Carbon Dioxide Fixation in Soybean Roots and Nodules: I. CHARACTERIZATION AND COMPARISON WITH N(2) FIXATION AND COMPOSITION OF XYLEM EXUDATE DURING EARLY NODULE DEVELOPMENT

Hypernodulating soybean mutant line nod4 lacking 'Autoregulation of Nodulation' (AON) has limited root-to-shoot water transport capacity

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Although hypernodulating phenotype mutants of legumes, such as soybean, possess a high leaf N content, the large number of root nodules decreases carbohydrate availability for plant growth and seed yield. In addition, under conditions of high air vapour pressure deficit (VPD), hypernodulating plants show a limited capacity to replace water losses through transpiration, resulting in stomatal closure, and therefore decreased net photosynthetic rates. Here, we used hypernodulating (nod4) (282.33 ± 28.56 nodules per plant) and non-nodulating (nod139) (0 nodules per plant) soybean mutant lines to determine explicitly whether a large number of nodules reduces root hydraulic capacity, resulting in decreased stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rates under high air VPD conditions.

METHODS

Plants were either inoculated or not inoculated with Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens (strain BR 85, SEMIA 5080) to induce nitrogen-fixing root nodules (where possible). Absolute root conductance and root conductivity, plant growth, leaf water potential, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, leaf 'greenness' [Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) reading] and nitrogen content were measured 37 days after sowing.

KEY RESULTS

Besides the reduced growth of hypernodulating soybean mutant nod4, such plants showed decreased root capacity to supply leaf water demand as a consequence of their reduced root dry mass and root volume, which resulted in limited absolute root conductance and root conductivity normalized by leaf area. Thereby, reduced leaf water potential at 1300 h was observed, which contributed to depression of photosynthesis at midday associated with both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypernodulated plants were more vulnerable to VPD increases due to their limited root-to-shoot water transport capacity. However, greater CO2 uptake caused by the high N content can be partly compensated by the stomatal limitation imposed by increased VPD conditions.

Perturbations and 3R in carbon management

Perturbations in various carbon pools like biological, geological, oceanic, and missing carbon sink affect its global data, which are generally neglected or ignored in routine calculations. These natural and anthropogenic events need to be considered before projecting a sustainable carbon management plan. These plans have both general and experimental aspects. General plans should focus on (a) minimizing emission; (b) maximizing environmentally sound reuse, reduce, and recycling; (c) effective treatment; and (d) converting carbon into valuable products with atom economy. Experimental carbon management plans involving various biological and chemical techniques with limitation in terms of research level and economic feasibility. Chemical options have benefits of higher productivity and wider product range, but it suffers from its higher-energy requirements and environmental unfriendliness. In contrast to this, biological options are more selective and less energy intensive, but their productivity is very low. Hence, there is a requirement of hybrid process where the benefits of both the options, i.e., biological and chemical, can be reaped. In view of above, the proposed review targets to highlight the various perturbations in the global carbon cycle and their effects; study the currently practiced options of carbon management, specifically in light of 3R principle; and propose various new hybrid methods by compatible combinations of chemical and biological processes to develop better and safer carbon management. These methods are hypothetical so they may require further research and validations but may provide a comprehensive base for developing such management methods.

Species specific and environment induced variation of δ(13)C and δ(15)N in alpine plants

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signals in plant tissues integrate plant-environment interactions over long periods. In this study, we hypothesized that humid alpine life conditions are narrowing the scope for significant deviations from common carbon, water and nitrogen relations as captured by stable isotope signals. We explored the variation in δ(13)C and δ(15)N in 32 plant species from tissue type to ecosystem scale across a suite of locations at c. Two thousand five hundred meter elevation in the Swiss Alps. Foliar δ(13)C and δ(15)N varied among species by about 3-4‰ and 7-8‰ respectively. However, there was no overall difference in means of δ(13)C and δ(15)N for species sampled in different plant communities or when bulk plant dry matter harvests of different plant communities were compared. δ(13)C was found to be highly species specific, so that the ranking among species was mostly maintained across 11 habitats. However, δ(15)N varied significantly from place to place in all species (a range of 2.7‰) except in Fabaceae (Trifolium alpinum) and Juncaceae (Luzula lutea). There was also a substantial variation among individuals of the same species collected next to each other. No difference was found in foliar δ(15)N of non-legumes, which were either collected next to or away from the most common legume, T. alpinum. δ(15)N data place Cyperaceae and Juncaceae, just like Fabaceae, in a low discrimination category, well separated from other families. Soil δ(15)N was higher than in plants and increased with soil depth. The results indicate a high functional diversity in alpine plants that is similar to that reported for low elevation plants. We conclude that the surprisingly high variation in δ(13)C and δ(15)N signals in the studied high elevation plants is largely species specific (genetic) and insensitive to obvious environmental cues.

Balanced allocation of organic acids and biomass for phosphorus and nitrogen demand in the fynbos legume Podalyria calyptrata

Podalyria calyptrata is from fynbos soils with low availability of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). We investigated the physiological basis for tolerance of low P supply in nodulated P. calyptrata and examined responses to increased supply of combined-N as Ca(NO3)2 and P. It was hypothesized that increasing supply of combined-N would stimulate P-acquisition mechanisms and enhance plant growth with high P supply. Biomass, leaf [N] and [P], organic acid and phosphatase root exudates, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activity in nodules and roots were examined in two N×P experiments. Low P supply decreased leaf [P] and limited growth, decreasing the nodule:root ratio but increasing nodular PEPC and MDH activity for enhanced P-acquisition or P-utilization. At low P supply, a N-induced demand for P increased root exudation of citrate and PEPC and MDH activity in roots. Greater combined-N supply inhibited nodulation more at low P supply than at high P supply. With a P-induced demand for N the plants nodulated prolifically and increased combined-N supply did not enhance plant growth. The physiological basis for N2-fixing P. calyptrata tolerating growth at low P supply and responding to greater P supply is through balanced acquisition of P and N for plant demand.

Nodulation enhances dark CO₂ fixation and recycling in the model legume Lotus japonicus

During symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF), the nodule becomes a strong sink for photosynthetic carbon. Here, it was studied whether nodule dark CO(2) fixation could participate in a mechanism for CO(2) recycling through C(4)-type photosynthesis. Differences in the natural δ(13)C abundance between Lotus japonicus inoculated or not with the N-fixing Mesorhizobium loti were assessed. (13)C labelling and gene expression of key enzymes of CO(2) metabolism were applied in plants inoculated with wild-type or mutant fix(-) (deficient in N fixation) strains of M. loti, and in non-inoculated plants. Compared with non-inoculated legumes, inoculated legumes had higher natural δ(13)C abundance and total C in their hypergeous organs and nodules. In stems, (13)C accumulation and expression of genes coding for enzymes of malate metabolism were greater in inoculated compared with non-inoculated plants. Malate-oxidizing activity was localized in stem xylem parenchyma, sieve tubes, and photosynthetic outer cortex parenchyma of inoculated plants. In stems of plants inoculated with fix(-) M. loti strains, (13)C accumulation remained high, while accumulation of transcripts coding for malic enzyme isoforms increased. A potential mechanism is proposed for reducing carbon losses during SNF by the direct reincorporation of CO(2) respired by nodules and the transport and metabolism of C-containing metabolites in hypergeous organs.

Routes of pyruvate synthesis in phosphorus-deficient lupin roots and nodules

Here, nodulated lupins (Lupinus angustifolius (cv Wonga)) were hydroponically grown at low phosphate (LP) or adequate phosphate (HP). Routes of pyruvate synthesis were assessed in phosphorus (P)-starved roots and nodules, because P-starvation can enhance metabolism of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) via the nonadenylate-requiring PEP carboxylase (PEPc) route. Since nodules and roots may not experience the same degree of P stress, it was postulated that decreases in metabolic inorganic phosphorus (Pi) of either organ, should favour more pyruvate being synthesized from PEPc-derived malate. Compared with HP roots, the LP roots had a 50% decline in Pi concentrations and 55% higher ADP : ATP ratios. However, LP nodules maintained constant Pi levels and unchanged ADP : ATP ratios, relative to HP nodules. The LP roots had greater PEP metabolism via PEPc and synthesized more pyruvate from PEPc-derived malate. In nodules, P supply did not influence PEPc activities or levels of malate-derived pyruvate. These results indicate that nodules were more efficient than roots in maintaining optimal metabolic Pi and adenylate levels during LP supply. This caused an increase in PEPc-derived pyruvate synthesis in LP roots, but not in LP nodules.

Effect of short-term N(2) deficiency on expression of the ureide pathway in cowpea root nodules

Root systems of 28-d-old cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp cv Vita 3: Bradyrhizobium sp. strain CB756) plants bearing nitrogen-fixing nodules in sand culture were exposed to an atmosphere of Ar:O(2) (80:20, v/v) for 48 h and then returned to air. Root systems of control plants were maintained in air throughout. Nodules were harvested at the same times in control and Ar:O(2)-treated root systems. Activities of two enzymes of de novo purine synthesis, glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase (GART; EC 2.1.2.2), aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase (AIRS; EC 6.3.3.1), uricase (EC 1.7.3.3), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC; EC 4.1.1.31) were measured together with the protein level of each using immune-specific polyclonal antibodies. AIRS activity and protein both declined to very low levels within 6 h in Ar:O(2) together with a decline in transcript level of pur5, the encoding gene. GART activity, protein, and transcript (pur3) levels were relatively stable. Uricase activity declined in Ar:O(2) as rapidly as AIRS activity but the protein was stable. PEPC activity showed evidence of increased sensitivity to inhibition by malate but the protein level was stable. The data indicate that the flux of fixed N from bacteroids (N(2)-fixing nodule bacteria) is in some way associated with transcriptional control over pur5 and possibly also catabolism of AIRS protein. In contrast, there is limited posttranslational control over GART and PEPC and close posttranslational control over uricase activity. The significance of these different levels of regulation is discussed in relation to the overall control of enhanced expression of plant enzymes in the cowpea symbiosis.

Partial purification and characterization of pyruvate kinase from the plant fraction of soybean root nodules

Pyruvate kinase (PK, EC 2.7.1.40) was partially purified from the plant cytosolic fraction of N2-fixing soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) root nodules. The partially purified PK preparation was completely free of contamination by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31), the other major phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-utilizing enzyme in legume root nodules. Latency experiments with sonicated nodule extracts showed that Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacteroids do not express either PK or PEPC activity in symbiosis. In contrast, free-living B. japonicum bacteria expressed PK activity, but not PEPC activity. Antibodies specific for the cytosolic isoform of PK from castor bean endosperm cross-reacted with a 52-kDa polypeptide in the partially purified PK preparation. At the optimal assay pH (pH 8.0 for PEPC and pH 6.9 for PK) and in the absence of malate, PEPC activity in crude nodule extracts was 2.6 times the corresponding PK activity. This would tend to favour PEP metabolism by PEPC over PEP metabolism by PK. However, at pH 7.0 in the presence of 5 mM malate, PEPC activity was strongly inhibited, but PK activity was unaffected. Thus, we propose that PK and PEPC activity in legume root nodules may be coordinately regulated by fluctuations in malate concentration in the plant cytosolic fraction of the bacteroid-containing cells. Reduced uptake of malate by the bacteroids, as a result of reduced rates of N2 fixation, may favour PEP metabolism by PK over PEP metabolism by PEPC.

Root Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Phosphorus-Deficient Lupinus albus (Contribution to Organic Acid Exudation by Proteoid Roots)

When white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is subjected to P deficiency lateral root development is altered and densely clustered, tertiary lateral roots (proteoid roots) are initiated. These proteoid roots exude large amounts of citrate, which increases P solubilization. In the current study plants were grown with either 1 mM P (+P-treated) or without P (-P-treated). Shoots or roots of intact plants from both P treatments were labeled independently with 14CO2 to compare the relative contribution of C fixed in each with the C exuded from roots as citrate and other organic acids. About 25-fold more acid-stable 14C, primarily in citrate and malate, was recovered in exudates from the roots of -P-treated plants compared with +P-treated plants. The rate of in vivo C fixation in roots was about 4-fold higher in -P-treated plants than in +P-treated plants. Evidence from labeling intact shoots or roots indicates that synthesis of citrate exuded by -P-treated roots is directly related to nonphotosynthetic C fixation in roots. C fixed in roots of -P-treated plants contributed about 25 and 34% of the C exuded as citrate and malate, respectively. Nonphotosynthetic C fixation in white lupin roots is an integral component in the exudation of large amounts of citrate and malate, thus increasing the P available to the plant.

In Vivo Regulatory Phosphorylation of Soybean Nodule Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase

In this report we provide evidence that cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in soybean (Glycine max L.) root nodules is regulated in vivo by a seryl-phosphorylation cycle, as with the C4, Crassulacean acid metabolism, and C3 leaf isoforms. Pretreatment of parent plants by stem girdling for 5 or 14 h caused a significant decrease in the apparent phosphorylation state of nodule PEPC, as indicated by the 50% inhibition constant (L-malate) and specific activity values assayed at suboptimal conditions, whereas short-term darkness alone was without effect. However, extended (26 h) darkness led to the formation of a relatively dephosphorylated nodule PEPC, an effect that was reversed by illuminating the darkened plants for 3 h. This reversal of the apparent phosphorylation state in the light was prevented by concomitant stem girdling. In contrast, the optimal activity of nodule PEPC and its protein level showed little or no change in all pretreated plants. These results suggest that the phosphorylation state of PEPC in soybean root nodules is possibly modulated by photosynthate transported recently from the shoots. In situ [32P]orthophosphate labeling, immunoprecipitation, and phosphoamino acid analyses confirmed directly that PEPC in detached intact soybean nodules is phosphorylated on a serine residue(s).

Phosphorylation of Soybean (Glycine max L.) Nodule Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase in Vitro Decreases Sensitivity to Inhibition by L-Malate

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) from soybean (Glycine max L.Merr.) nodules was purified 187-fold to a final specific activity of 56 units mg-1 of protein. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) revealed one major polypeptide band, with a molecular mass of 110 kD, after the final purification step. Two-dimensional PAGE resolved four isoelectric forms of the purified enzyme. Antibodies raised against the purified enzyme immunoprecipitated PEPC activity from a desalted nodule extract. Two cross-reacting bands were obtained when protein immunoblots of crude nodule extracts subjected to SDS-PAGE were probed with the antiserum. One of these corresponded to the 110-kD subunit of PEPC, and the other had a molecular mass of about 60 kD. PEPC was shown to be activated in a time-dependent manner when desalted soybean nodule extracts were preincubated with Mg.ATP in vitro. Activation was observed when PEPC was assayed at pH 7 in the absence of glycerol but not at pH 8 in the presence of glycerol. When o.5 mM L-malate was included in the assay, activation was much more pronounced than without malate. Maximal activation was 30% in the absence of L-malate and 200% in its presence. The L-malate concentrations producing 50% inhibition of PEPC activity were o.35 and 1.24 mM, respectively, before and after preincubation with Mg.ATP. The antiserum against soybean nodule PEPC was used to immunoprecipitate PEPC from a desalted nodule extract that had been preincubated with Mg.[[gamma]-32P]ATP. The immunoprecipitate was then subjected to SDS-PAGE, followed by autoradiography. The autoradiograph revealed intense labeling of the 110-kD subunit of PEPC following preincubation with [[gamma]-32P]ATP. The data suggest that soybean nodule PEPC becomes phosphorylated by an endogenous protein kinase, resulting in decreased sensitivity of the enzyme to inhibition by L-malate in vitro. The results are discussed in relation to the proposed functions of PEPC in legume nodules.

Labeling of Carbon Pools in Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Rhizobium leguminosarum bv viciae Bacteroids following Incubation of Intact Nodules with CO(2)

The aim of the work reported here was to ascertain that the patterns of labeling seen in isolated bacteroids also occurred in bacteroids in intact nodules and to observe early metabolic events following exposure of intact nodules to (14)CO(2). Intact nodules of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr. cv Ripley) inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 and pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Progress 9) inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv viciae isolate 128C53 were detached and immediately fed (14)CO(2) for 1 to 6 min. Bacteroids were purified from these nodules in 5 to 7 min after the feeding period. In the cytosol from both soybean and pea nodules, malate had the highest radioactivity, followed by citrate and aspartate. In peas, asparagine labeling equaled that of aspartate. In B. japonicum bacteroids, malate was the most rapidly labeled compound, and the rate of glutamate labeling was 67% of the rate of malate labeling. Aspartate and alanine were the next most rapidly labeled compounds. R. leguminosarum bacteroids had very low amounts of (14)C and, after a 1-min feeding, malate contained 90% of the radioactivity in the organic acid fraction. Only a trace of activity was found in aspartate, whereas the rate of glutamate and alanine labeling approached that of malate after 6 min of feeding. Under the conditions studied, malate was the major form of labeled carbon supplied to both types of bacteroids. These results with intact nodules confirm our earlier results with isolated bacteroids, which showed that a significant proportion of provided labeled substrate, such as malate, is diverted to glutamate. This supports the conclusion that microaerobic conditions in nodules influence carbon metabolism in bacteroids.

Activities of the pentose phosphate pathway and enzymes of proline metabolism in legume root nodules

Based on localization and high activities of pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase and proline dehydrogenase activities in soybean nodules, we previously suggested two major roles for pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase in addition to the production of the considerable quantity of proline needed for biosynthesis; namely, transfer of energy to the location of biological N(2) fixation, and production of NADP(+) to drive the pentose phosphate pathway. The latter produces ribose-5-phosphate which can be used in de novo purine synthesis required for synthesis of ureides, the major form in which biologically fixed N(2) is transported from soybean root nodules to the plant shoot. In this paper, we report rapid induction (in soybean nodules) and exceptionally high activities (in nodules of eight species of N(2)-fixing plants) of pentose phosphate pathway and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase. There was a marked increase in proline dehydrogenase activity during soybean (Glycine max) ontogeny. The magnitude of proline dehydrogenase activity in bacteroids of soybean nodules was sufficiently high during most of the time course to supply a significant fraction of the energy requirement for N(2) fixation. Proline dehydrogenase activity in bacteroids from nodules of other species was also high. These observations support the above hypothesis. However, comparison of pentose phosphate pathway and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase activities of ureide versus amide-exporting nodules offers no support. The hypothesis predicts that pyrroline-5-carboxylate and pentose phosphate pathway activities should be higher in ureide-exporting nodules than in amide-exporting nodules. This predicted distinction was not observed in the results of in vitro assays of these activities.

Products of Dark CO(2) Fixation in Pea Root Nodules Support Bacteroid Metabolism

Products of the nodule cytosol in vivo dark [(14)C]CO(2) fixation were detected in the plant cytosol as well as in the bacteroids of pea (Pisum sativum L. cv "Bodil") nodules. The distribution of the metabolites of the dark CO(2) fixation products was compared in effective (fix(+)) nodules infected by a wild-type Rhizobium leguminosarum (MNF 300), and ineffective (fix(-)) nodules of the R. leguminosarum mutant MNF 3080. The latter has a defect in the dicarboxylic acid transport system of the bacterial membrane. The (14)C incorporation from [(14)C]CO(2) was about threefold greater in the wild-type nodules than in the mutant nodules. Similarly, in wild-type nodules the in vitro phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity was substantially greater than that of the mutant. Almost 90% of the (14)C label in the cytosol was found in organic acids in both symbioses. Malate comprised about half of the total cytosol organic acid content on a molar basis, and more than 70% of the cytosol radioactivity in the organic acid fraction was detected in malate in both symbioses. Most of the remaining (14)C was contained in the amino acid fraction of the cytosol in both symbioses. More than 70% of the (14)C label found in the amino acids of the cytosol was incorporated in aspartate, which on a molar basis comprised only about 1% of the total amino acid pool in the cytosol. The extensive (14)C labeling of malate and aspartate from nodule dark [(14)C]CO(2) fixation is consistent with the role of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxlase in nodule dark CO(2) fixation. Bacteroids from the effective wild-type symbiosis accumulated sevenfold more (14)C than did the dicarboxylic acid transport defective bacteroids. The bacteroids of the effective MNF 300 symbiosis contained the largest proportion of the incorporated (14)C in the organic acids, whereas ineffective MNF 3080 bacteroids mainly contained (14)C in the amino acid fraction. In both symbioses a larger proportion of the bacteroid (14)C label was detected in malate and aspartate than their corresponding proportions of the organic acids and amino acids on a molar basis. The proportion of (14)C label in succinate, 2-oxogultarate, citrate, and fumarate in the bacteroids of the wild type greatly exceeded that of the dicarboxylate uptake mutant. The results indicate a central role for nodule cytosol dark CO(2) fixation in the supply of the bacteroids with dicarboxylic acids.

H+ extrusion and organic-acid synthesis in N2 -fixing symbioses involving vascular plants

An analysis of published data suggests that the N₂ -fixing symbiotic vascular plants extrude more H⁺ per unit N fixed than would be expected from data on the same genotypes growing on NH₄ ⁺ if the plants had the same chemical composition when grown on the two N sources. The H⁺ /N ratio with urea as the N source is similar to that with N₂ . The higher H⁺ /N ratio and higher organic acid/N ratio with N₂ or urea as N source implies higher whole-plant energy and water costs per unit of biomass and, ultimately, inclusive fitness, produced. The rhizosphere acidification resulting from H⁺ extrusion may serve to change rhizosphere pH to some 'optimal' value, and to increase the availability of such limiting resources as P, Mo and Fe which are especially needed in diazotrophy. Data in the literature are consistent with these possibilities in the few cases examined. Within the plant, data on xylem and phloem sap composition in conjunction with shoot composition, of diazotrophically-growing legumes suggest that shoot acid-base homoiostasis can be maintained via the import of appropriate solutes in the xylem and the export of appropriate solutes in the phloem. Acid-base regulation of the nodules in the absence of any H⁺ exchange with their environment can also probably be explained in terms of the solutes supplied in the phloem and exported in the xylem. This conclusion is based on data in the literature on the composition of stem phloem sap and of xylem sap exuding from detached nodules of diazotrophic vascular plants. These considerations do not exclude the possibility of net H⁺ efflux from nodules fixing N₂ in contact with an aqueous medium. The limited data available are consistent with extrusion of some of the H⁺ generated in nodules as an alternative to their neutralization by metabolism of organic anions entering in the phloem. Such H⁺ extrusion by nodules could aid in their acquisition of Fe from the medium, albeit not always at a phase in the life or the nodule when there is a net requirement for Fe.

Nonphotosynthetic CO(2) Fixation by Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Roots and Nodules

The dependence of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) root and nodule nonphotosynthetic CO(2) fixation on the supply of currently produced photosynthate and nodule nitrogenase activity was examined at various times after phloem-girdling and exposure of nodules to Ar:O(2). Phloemgirdling was effected 20 hours and exposure to Ar:O(2) was effected 2 to 3 hours before initiation of experiments. Nodule and root CO(2) fixation rates of phloem-girdled plants were reduced to 38 and 50%, respectively, of those of control plants. Exposure to Ar:O(2) decreased nodule CO(2) fixation rates to 45%, respiration rates to 55%, and nitrogenase activities to 51% of those of the controls. The products of nodule CO(2) fixation were exported through the xylem to the shoot mainly as amino acids within 30 to 60 minutes after exposure to (14)CO(2). In contrast to nodules, roots exported very little radioactivity, and most of the (14)C was exported as organic acids. The nonphotosynthetic CO(2) fixation rate of roots and nodules averaged 26% of the gross respiration rate, i.e. the sum of net respiration and nonphotosynthetic CO(2) assimilation. Nodules fixed CO(2) at a rate 5.6 times that of roots, but since nodules comprised a small portion of root system mass, roots accounted for 76% of the nodulated root system CO(2) fixation. The results of this study showed that exposure of nodules to Ar:O(2) reduced nodule-specific respiration and nitrogenase activity by similar amounts, and that phloem-girdling significantly reduced nodule CO(2) fixation, nitrogenase activity, nodule-specific respiration, and transport of (14)C photoassimilate to nodules. These results indicate that nodule CO(2) fixation in alfalfa is associated with N assimilation.

Asparagine Biosynthesis in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Root Nodules

Rapid direct conversion of exogenously supplied [(14)C]aspartate to [(14)C] asparagine and to tricarboxylic cycle acids was observed in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) nodules. Aspartate aminotransferase activity readily converted carbon from exogenously applied [(14)C]aspartate into the tricarboxylic acid cycle with subsequent conversion to the organic acids malate, succinate, and fumarate. Aminooxyacetate, an inhibitor of aminotransferase activity, reduced the flow of carbon from [(14)C]aspartate into tricarboxylic cycle acids and decreased (14)CO(2) evolution by 99%. Concurrently, maximum conversion of aspartate to asparagine was observed in aminooxyacetate treated nodules (30 nanomoles asparagine per gram fresh weight per hour. Metabolism of [(14)C]aspartate and distribution of nodulefixed (14)CO(2) suggest that two pools of aspartate occur in alfalfa nodules: (a) one involved in asparagine biosynthesis, and (b) another supplying a malate/aspartate shuttle. Conversion of [(14)C]aspartate to [(14)C]asparagine was not inhibited by methionine sulfoximine, a glutamine synthetase inhibitor, or azaserine, a glutmate synthetase, inhibitor. The data did not indicate that asparagine biosynthesis in alfalfa nodules has an absolute requirement for glutamine. Radioactivity in the xylem sap, derived from nodule (14)CO(2) fixation, was markedly decreased by treating nodulated roots with aminooxyacetate, methionine sulfoximine, and azaserine. Inhibitors decreased the [(14)C]aspartate and [(14)]asparagine content of xylem sap by greater than 80% and reduced the total amino nitrogen content of xylem sap (including nonradiolabeled amino acids) by 50 to 80%. Asparagine biosynthesis in alfalfa nodules and transport in xylem sap are dependent upon continued aminotransferase activity and an uninterrupted assimilation of ammonia via the glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase pathway. Continued assimilation of ammonia apparently appears crucial to continued root nodule CO(2) fixation in alfalfa.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in soybean root nodules: An immunochemical study

The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.31) strongly increased during the maturation of soybean (Glycine max L. Weber) root-nodules. By using a specific immune serum it was shown that this increase was the consequence of an elevated population of enzyme molecules whose appearance preceded the emergence of nitrogen fixing capacity. Whether or not the phenomenon could be ascribed to the formation of a specific isoenzyme is not known. The location of the enzyme was also investigated. Immunocyto-fluorescence experiments established that phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was present in the cytoplasmic compartment of both infected and uninfected cells of nodules.

The role of dark carbon dioxide fixation in root nodules of soybean

The magnitude and role of dark CO(2) fixation were examined in nodules of intact soybean plants (Harosoy 63 x Rhizobium japonicum strain USDA 16). The estimated rate of nodule dark CO(2) fixation, based on a 2 minute pulse-feed with (14)CO(2) under saturating conditions, was 102 micromoles per gram dry weight per hour. This was equivalent to 14% of net nodule respiration. Only 18% of this CO(2) fixation was estimated to be required for organic and amino acid synthesis for growth and export processes. The major portion (75-92%) of fixed label was released as CO(2) within 60 minutes. The labeling pattern during pulse-chase experiments was consistent with CO(2) fixation by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. During the chase, the greatest loss of label occurred in organic acids. Exposure of nodulated roots to Ar:O(2) (80:20) did not affect dark CO(2) fixation, while exposure to O(2):CO(2) (95:5) resulted in 54% inhibition. From these results, it was concluded that at least 66% of dark CO(2) fixation in soybean may be involved with the production of organic acids, which when oxidized would be capable of providing at least 48% of the requirement for ATP equivalents to support nitrogenase activity.

Capacity for fermentation in roots and Rhizobium nodules of Pisum sativum L

The aim of this work was to compare the capacities for fermentation and synthesis of malate from phosphoenolpyruvate in roots and Rhizobium nodules of Pisum sativum. The nodules and the cortices and apices of roots had similar activities of glycolytic enzymes and enzymes of ethanolic and lactic fermentation when expressed on a protein basis. The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was similar in nodules and apices, and three to four fold lower in cortices. All three tissues had very high activities of malate dehydrogenase, significant activity of NADP-malic enzyme, and no detectable activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. These results do not support the belief that nodules have a substantially greater capacity to convert phosphoenolpyruvate to malate than roots, or that there are major qualitative differences in the pathways of fermentation of nodules and roots.

Transport and Partitioning of CO(2) Fixed by Root Nodules of Ureide and Amide Producing Legumes

Nodulated and denodulated roots of adzuki bean (Vigna angularis), soybean (Glycine max), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were exposed to (14)CO(2) to investigate the contribution of nodule CO(2) fixation to assimilation and transport of fixed nitrogen. The distribution of radioactivity in xylem sap and partitioning of carbon fixed by nodules to the whole plant were measured. Radioactivity in the xylem sap of nodulated soybean and adzuki bean was located primarily (70 to 87%) in the acid fraction while the basic (amino acid) fraction contained 10 to 22%. In contrast, radioactivity in the xylem sap of nodulated alfalfa was primarily in amino acids with about 20% in organic acids. Total ureide concentration was 8.1, 4.7, and 0.0 micromoles per milliliter xylem sap for soybean, adzuki bean, and alfalfa, respectively. While the major nitrogen transport products in soybeans and adzuki beans are ureides, this class of metabolites contained less than 20% of the total radioactivity. When nodules of plants were removed, radioactivity in xylem sap decreased by 90% or more. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that CO(2) fixed by nodules was rapidly transported to shoots and incorporated into acid stable constituents. The data are consistent with a role for nodule CO(2) fixation providing carbon for the assimilation and transport of fixed nitrogen in amide-based legumes. In contrast, CO(2) fixation by nodules of ureide transporting legumes appears to contribute little to assimilation and transport of fixed nitrogen.

Calorimetry of nitrogenase-mediated reductions in detached soybean nodules

Heat evolved by isolated soybean (Glycine max cv Clark) nodules was measured to estimate more directly the metabolic cost associated with the symbiotic N(2) fixation system. A calorimeter constructed by modifying standard laboratory equipment allowed measurement on 1 gram of detached nodules under a controlled gas stream. Simultaneous gas balance and heat output determinations were made.There was major heat output by nodules for all of the nitrogenase substrates tested (H(+), N(2), N(2)O, and C(2)H(2)) further establishing the in vivo energy inefficiency of biological N(2) fixation. Exposure to a short burst of 100% O(2) partially inactivated nitrogenase to permit calculations of heat evolved per mole of substrate reduced. The specific rate of heat evolution for H(+) reductions was 171 +/- 6 kilocalories per mole H(2) evolved in an Ar-O(2) atmosphere, that for N(2) fixation was 784 +/- 26 kilocalories per mole H(2) evolved and N(2) fixed, and that for C(2)H(2) reduction was 250 +/- 12 kilocalories/mole C(2)H(4) formed. When the appropriate thermodynamic parameters are taken into account for the different substrates and products, a DeltaH' of -200 kilocalories per mole 2e(-) is shown to be associated with active transfer of electrons by the nitrogenase system. These values lead to a calculated N(2) fixation cost of 9.5 grams glucose per gram N(2) fixed or 3.8 grams C per gram N(2), which is in close agreement with earlier calculations based on nodular CO(2) production.

Experimental determination of the respiration associated with soybean/rhizobium nitrogenase function, nodule maintenance, and total nodule nitrogen fixation

The total metabolic cost of soybean (Glycine max L. Mer Clark) nodule nitrogen fixation was empirically separated into respiration associated with electron flow through nitrogenase and respiration associated with maintenance of nodule function.Rates of CO(2) evolution and H(2) evolution from intact, nodulated root systems under Ar:O(2) atmospheres decreased in parallel when plants were maintained in an extended dark period. While H(2) evolution approached zero after 36 hours of darkness at 22 degrees C, CO(2) evolution rate remained at 38 degrees of the rate measured in light. Of the remaining CO(2) evolution, 62% was estimated to originate from the nodules and represents a measure of nodule maintenance respiration. The nodule maintenance requirement was temperature dependent and was estimated at 79 and 137 micromoles CO(2) (per gram dry weight nodule) per hour at 22 degrees C and 30 degrees C, respectively.The cost of N(2) fixation in terms of CO(2) evolved per electron pair utilized by nitrogenase was estimated from the slope of H(2) evolution rate versus CO(2) evolution rate. The cost was 2 moles CO(2) evolved per mole H(2) evolved and was independent of temperature.In this symbiosis, nodule maintenance consumed 22% of total respiratory energy while the functioning of nitrogenase consumed a further 52%. The remaining respiratory energy was calculated to be associated with ammonia assimilation, transport of reduced N, and H(2) evolution.

Alfalfa Root Nodule Carbon Dioxide Fixation : II. Partial Purification and Characterization of Root Nodule Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase

A nonphotosynthetic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) was partially purified from the cytosol of root nodules of alfalfa. The enzyme was purified 86-fold by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose, hydroxylapatite chromatography, and reactive agarose with a final yield of 32%. The enzyme exhibited a pH optimum of 7.5 with apparent K(m) values for phosphoenolpyruvate and magnesium of 210 and 100 micromolar, respectively. Two isozymes were resolved by nondenaturing polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. Subsequent electrophoresis of these isozymes in a second dimension by sodium dodecyl sulfate slab gel electrophoresis yielded identical protein patterns for the isozymes with one major protein band at molecular weight 97,000. Malate and AMP were slightly inhibitory (about 20%) to the partially purified enzyme. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase comprised approximately 1 to 2% of the total soluble protein in actively N(2)-fixing alfalfa nodules.

Asparagine biosynthesis in soybean nodules

Asparagine biosynthesis in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) nodules has been difficult to demonstrate due to the poor conversion of suspected immediate precursors to asparagine and the instability of the key enzyme asparagine synthetase. The present study was designed to explore the effects of two ammonium assimilation inhibitors on the metabolism of (14)CO(2) to [(14)C]asparagine and to demonstrate the existence in nodules of the enzyme asparagine synthetase. When detached nodules were incubated in (14)CO(2), radioactivity in asparagine (as a percentage of amino acid cpm) increased 10-fold over 4 hours. Vacuum infiltration of 10 mm methionine sulfoximine or 10 mm azaserine prior to (14)CO(2) incubations decreased both the rate of dark fixation and the radioactivity in the amino acid fraction. These inhibitors also decreased the recovery of label in aspartate and asparagine. These results, plus the sequence of labeling of metabolites from (14)CO(2), are consistent with a glutamine-dependent synthesis of asparagine from aspartate with oxalacetate as a precursor to aspartate.An enzyme catalyzing the ATP- and glutamine-dependent amidation of aspartic acid to form asparagine was isolated from soybean nodules. High levels of sulfhydryl protectants were required and the inclusion of glycerol and substrates in the extraction buffer helped to stabilize the enzyme. Enzyme activity in taproot nodules increased between 38 and 41 days after planting and peaked soon after flower initiation (45 days). The activity then declined to basal levels by 70 days. On a total enzyme activity basis, there was 170-fold more asparagine synthetase activity in the infected zone of the nodule than in the cortex, and 205-fold more activity in the cytosol than the bacteroid fraction. The enzyme has a broad pH maximum around pH 8.25, and the apparent K(m) values for the substrates aspartate, MgATP, and glutamine are 1.24 mm, 0.076 mm, and 0.16 mm, respectively. Ammonium ion can replace glutamine as the nitrogen donor, but the K(m) value of the enzyme for ammonium ion is 40-fold higher than that for glutamine.

Metabolism of C-labeled photosynthate and distribution of enzymes of glucose metabolism in soybean nodules

The metabolism of translocated photosynthate by soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) nodules was investigated by (14)CO(2)-labeling studies and analysis of nodule enzymes. Plants were exposed to (14)CO(2) for 30 minutes, followed by (12)CO(2) for up to 5 hours. The largest amount of radioactivity in nodules was recovered in neutral sugars at all sampling times. The organic acid fraction of the cytosol was labeled rapidly. Although cyclitols and malonate were found in high concentrations in the nodules, they accumulated less than 10% of the radioactivity in the neutral and acidic fractions, respectively. Phosphate esters were found to contain very low levels of total label, which prohibited analysis of the radioactivity in individual compounds. The whole nodule-labeling patterns suggested the utilization of photosynthate for the generation of organic acids (principally malate) and amino acids (principally glutamate).The radioactivity in bacteroids as a percentage of total nodule label increased slightly with time, while the percentage in the cytosol fraction declined. The labeling patterns for the cytosol were essentially the same as whole nodule-labeling patterns, and they suggest a degradation of carbohydrates for the production of organic acids and amino acids. When it was found that most of the radioactivity in bacteroids was in sugars, the enzymes of glucose metabolism were surveyed. Bacteroids from nodules formed by Rhizobium japonicum strain 110 or strain 138 lacked activity for phosphofructokinase and NADP-dependent 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, key enzymes of glycolysis and the oxidative pentose-phosphate pathways. Enzymes of the glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways were found in the cytosol fraction.In three experiments, bacteroids contained about 10 to 30% of the total radioactivity in nodules 2 to 5 hours after pulse-labeling of plants, and 60 to 65% of the radioactivity in bacteroids was in the neutral sugar fraction at all sampling times. This strongly suggests some absorption and metabolism of sugars by bacteroids in spite of the lack of key enzymes. Bacteroids did possess enzymes for the formation of hexose phosphates from glucose or fructose. Radioactivity in alpha,alpha-trehalose in bacteroids increased until, after 5 hours, trehalose was a major labeled compound in bacteroids. Thus, trehalose synthesis may be a major fate of sugars entering bacteroids.

Alfalfa root nodule carbon dioxide fixation : I. Association with nitrogen fixation and incorporation into amino acids

In vivo CO(2) fixation activity and in vitro phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity were demonstrated in effective and ineffective nodules of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and in the nodules of four other legume species. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity was greatly reduced in nodules from both host and bacterially conditioned ineffective alfalfa nodules as compared to effective alfalfa nodules.Forage harvest and nitrate application reduced both in vivo and in vitro CO(2) fixation activity. By day 11, forage harvest resulted in a 42% decline in in vitro nodule phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity while treatment with either 40 or 80 kilograms nitrogen per hectare reduced activity by 65%. In vitro specific activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and glutamate synthase were positively correlated with each other and both were positively correlated with acetylene reduction activity.The distribution of radioactivity in the nodules of control plants (unharvested, 0 kilograms nitrogen per hectare) averaged 73% into the organic acid and 27% into the amino acid fraction. In nodules from harvested plants treated with nitrate, near equal distribution of radioactivity was observed in the organic acid (52%) and amino acid (48%) fractions by day 8. Recovery to control distribution occurred only in those nodules whose in vitro phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity recovered.The results demonstrate that CO(2) fixation is correlated with nitrogen fixation in alfalfa nodules. The maximum rate of CO(2) fixation for attached and detached alfalfa nodules at low CO(2) concentrations (0.13-0.38% CO(2)) were 18.3 and 4.9 nanomoles per hour per milligram dry weight, respectively. Nodule CO(2) fixation was estimated to provide 25% of the carbon required for assimilation of symbiotically fixed nitrogen in alfalfa.

Carbon Dioxide Fixation in Roots and Nodules of Alnus glutinosa: I. Role of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Carbamyl Phosphate Synthetase in Dark CO(2) Fixation, Citrulline Synthesis, and N(2) Fixation

Detached roots and nodules of the N(2)-fixing species, Albus glutinosa (European black alder), actively assimilate CO(2). The maximum rates of dark CO(2) fixation observed for detached nodules and roots were 15 and 3 micromoles CO(2) fixed per gram dry weight per hour, respectively. The net incorporation of CO(2) in these tissues was catalyzed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase which produces organic acids, some of which are used in the synthesis of the amino acids, aspartate, glutamate, and citrulline and by carbamyl phosphate synthetase. The latter accounts for approximately 30 to 40% of the CO(2) fixed and provides carbamyl phosphate for the synthesis of citrulline. Results of labeling studies suggest that there are multiple pools of malate present in nodules. The major pool is apparently metabolically inactive and of unknown function while the smaller pool is rapidly utilized in the synthesis of amino acids. Dark CO(2) fixation and N(2) fixation in nodules decreased after treatment of nodulated plants with nitrate while the percentage of the total (14)C incorporated into organic acids increased. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and carbamyl phosphate synthetase play key roles in the synthesis of amino acids including citrulline and in the metabolism of N(2)-fixing nodules and roots of alder.

Simultaneous measurement of acetylene reduction and respiratory gas exchange of attached root nodules

A method was developed for the simultaneous measurement of acetylene reduction, carbon dioxide evolution and oxygen uptake by individual root nodules of intact nitrogen-fixing plants (Alnus rubra Bong.). The nodules were enclosed in a temperature-controlled leak-tight cuvette. Assay gas mixtures were passed through the cuvette at a constant, known flow rate and gas exchange was measured by the difference between inlet and outlet gas compositions. Gas concentrations were assayed by a combination of an automated gas chromatograph and a programmable electronic integrator. Carbon dioxide and ethylene evolution were determined with a coefficient of variation which was less than 2%, whereas the coefficient of variation for oxygen uptake measurements was less than 5%. Nodules subjected to repeated removal from and reinsertion into the cuvette and to long exposures of 10% v/v acetylene showed no irreversible decline in respiration or acetylene reduction. This system offers long-term stability and freedom from disturbance artifacts plus the ability to monitor continuously, rapidly and specifically the changes in root nodule activity caused by environmental perturbation.

Enzymes of Purine Biosynthesis and Catabolism in Glycine max: I. COMPARISON OF ACTIVITIES WITH N(2) FIXATION AND COMPOSITION OF XYLEM EXUDATE DURING NODULE DEVELOPMENT

During the period examined from 12 to 63 days after planting, the ureides, allantoin and allantoic acid, were the predominant nitrogenous solutes in the xylem exudate of soybeans (Glycine max [L.]) growing solely on symbiotically fixed nitrogen, accounting for approximately 60% and greater than 95% of the total nitrogen in the xylem exudate before and after the onset of active nitrogen fixation, respectively. For plants between 18 and 49 days of age, the apparent rate of ureide export estimated from concentrations of ureides in xylem exudate collected over a period of one hour was closely related to the rate of nitrogen fixation estimated from measurements of C(2)H(2) reduction by nodulated root systems. After this time, the apparent rate of ureide export per plant continued to increase, reaching a maximum value at day 63 of 12 micromoles per plant per hour, even though the rate of C(2)H(2) reduction per plant declined approximately four-fold. The most probable pathway for the biosynthesis of ureides involves the catabolism of purines. The levels of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase, which catalyzes the formation of the PRPP required for purine synthesis, increased in parallel with the rates of nitrogen fixation (C(2)H(2)) from day 18 reaching a maximum value of 13.9 micromoles per plant per hour at day 49, and then both activities declined rapidly. During the period of active nitrogen fixation the ratio of PRPP synthesis estimated from measurements of PRPP synthetase activity in cell-free extracts to the apparent rate of ureide export was between 1 and 2. The activities of the enzymes of purine catabolism, xanthine dehydrogenase, uricase, and allantoinase, increased in parallel with the increases in nodule mass and the export of ureides with maximum activities of 13, 119, and 79 micromoles per plant per hour, corresponding with apparent rates of ureide export in the range of 9.5 to 11.9 micromoles per plant per hour. These results demonstrate that there is a close association between nitrogen fixation, PRPP synthetase activity, and ureide export in soybeans and support the proposal that recently-fixed nitrogen is utilized in the de novo synthesis of purines which are subsequently catabolized to produce the ureides.