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The influence of canavanine, oxygen, and urea on the steady-state levels of nitrogenase in Anabaena flos-aquae

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Summary

The influence of ammonium salts, canavanine, light intensity, oxygen and urea on the activity of nitrogenase of Anabaena flos-aquae was measured in standing and chemostat cultures. Canavanine (30 μg/ml) was shown to inhibit the synthesis of nitrogenase. The progressive loss of nitrogenase activity observed after addition of canavanine to algal suspensions was shown to be due to a disturbance of the steady state between bicsynthesis and inactivation of nitrogenase caused by endogenous factors, oxygen and urea. Oxygen inactivates nitrogenase rapidly at concentrations greater than 30%, kinetic data show that the reaction is first order with respect to time and enzyme concentration and second order for oxygen. Transient experiments in chemostats in the presence of canavanine and/or urea (3.0 mM) in the dark or light, gassed with N2/CO2 or air/CO2 support the hypothesis that the steady state concentrations of nitrogenase in growing algal cells are maintained by synthesis counteracting inactivation. Experimental data suggest absence of repression of synthesis of nitrogenase by urea.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

    Derek H. Bone

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  1. Derek H. Bone
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Bone, D.H. The influence of canavanine, oxygen, and urea on the steady-state levels of nitrogenase in Anabaena flos-aquae . Archiv. Mikrobiol. 86, 13–24 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412396

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412396

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