Abstract
In sycamore cells grown on nitrate as opposed to glutamate there is a higher pentose phosphate pathway carbon flux relative to glycolysis in the early stages of cell growth when nitrate assimilation is most active. The high pentose phosphate pathway activity compared with glycolysis in nitrate grown cells is accompanied by enhanced levels of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, glucose-6-phosphate de-hydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and transketolase. There is no significant increase in activity of the solely glycolytic enzyme, phosphofructokinase. It is suggested that the increased pentose phosphate pathway activity in nitrate grown cells is correlated with a demand by nitrite assimilation for NADPH.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Batt, T., Brown, D.H.: The influence of inorganic nitrogen supply on carbohydrate and related metabolism in the blue-green algae, Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. Planta (Berl.) 116, 197–206 (1974)
Beevers, H.: Respiratory metabolism in plants. Evanston-London: Harper & Row 1960
Beevers, L., Hageman, R.H.: Nitrate reduction in higher plants. Ann. Res. Plant. Physiol. 20, 495–522 (1969)
Bloom, G., Stetten, D.: Pathways of glucose catabolism. J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 75, 5446 (1953)
Butt, V.S., Beevers, H.: The regulation of pathways of glucose catabolism in maize roots. Biochem. J. 80, 21–27 (1961)
Davies, D.D.: Intermediary metabolism in plants. Cambridge: University Press 1961
Ducet, G., Hewitt, E.J., Relation of molybdenum status and nitrogen supply to respiration in cauliflower leaves. Nature 173, 1141–1143 (1954)
Fowler, M.W.: Studies on the growth in culture of plant cells. XIV Carbohydrate oxidation during the growth of Acer pseudoplatanus L. cells in suspension culture. J. Exp. Bot. 22, 715–724 (1971)
Fowler, M.W.: Carbohydrate metabolism and differentiation in seedling roots. New Phytol. 75, 461–478 (1975)
Fowler, M.W., Clifton, A.: Activitites of enzyme of carbohydrate metabolism in cells of Acer pseudoplatanus L. maintained in continuous (chemostat) culture. Eur. J. Biochem. 45, 445–450 (1974)
Fowler, M.W., Clifton, A.: Hexokinase activity in cultured sycamore cells. New Phytol. 75, 533–538 (1975)
Fowler, M.W., ap Rees, T.: Carbohydrate oxidation during differentiation in roots of Pisum sativum. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 201, 33–44 (1970)
Hamner, K.C.: Effects of nitrogen supply on rates of photosynthesis and respiration in plants. Bot. Gaz. 97, 744–64 (1936)
Hewitt, E.J.: Assimilatory nitrate-nitrite reduction. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 26, 73–100
Jessup, W., Fowler, M.W.: Effect of the nitrogen source on the activities of key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in cultured plant cells in vitro. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 3, 1001–3 (1975)
Jessup, W., Fowler, M.W.: Interrelationships between carbohydrate metabolism and nitrogen assimilation in plant cells grown in culture. I Effect of glutamate and nitrate as alternative nitrogen sources on cell growth. Planta (Berl.) 132, 119–123 (1976a)
Jessup, W., Fowler, M.W.: Interrelationships between carbohydrate metabolism and nitrogen assimilation in plant cells grown in culture. II The effect of the nitrogen source and concentration on nutrient uptake and respiratory activity in cultured sycamore cells. Planta (Berl.) 132, 125–129 (1976b)
King, J.: Growth characteristics of Acer pseudoplatanus L. cells grown in chemostat culture in the presence of urea alone as a source of nitrogen. Plant Science Letters 6, 409–418 (1976)
Klepper, L., Flesher, D., Hageman, R.H.: Generation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide for nitrate reduction in green leaves. Plant Physiol. 48, 580–590 (1971)
Layne, E.: Spectrophotometric and turbidimetric methods for measuring proteins. In: Methods in Enzymology 3, pp. 447–454 Colowick, S.P., Kaplan, N.O. eds. New York: Academic Press 1957
Osmond, C.B., ap. Rees, T.: Control of the pentose phophate pathway in yeast. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 184, 35–42 (1969)
Rees, T. ap.: Pathways of carbohydrate breakdown in higher plants. In: M.T.P. International Review of Science, Biochemistry Series One, 11, pp. 89–127. Northcote, D.H. ed. London: Butterworths 1974
Sarkissian, G.S., Fowler, M.W.: Interrelationship between nitrate assimilation and carbohydrate metabolism in plant roots. Planta (Berl.) 119, 335–349 (1974)
Street, H.E., Gould, A.R., King, J.: Nitrogen assimilation and protein synthesis in plant cell cultures. In: Perspectives in Experimental Biology 2, Botany, pp. 337–356. Sunderland, N. ed. Oxford-New York: Pergamon Press 1976
Umbreit, W.W.; Burris, R.H.: Staffer, J.F. In: Manometric Techniques. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Co. 1957
Weissman, G.S.: Influence of ammonium and nitrate nutrition on enzymatic activity in soybean and sunflower. Plant Physiol. 49, 138–141 (1972)
Willis, A.J., Yemm, E.W.: The respiration of barley plants. VIII Nitrogen assimilation and the respiration of the root system. New Phytol. 54, 163–181 (1955)
Woodford, E.K., Gregory, F.G.: Preliminary results obtained with an apparatus for the study of salt uptake and root respiration of whole plants. Ann. Bot. 12, 335–370 (1948)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
II=Jessup and Fowler, 1976 b
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jessup, W., Fowler, M.W. Interrelationships between carbohydrate metabolism and nitrogen assimilation in cultured plant cells. Planta 137, 71–76 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394438
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394438