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This study was aimed at investigating the physiological role of ferredoxin-glutamate synthases (EC 1.4.1.7), NADH-glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.1.14) and carbamoylphosphate synthetase (EC 6.3.5.5) in Arabidopsis. Phenotypic analysis revealed a high level of photorespiratory ammonium, glutamine/glutamate and asparagine/aspartate in the GLU1 mutant lacking the major ferredoxin-glutamate synthase, indicating that excess photorespiratory ammonium was detoxified into amino acids for transport out of the veins. Consistent with these results, promoter analysis and in situ hybridization demonstrated that GLU1 and GLU2 were expressed in the mesophyll and phloem companion cell-sieve element complex. However, these phenotypic changes were not detected in the GLU2 mutant defective in the second ferredoxin-glutamate synthase gene. The impairment in primary ammonium assimilation in the GLT mutant under nonphotorespiratory high-CO(2) conditions underlined the importance of NADH-glutamate synthase for amino acid trafficking, given that this gene only accounted for 3% of total glutamate synthase activity. The excess ammonium from either endogenous photorespiration or the exogenous medium was shifted to arginine. The promoter analysis and slight effects on overall arginine synthesis in the T-DNA insertion mutant in the single carbamoylphosphate synthetase large subunit gene indicated that carbamoylphosphate synthetase located in the chloroplasts was not limiting for ammonium assimilation into arginine. The data provided evidence that ferredoxin-glutamate synthases, NADH-glutamate synthase and carbamoylphosphate synthetase play specific physiological roles in ammonium assimilation in the mesophyll and phloem for the synthesis and transport of glutamine, glutamate, arginine, and derived amino acids.

We investigated the role of glutamine synthetases (cytosolic GS1 and chloroplast GS2) and glutamate synthases (ferredoxin-GOGAT and NADH-GOGAT) in the inorganic nitrogen assimilation and reassimilation into amino acids between bundle sheath cells and mesophyll cells for the remobilization of amino acids during the early phase of grain filling in Zea mays L. The plants responded to a light/dark cycle at the level of nitrate, ammonium and amino acids in the second leaf, upward from the primary ear, which acted as the source organ. The assimilation of ammonium issued from distinct pathways and amino acid synthesis were evaluated from the diurnal rhythms of the transcripts and the encoded enzyme activities of nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, GS1, GS2, ferredoxin-GOGAT, NADH-GOGAT, NADH-glutamate dehydrogenase and asparagine synthetase. We discerned the specific role of the isoproteins of ferredoxin and ferredoxin:NADP(+) oxidoreductase in providing ferredoxin-GOGAT with photoreduced or enzymatically reduced ferredoxin as the electron donor. The spatial distribution of ferredoxin-GOGAT supported its role in the nitrogen (re)assimilation and reallocation in bundle sheath cells and mesophyll cells of the source leaf. The diurnal nitrogen recycling within the plants took place via the specific amino acids in the phloem and xylem exudates. Taken together, we conclude that the GS1/ferredoxin-GOGAT cycle is the main pathway of inorganic nitrogen assimilation and recycling into glutamine and glutamate, and preconditions amino acid interconversion and remobilization.

The present study analyses changes in nitrogen compounds, amino acid composition, and glutamate metabolism in the resurrection plant Sporobolus stapfianus during dehydration stress. Results showed that older leaves (OL) were desiccation-sensitive whereas younger leaves (YL) were desiccation-tolerant. OL lost their soluble protein more rapidly, and to a larger extent than YL. Enzymes of primary nitrogen assimilation were affected by desiccation and the decrease in the glutamine synthetase (GS, EC 6.3.1.2) and ferredoxin-dependent GOGAT (Fd-GOGAT, EC 1.4.7.1) activities was higher in OL than in YL, thus suggesting higher sensibility to dehydration. Moreover, YL showed higher total GS enzyme activity at the end of the dehydration stress and was shown to maintain high chloroplastic GS protein content during the entire stress period. Free amino acid content increased in both YL and OL between 88% and 6% relative water content. Interestingly, OL and YL did not accumulate the same amino acids. OL accumulated large amounts of proline and gamma-aminobutyrate whereas YL preferentially accumulated asparagine and arginine. It is concluded (i) that modifications in the nitrogen and amino acid metabolism during dehydration stress were different depending on leaf development and (ii) that proline and gamma-aminobutyrate accumulation in S. stapfianus leaves were not essential for the acquisition of desiccation tolerance. On the contrary, the accumulation of large amounts of asparagine and arginine in the YL during dehydration could be important and serve as essential nitrogen and carbon reservoirs useful during rehydration. In this context, the role of GS for asparagine accumulation in YL is discussed.

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seedlings were grown in the presence of cadmium. After 1 week of Cd treatment, a sharp decline in biomass accumulation in the leaves and roots was observed, together with a decrease in the rate of photosynthetic activity due to both Rubisco and chlorophyll degradation and stomata closure. Cadmium induced a significant decrease in nitrate content and inhibition of the activities of nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, glutamine synthetase (GS) and ferredoxin-glutamate synthase. An increase in NADH-glutamate synthase and NADH-glutamate dehydrogenase activity was observed in parallel. The accumulation of ammonium into the tissues of treated plants was accompanied by a loss of total protein and the accumulation of amino acids. Gln represented the major amino acid transported through xylem sap of Cd-treated and control plants. Cadmium treatment increased the total amino acid content in the phloem, maintaining Gln/Glu ratios. Western and Northern blot analysis of Cd-treated plants showed a decrease in chloroplastic GS protein and mRNA and an increase in cytosolic GS and glutamate dehydrogenase transcripts and proteins. An increase in asparagine synthetase mRNA was observed in roots, in parallel with a strong increase in asparagine. Taken together, these results suggest that the plant response to Cd stress involved newly induced enzymes dedicated to coordinated leaf nitrogen remobilization and root nitrogen storage.

Despite a general view that asparagine synthetase generates asparagine as an amino acid for long-distance transport of nitrogen to sink organs, its role in nitrogen metabolic pathways in floral organs during seed nitrogen filling has remained undefined. We demonstrate that the onset of pollination in Arabidopsis induces selected genes for asparagine metabolism, namely ASN1 ( At3g47340), GLN2 ( At5g35630), GLU1 ( At5g04140), Aap AT2 ( At5g19950), ASPGA1 ( At5g08100) and ASPGB1 ( At3g16150), particularly at the ovule stage (stage 0), accompanied by enhanced asparagine synthetase protein, asparagine and total amino acids. Immunolocalization confined asparagine synthetase to the vascular cells of the silique cell wall and septum, but also to the outer and inner seed integuments, demonstrating the post-phloem transport of asparagine in these cells to developing embryos. In the asn1 mutant, aberrant embryo cell divisions in upper suspensor cell layers from globular to heart stages assign a role for nitrogen in differentiating embryos within the ovary. Induction of asparagine metabolic genes by light/dark and nitrate supports fine shifts of nitrogen metabolic pathways. In transgenic Arabidopsis expressing promoter Ca MV 35S:: ASN1 fusion, marked metabolomics changes at stage 0, including a several-fold increase in free asparagine, are correlated to enhanced seed nitrogen. However, specific promoter Napin2S:: ASN1 expression during seed formation and a six-fold increase in asparagine toward the desiccation stage result in wild-type seed nitrogen, underlining that delayed accumulation of asparagine impairs the timing of its use by releasing amide and amino nitrogen. Transcript and metabolite profiles in floral organs match the carbon and nitrogen partitioning to generate energy via the tricarboxylic acid cycle, GABA shunt and phosphorylated serine synthetic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single SH group in the B chain (33 kDa), generated by the specific reduction of the single interchain SS bond of human urinary urokinase, was alkylated (UK · B) with iodoacetamide to prevent a spontaneous SH-SS interchange. An SS bond in UK · B was exclusively alkylated with iodoacetamide (R · CAM-UK · B) after reduction with dithiothreitol in 0.3 M guanidine · HCl in the presence of the competitive inhibitor N&alpha:-benzoyl-L-argininamide with concomitant loss of 65-68% of the esterolytic activity towards N-acetyl-glycyl-L-lysine methyl ester. This specific SS bond was located at Cys194-Cys222 whose SS loop contained the active-site Ser198, as determined by amino acid analyses and identification of the N and C termini of the tryptic digest. Transformation of UK · B into R · CAM-UK · B induced no shift of the optimal pH in the bell-shaped pH/activity profile; pH values for 50% activity were similar (pH 9.7) for 10-min alkalization of the enzyme but different between UK · B (pH 9.4) and R · CAM-UK · B (pH 8.8) for 18-h alkalization. An unaltered Km value and a decline by 64% in k... in the esterolytic activity indicate that the pretransition Michaelis complex is formed without degeration of the primary substrate-binding site, but the catalytic pathway thereafter has deteriorated. In affinity labeling with dansyl chloride or Nalpha;-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethylketone, which interrupted the catalysis at the latest at a stage involving the abortive acyl intermediate, the second-order rate constant for UK · B was lowered to 28% or 35% for R · CAM-UK · B, respectively, but the labeling yields were similar. The results indicate that indispensable structural elements, such as the catalytic triad and oxyanion hole, are maintained but a local conformation, which is necessary for efficient transition to the acyl intermediate and/or for resistance against alkaline inactivation, is destabilized with Cys194-Cys222 scission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]