (+) minus SO(4) (2-)) assimilation plus organic anion accumulation. In vivo nitrate reductase assays revealed that the roots may have the capacity to reduce just under half of the total NO(3) (-) that is taken up and reduced in NO(3) (-)-fed plants. Organic anion concentration in these plants was much higher in the shoots than in the roots. In NH(4) (+)-fed plants absorbed NH(4) (+) was almost exclusively assimilated in the roots. These plants were considerably lower in organic anions than NO(3) (-)-fed plants, but had equal concentrations in shoots and roots. Xylem and phloem saps were collected from plants exposed to both N sources and analyzed for all major contributing ionic and nitrogenous compounds. The results obtained were used to assist in interpreting the ion uptake, assimilation, and accumulation data in terms of shoot/root pH regulation and cycling of nutrients.

Combined use of 1H-NMR and GC-MS for metabolite monitoring and in vivo 1H-NMR assignments

Thirty-three metabolites were observed in perchloric acid extracts of four different tissues by in vitro 1H-NMR, GC-MS and alcohol dehydrogenase assay, and the information was used to interpret an in vivo two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect 1H-NMR spectrum. The metabolite profiles of the different tissues indicate a number of potential tissue-specific markers: N-acetylaspartate and gamma-aminobutyric acid for rat brain, glutamine/glutamic acid ratio for dog heart, arginine and sucrose for carrot, and t-aconitate, sucrose, asparagine/aspartic acid concentration ratios for corn roots. gamma-Aminobutyric acid and malate can be regarded as metabolic indicators for stressed corn roots. Concentrations of threonine and valine in corn roots were constant under hypoxic and salt stress, and can serve as internal standards for both in vivo and in vitro NMR studies. The in vitro information was further used to identify 12 compounds from the in vivo 1H-NMR spectra (including the two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectrum) of a carrot cylinder by correlating the chemical shift and nuclear Overhauser effect information. Thus, our choice of methods with a capability for structural determination allows the characterization of complex tissue extracts with minimum sample preparation, and supports, as well as complements, in vivo 1H-NMR investigations of metabolism.

The proton pumps of the plasmalemma and the tonoplast of higher plants

Studies on intact cells, membrane vesicles, and reconstituted proteoliposomes have demonstrated in higher plants the existence of an ATP-driven electrogenic proton pump operating at the plasmalemma. There is also evidence of a second ATP-driven H+ pump localized at the tonoplast. The characteristics of both these ATP-driven pumps closely correspond to those of the plasmalemma and tonoplast proton pumps of Neurospora and yeasts.

Physiological Control of Chloride Transport in Chara corallina: I. EFFECTS OF LOW TEMPERATURE, CELL TURGOR PRESSURE, AND ANIONS

The rate of Cl(-) transport at the plasma membrane of the freshwater alga Chara corallina is investigated with respect to possible in vivo controls acting in addition to the two well established ones of cytoplasmic Cl(-) and cytoplasmic pH. In contrast with results from many other plant tissues, halides appear to be the only anions capable of inhibiting Cl(-) transport, either from the outside or inside surfaces of the plasma membrane. Cell turgor pressure was also investigated. It was found that neither the influx of Cl(-) nor that of K(+) or HCO(2) (-) is sensitive to turgor. Internal osmotic pressure is also insensitive to turgor, a situation contrasting with that in closely related brackish water charophytes.After temperature downshift (from 20-4 C) Cl(-) transport displays a slow, time-dependent rise. Return of cells from 4 C to 20 C results in a large stimulation of Cl(-) influx in comparison with cells maintained at 20 C throughout. This stimulation persists for several hours and is also apparent (to a reduced extent) in cells which have had cytoplasmic composition controlled by intracellular perfusion. The stimulation therefore arises, in part, from a change in plasma membrane properties. The results are discussed with respect to recent work on membrane fluidity as a function of temperature.

Extent of intracellular pH changes during H(+) extrusion by maize root-tip cells

(31)P-Nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectra of maize (Zea mays L.) root tips, that had been induced to extrude large amounts of H(+) in response to fusicoccin (FC) in the presence of potassium salts, indicate that the cytoplasmic pH does not become higher than that of controls. In fact, the cytoplasmic pH may become slightly (approx. 0.1 pH unit) lower in cells extruding H(+). Estimations of the buffer capacity of the cells show that without active intracellular pH regulation, H(+) extrusion caused by FC would cause the intracellular pH to rise by at least 0.6 pH unit h(-1). Our results indicate that intracellular pH is tightly regulated even during extreme rates of acid extrusion, and that a rise in cytoplasmic pH is not the signal linking H(+) extrusion with enhanced organic-acid synthesis or other intracellular responses to H(+) pumping.

Diurnal Ion Fluctuations in the Mesophyll Tissue of the Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

Both laboratory- and field-grown Mesembryanthemum crystallinum plants exhibited large scale diurnal ion fluctuations. In mesophyll tissue, potassium and sodium levels varied in conjunction with acid levels while chloride levels varied in opposition. Thus, dark CO(2) fixation in this Crassulacean acid metabolism species seems analogous to the common plant process of malate synthesis to balance cation surplus. Sodium levels in the epidermis appeared to fluctuate in opposition to those in the mesophyll. It is proposed that inorganic cations cycle between mesophyll and epidermal tissue to balance malate accumulation and to produce stomatal opening in the dark.

Enzymic and substrate basis for the anaplerotic step in guard cells

From the maximum rate of malate accumulation in Vicia faba L. guard cells during stomatal opening the maximum rate of organic anion synthesis is calculated to be 200 millimoles per kilogram dry weight per hour. A minimum estimate for the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase-catalyzed reaction in guard cells is 650 millimoles per kilogram dry weight per hour which is significantly higher than in any other leaf tissue. The apparent K(mpep) of the guard cell enzyme is 60 mum at pH 8.7, but is probably higher at lower pH. The concentration of PEP in guard cells was 270mum (=2.2 x 10(-15) moles/guard cell pair) during anion synthesis. These results support the possibility that the carboxylation of PEP is the anaplerotic step in guard cells.

Effects of fusicoccin on the activity of a key pH-stat enzyme, PEP-carboxylase

The phytotoxin fusicoccin (FC) causes rapid synthesis of malate in coleoptile tissues, presumably via phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase coupled with malate dehydrogenase. The possibility that FC directly affects PEP carboxylase in Avena sativa L. and Zea mays L. coleoptiles was studied and rejected. The activity of this enzyme is unaffected by FC whether FC is added in vitro or a pretreatment to the live material. FC does not change the sensitivity of the enzyme to bicarbonate or malate. The activity of FC, instead, appears to be indirect. The pH sensitivity of PEP carboxylase is such that its activity, and thus the rate of malate synthesis, may be enhanced by an increase in cytoplasmic pH accompanying FC-induced H(+) excretion. Since the enzyme is also particularily sensitive to bicarbonate levels, malate synthesis may also be enhanced by FC-induced uptake or generation of CO2.

Rapid auxin- and fusicoccin-enhanced Rb(+) uptake and malate synthesis in Avena coleoptile sections

The short-term effects of auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) and fusicoccin (FC) on Rb(+) uptake and malate accumulation in Avena sativa L. coleoptile sections have been investigated. FC stimulates (86)Rb(+) uptake within 1 min while auxin-enhanced uptake begins after a 15-20-min lag period. Auxin has little or no effect on (86)Rb(+) uptake at external pHs of 6.0 or less, but substantial auxin effects can be observed in the range of pH 6.5 to 7.5. Competition studies indicate that the uptake mechanism is specific for Rb(+) and K(+). After 3 h of auxin treatment the total amount of malate in the coleoptile sections is doubled compared to control sections. FC causes a doubling of malate levels within 60 min of treatment. Auxin-induced malate accumulation exhibits a sensitivity to inhibitors and pH which is similar to that observed for the H(+)-extrusion and Rb(+)-uptake responses. Both auxin- and FC-enhanced malate accumulation are stimulated by monovalent cations but this effect is not specific for K(+).

Influence of the level of nitrate nutrition on ion uptake and assimilation, organic Acid accumulation, and cation-anion balance in whole tomato plants

Tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum L. var. Ailsa Craig) were grown in water culture in nutrient solution in a series of 10 increasing levels of nitrate nutrition. Using whole plant data derived from analytical and yield data of individual plant parts, the fate of anion charge arising from increased NO(3) assimilation was followed in its distribution between organic anion accumulation in the plant and OH(-) efflux into the nutrient solution as calculated by excess anion over cation uptake. With increasing NO(3) nutrition the bulk of the anion charge appeared as organic anion accumulation in the plants. OH(-) efflux at a maximum accounted for only 20% of the anion charge shift. The major organic anion accumulated in response to nitrate assimilation was malate. The increase in organic anion accumulation was paralleled by an increase in cation concentration (K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+)). Total inorganic anion levels (NO(3) (-), SO(4) (2-), H(2)PO(4) (-), Cl(-)) were relatively constant. The effect of increasing NO(3) nutrition in stimulating organic anion accumulation was much more pronounced in the tops than in the roots.It is suggested that increasing the level of NO(3) nutrition to tomato plants stimulates cation uptake and translocation as counter-ions are required to accompany NO(3) (-) ions to the upper plant parts, the major site of NO(3) reduction. On NO(3) reduction, the resulting stoichiometric accumulation of organic anions is balanced by the cations originally accompanying NO(3) (-) ions. Organic anions and cations are largely retained in the upper plant parts. The results suggest that only a small fraction of the total K absorbed by the roots can be translocated downward from the leaves to the roots in the phloem sap. The possible extent of K recirculation is thus low.

Enhancement of CO(2) Uptake in Avena Coleoptiles by Fusicoccin

When Avena coleoptile segments are immersed in a solution containing H(14)CO(3) (-), the appearance of label in the tissue is stimulated approximately 3-fold by fusicoccin application. This effect is rapid (1-2 minutes lag time), dependent upon respiratory energy, inhibited by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, but not appreciably altered by cycloheximide treatment. A large percentage of the cellular radioactivity is found in the form of malate. Preliminary experiments indicate that CO(2), as opposed to HCO(3) (-), is the favored species of "CO(2)" taken up by the segments. These results are consistent with the notion that CO(2), presumably by virtue of its fixation and conversion to malic acid, participates in the early events associated with fusicoccin-enhanced acidification of the cell wall region leading to the stimulation of cell extension growth.

The Influence of Nitrate and Chloride Uptake on Expressed Sap pH, Organic Acid Synthesis, and Potassium Accumulation in Higher Plants

The influence of NO(3) (-) uptake and reduction on ionic balance in barley seedlings (Hordeum vulgare, cv. Compana) was studied. KNO(3) and KCl treatment solutions were used for comparison of cation and anion uptake. The rate of Cl(-) uptake was more rapid than the rate of NO(3) (-) uptake during the first 2 to 4 hours of treatment. There was an acceleration in rate of NO(3) (-) uptake after 4 hours resulting in a sustained rate of NO(3) (-) uptake which exceeded the rate of Cl(-) uptake. The initial (2 to 4 hours) rate of K(+) uptake appeared to be independent of the rate of anion uptake. After 4 hours the rate of K(+) uptake was greater with the KNO(3) treatment than with the KCl treatment, and the solution pH, cell sap pH, and organic acid levels with KNO(3) increased, relative to those with the KCl treatment. When absorption experiments were conducted in darkness, K(+) uptake from KNO(3) did not exceed K(+) uptake from KCl. We suggest that the greater uptake and accumulation of K(+) in NO(3) (-)-treated plants resulted from (a) a more rapid, sustained uptake and transport of NO(3) (-) providing a mobile counteranion for K(+) transport, and (b) the synthesis of organic acids in response to NO(3) (-) reduction increasing the capacity for K(+) accumulation by providing a source of nondiffusible organic anions.

Effect of carbon dioxide on nitrate accumulation and nitrate reductase induction in corn seedlings

Exposure of the leaf canopy of corn seedlings (Zea mays L.) to atmospheric CO(2) levels ranging from 100 to 800 mul/l decreased nitrate accumulation and nitrate reductase activity. Plants pretreated with CO(2) in the dark and maintained in an atmosphere containing 100 mul/l CO(2) accumulated 7-fold more nitrate and had 2-fold more nitrate reductase activity than plants exposed to 600 mul/l CO(2), after 5 hours of illumination. Induction of nitrate reductase activity in leaves of intact corn seedlings was related to nitrate content. Changes in soluble protein were related to in vitro nitrate reductase activity suggesting that in vitro nitrate reductase activity was a measure of in situ nitrate reduction. In longer experiments, levels of nitrate reductase and accumulation of reduced N supported the concept that less nitrate was being absorbed, translocated, and assimilated when CO(2) was high. Plants exposed to increasing CO(2) levels for 3 to 4 hours in the light had increased concentrations of malate and decreased concentrations of nitrate in the leaf tissue. Malate and nitrate concentrations in the leaf tissue of seven of eight corn genotypes grown under comparable and normal (300 mul/l CO(2)) environments, were negatively correlated. Exposure of roots to increasing concentrations of potassium carbonate with or without potassium sulfate caused a progressive increase in malate concentrations in the roots. When these roots were subsequently transferred to a nitrate medium, the accumulation of nitrate was inversely related to the initial malate concentrations. These data suggest that the concentration of malate in the tissue seem to be related to the accumulation of nitrate.

No uptake of anions required by opening stomata of Vicia faba: Guard cells release hydrogen ions

Epidermal strips from leaves of Vicia faba L. with ruptured epidermal cells and intact guard cells were exposed to solutions of K(+) in association with non-absorbable anions. KCl served as control. Stomata exposed to a range of concentrations of K iminodiacetate, K 4,4-dimethyl-4,7-diazadecane-1,10-disulfonate and K benzene sulfonate opened as widely as on KCl, indicating that K(+) can be taken up by guard cells without the necessity of an anion traveling along. Electroneutrality was maintained by an exchange of K(+) for H(+). Release of H(+) from guard cells was recorded as a drop in the pH of the solution on which the epidermal samples floated. Formation of acid equivalents by the guard cells was also recorded by automatic titration of the bathing solution at constant pH while CO2 was continuously being removed. A considerable amount of H(+) was released from the epidermis by ion exchange (about 8x10(-10) eq/mm(2)). Subtracting this quantity from the total amount of H(+) titrated resulted in an estimate of acid production during stomatal opening of 1.2 to 7x10(-10) eq/mm(2) or 1.5 to 8.5x10(-12) eq/stoma. These amounts are equivalent to the known capacity of the guard cells of Vicia faba to absorb K(+).

Regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Zea mays by metabolites

Crude preparations of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase obtained from aetiolated seedlings of Zea mays are unstable but can be stabilized with glycerol. At the pH optimum of 8.3, the K(m) value for phosphoenolpyruvate is 80mum. When assayed at 30 degrees C, the enzyme shows normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics, but when assayed at 45 degrees C sigmoid kinetics are exhibited. At pH7.0 the enzyme is inhibited by a number of dicarboxylic acids and by glutamate and aspartate. d and l forms of the hydroxy acids and amino acids are inhibitory and the kinetics approximate to simple non-competitive inhibition. The same compounds produce less inhibition at pH7.6 than at pH7.0 and the kinetics of inhibition are more complex. The enzyme is activated by P(i), by SO(4) (2-) and by a number of sugar phosphates. Maximum activation occurs at acid pH values, where enzyme activity is lowest. The enzyme is activated by AMP and inhibited by ADP and ATP so that the response to energy charge is of the R type and is thus at variance with Atkinson's (1968) concept of energy charge. The physiological significance of the response to metabolites is discussed.

Nitrate Uptake by Dark-grown Corn Seedlings: Some Characteristics of Apparent Induction

Five-or six-day old seedlings of corn (Zea mays L.) were exposed to 0.25 mm Ca(NO(3))(2), 1.0 mm sodium 2-[N-morpholino]-ethanesulfonate, 5 mug Mo per liter and 50 mug of chloramphenicol per ml at pH 6. Nitrate uptake was determined from depletion of the ambient solution. The pattern of nitrate uptake was characterized, after the first 20 minutes, by a low rate which increased steadily to a maximal rate by 3 to 4 hours. Transfer of nitrate to the xylem did not totally account for the increase. Development of the maximal accelerated rate did not occur at 3 C with excised roots nor with seedlings whose endosperm had been removed. Use of CaCl(2) rather than Ca(NO(3))(2) resulted in a linear rate of chloride uptake during the first 4 hours, and chloride uptake was not as restricted by endosperm removal as was nitrate uptake.Nitrite pretreatments or the addition of cycloheximide (2 mug ml(-1)), puromycin (400 mug ml(-1)) and 6-methylpurine (0.5 mm) restricted maximal development of the accelerated nitrate uptake rate. Actinomycin D (20 mug ml(-1)) inhibited the rate only after about three hours exposure. The RNA and protein synthesis inhibitors also restricted nitrate reductase induction in the apical segments of the root tissue. The data suggest that development of the maximal accelerated rate of nitrate uptake depended upon continuous protein synthesis, and the hypothesis that synthesis of a specific nitrate transport protein must occur is advanced. But the alternative hypothesis, i.e., that induction of nitrate reductase (and/or a consequence of the act of nitrate reduction) provided the required stimulus, remains tenable.