Table Of ContentW. R. Ullrich C. Rigano
A. Fuggi P. 1. Aparicio (Eds.)
Inorganic Nitrogen
in Plants and
Microorganisms
Uptake and Metabolism
With 122 Figures
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
London Paris Tokyo Hong Kong Barcelona
Professor WOLFRAM R. ULLRICH
Institut fUr Botanik
Technische Hochschule
SchnittspahnstraBe 3
6100 Darmstadt, FRO
Professor CARMELO RIGANO
Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale
Universita di Napoli
Via Foria 223
80139 Napoli, Italy
Professor AMODIO FuGGI
Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale
Universita di Napoli
Via Foria 223
80139 Napoli, Italy
Professor PEDRO 1. APARICIO
Centro de Investigaciones Biol6gicas
CSIC Velazquez 144
28006 Madrid, Spain
ISBN-13:978-3-642-75814-0 e-ISBN-13:978-3-642-75812-6
DOl: 10.1007/978-3-642-75812-6
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Preface
Three years after the first European Meeting on Inorganic Nitrogen Metabolism in
J arandilla de la Vera, Spain, it was time to meet again and exchange new results and
ideas among the scientists involved in this field. The new meeting was held in Seiano
di Vico Equense, Italy, in June 1989. It was also primarily European, but again several
guests from abroad were invited as speakers. Already during the preparation of this
"Second Advanced Course" we saw there had been such a development in research
that we arranged with Springer-Verlag to publish the contributions under the cover of a
new book. In order to extend the available space without a substantial increase in costs
of producing a well-printed volume, we asked the contributors to send us their articles
on diskettes. Many kindly responded to this request. We then converted all the
corrected texts to the same font for laser printing.
The aim of this book is to give a survey of the progress within the last few years in
research on inorganic nitrogen by the main experts. The contributions are in part
original papers, but generally they are of a review character, leading the reader to the
actual state of development. Thus, within this volume, the reader will find a rather
wide spectrum of mainly physiological, biochemical and genetic approaches to
"Inorganic Nitrogen Uptake and Metabolism", providing a sort of cross-section of
present scientific research.
The main parts cover six topics, starting from some general or basic subjects in Part
1: The history of discoveries in inorganic nitrogen metabolism as elucidated in an
interesting personal retrospective by one of the pioneers, Richard Hageman, followed
by two articles with recent, and some novel, aspects of energetics in plant metabolism
and, less related to the former but of great public interest, a critical review on nitrogen
and the quality of human food. Parts 2 and 3 are closer to classical plant physiology,
reporting progress in research on uptake and assimilation of inorganic nitrogen. Part 3
deals more particularly with the interface between nitrogen and carbon metabolism.
Parts 4 and 5 are the mainly biochemical parts concerning the structure of enzymes and
metabolic regulation, on the one hand, and genetics and molecular biology, on the
other. The separation of these two parts is indistinct since presently most work on
metabolic regulation includes molecular biology and genetics and vice versa. Finally,
Part 6 is again dedicated to whole organisms, to storage and partitioning of inorganic
nitrogen, ecology, and stress physiology with regard to uptake and metabolism.
Within the individual parts of the volume, the general line is always drawn from
higher plants to eukaryotic algae and fungi, and then to prokaryotes. As to the
sequence of metabolic steps or compounds, nitrate has been placed in the first position,
followed by nitrite, nitric and nitrous oxides, ammonium, and dinitrogen.
VI
It should be mentioned that besides the articles represented in this book there were
76 posters exhibited at the meeting that could not be included in this volume for
reasons of space and the arrangements with Springer-Verlag. However, everyone
knows the outstanding value these posters often have in contributing new ideas and
data.
The "Second Advanced Course on Inorganic Nitrogen Metabolism" took place in
the "Moon Valley Hotel" in Seiano di Vico Equense, a beautiful site south of Naples
with a full view of the Gulf of Naples and Vesuvio. To Carmelo Rigano and Amodio
Fuggi, together with other members of the Department of Plant Physiology of the
Universita di Napoli, fell the extensive task of organizing the whole meeting, and they
chose this highly appropriate and well-equipped place. Also, the stimulating historical
environment, with its Greek and Roman tradition, contributed to the excellent
atmosphere and success of the meeting. Although antiquity had no idea of nitrogen as
an element, Gaius Plinius Secundus, the well-known Roman writer who died during
the disastrous eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D., reported on long experience with
leguminous plants for fertilizing crop fields. In his Naturalis Historia (liber XVill) he
wrote: "(Paba) solum in quo sata est laetificat stercoris vice. Ideo circa Macedoniam
Thessaliamque, cumflorere coepit, vertunt arva .... Et vicia pinguescunt arva, nee ipsa
agricolis operosa. Uno sulco sata non saritur, non stercoratur. ... " [(Broad bean)
improves the soil in which it is sown like a fertilizer. Thus in the area of Macedonia
and Thessalia, when it has begun to flower, they turn the soil. ... Also from the vetch
the fields become richer, and it does not require much work for the farmers. Once
sown in the furrow it is not weeded, not fertilized ... ]
The "Advanced Course" was held under the patronage of several institutions to
which we are highly indebted: Amministrazione Provinciale di Napoli, Assessorato
Pubblica Istruzione della Regione Campania, Federation of European Societies of Plant
Physiology, and Societa Italiana di Fisiologia Vegetale.
The warm welcome by the President of "Amministrazione Provinciale di Napoli",
Dr. Salvatore Piccolo, and his appreciation of the meeting and its subject during the
opening session were especially appreciated as a sign of the high regard paid by
political administrators to scientific research.
The financial support by various Italian and local institutions as well as by the
respective national organizations of the participants is gratefully acknowledged. These
were: Amministrazione Provinciale di Napoli, Commune di Vico Equense, Consiglio
Nazionale delle Ricerche, Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale, Federation of European
Societies of Plant Physiology, Societa ltaliana di Fisiologia Vegetale, and Universita di
Napoli. With respect to the national institutions, support from the Consejo Superior de
Investigaciones Cientificas to the Spanish and from the Deutsche Forschungs
gemeinschaft to the German participants for their bilateral contacts is acknowledged
vn
among others with gratitude. Without all this financial support a meeting of this size
and scientific level would not have been possible.
As to the preparation of this volume, the editors wish to express their special thanks
to Helmut Schipp von Branitz, Darmstadt, for his intensive and, indeed, very essential
help in preparing manuscripts and diskettes for fmal publication.
Thanks are finally due to Springer-Verlag for accepting the task of the fmal printing
and publishing of the volume with their usual high quality standard. May this book
serve as a source of information on new data and recent ideas to all those who are
involved in research in the field of nitrogen metabolism and to those who need and
want an overview in its recent development.
Wolfram R. Ullrich
Carmelo Rigano
Amodio Fuggi
Pedro J. Aparicio
Contents
Part 1 History and General Topics
History
Historical Perspectives of the Enzymes of Nitrate Assimilation by Crop Plants
and Potential for Biotechnological Application
R.H. Hageman 3
Energetics
Light Energy Utilization in Oxygenic Photosynthesis
G. Forti (With 2 Figures) 12
Sequential Energy Transduction in Photosynthesis
M. Losada, M.G. Guerrero, M.A. de la Rosa, A. Serrano, M. Hervas and
J.M. Ortega (With 3 Figures) 21
Nitrogen and Human Nutrition
The Effect of Nitrogen on the Quality of Main Crops
A.Bozzini 28
Part 2 Transport and Assimilation of Inorganic Nitrogen
Eukaryotes
Growth and Nitrate Uptake Properties of Higher Plants: Relations to External
and Internal Nitrogen
C.-M. Larsson and P. Oscarson (With 1 Figure) 37
Transport of Inorganic Nitrogen Compounds: Physiological Studies on Uptake
and Assimilation
W.R. Ullrich, S. Lesch, L. Jarczyk, M. Herterich and G.D. Trogisch
(With 6 Figures) 44
New Regulatory Steps in Nitrate Assimilation of Lower and Higher Plants
R. Tischner 51
Accwnulation and Vacuolar Remobilization of Nitrate in Catharanthus roseus Cells
G. Marigo, H. Bouyssou, A.M. Pennarun and J.P. Rona (With 1 Figure) 54
Nitrate Uptake in Catharanthus roseus Cells: Electrophysiological Effects
J.P. Rona, M. Monestiez, A.M. Pennarun, M. Convert, D. Cornel, U. Bousquet,
R. Kiolle and G. Marigo (With 5 Figures) 60
x
Uptake of Inorganic Nitrogen Compounds in an Acidophilic Alga
A. Fuggi (With 3 Figures) 66
Regulation of Inorganic Nitrogen Metabolism in Chlamydorrwnas reinhardtii
J.M. Vega and A. Menacho (With 1 Figure) 73
Prokaryotes
Nitrate Transport in Cyanobacteria
M.G. Guerrero, J.M. Romero, R. Rodriguez and e. Lara (With 1 Figure) 79
Targeted Mutagenesis of the 45 kDa Protein Inactivates Nitrate Transport in
Synechococcus PCC 7942
T. Ornata, M. Ohmori, N. Arai and T. Ogawa (With 6 Figures) 86
Nitrogen Metabolism in Heterotrophic Bacteria: Simultaneous Ammonia
Inhibition of Nitrogen Fixation and Nitrate Uptake, and Divalent-Cation
Regulation of Nitrate Uptake in Azotobacter chroococcum
A. Paneque, F.J. Cejudo, M.T. Ruiz and M.G. de la Vega (With 2 Figures) 93
Ammonia Transport Systems in Cyanobacteria
S. Boussiba (With 1 Figure) 99
Ammonia Uptake and Assimilation by Mutant Strains of the Cyanobacterium
Anabaena variabilis Resistant to Ammonia-Analogues
N.W. Kerby, P. Rowell and A. Reglinski (With 4 Figures) 106
Part 3 Carbon-Nitrogen Relationship
Nitrogen Metabolism of Mutants of Barley Lacking Key Enzymes of Ammonia
Assimilation
PJ. Lea, K.W. Joy and R.D. Blackwell (With 2 Figures) 115
The Greater 13C Natural Abundance in Nitrate-Grown than in Ammonium-Grown
Ricinus communis is Mainly a Function of the Lower Ratio of C02 Transport
Limitation to Biochemical Limitation of Photosynthesis in Nitrate-Grown Plants,
with Their Higher Organic Anion Content as a Less Significant Factor
J.A. Raven and G.D. Farquhar 121
Interactions between Respiration and Nitrogen Assimilation during
Photosynthesis
D.H. Turpin, H.G. Weger, R.G. Smith, W.e. Plaxton and M. Lin
(With 4 Figures) 124
Carbon Metabolism and Ammonium Assimilation under Light or Dark
Conditions in N-Sufficient and N-Limited Unicellular Algae
e. Rigano, V. Di Martino Rigano, V. Vona, S. Esposito and C. Di Martino
(With 3 Figures) 131
XI
The Role of Amino Acids in the Regulation of Cyanobacterial Glucose-6-
Phosphate Dehydrogenase
P. Rowell and G.G. Simpson (With 5 Figures) 137
Regulation of Inorganic Nitrogen Metabolism in the Phototrophic Bacterium
Rhodobacter capsulatus E1F1
C. Moreno-Vivian, FJ. Caballero, M. Martinez-Luque, J. Cardenas and
P. Castillo (With 3 Figures) 145
The Regulation of the Reduction of Inorganic Nitrogen in Chlorophyllous Tissue:
Uptake and Reduction of Nitrite by Intact Chloroplasts
C.P. Cresswell, M.P. Watt, A.M. Amory and A. Whittaker (With 5 Figures) 151
Part 4 Enzymes: Structure and Metabolic Regulation
Nitrate and Nitrite Reduction
Nitrate and Nitrite Utilization by Sunflower Plants
J.M. Maldonado, E. Agtiera and P. de la Haba (With 3 Figures) 159
The Role of N03-and NR!+ Ions in the Regulation of Nitrate Reductase in
Higher Plants
A. Oaks, D.M. Long, M. Zoumadakis, X.-Z. Li and C. Hertig (With 3 Figures) 165
Blue Light Activation of Nitrate Reductase and Blue Light Promotion of the
Biosynthesis of Nitrite Reductase in Monoraphidium braunii
M.A. Quinones and P.J. Aparicio (With 5 Figures) 171
Controlled Proteolysis of Nitrate Reductase: Identification and Properties of
Products
B.A. Notton, RJ. Fido and M.J. Barber (With 3 Figures) 178
The Regulation of Nitrate Assimilation in Yeast
c.R. Hipkin (With 1 Figure) 183
Participation of Pterin-Molybdenum Cofactor in the Regulation of Nitrate
Reductase Activity and Signal Transduction during Light-Stimulated Conidiation
of Neurospora crassa
H. Ninnemann and S. Frosch (With 2 Figures) 190
Nitrate Assimilation in the Non-N2-Fixing Cyanobacterium Phormidium
laminosum
J.L. Serra, J.M. Arizmendi, P. Blanco, M. Martinez-Bilbao, A. Alana,
O. Fresnedo, I. Urkijo and M.J. Llama (With 2 Figures) 196
Biochemistry, Regulation and Genetics of Nitrite Reduction in Barley
J.L. Wray, S.-M. Ip, E. Duncanson, A.F. Gilkes and D.W. Kirk 203
xn
Nitrite Reduction in the Roots and Leaves of Pisum sativum
D.P. Hucklesby, M.J. Emes, C.G. Bowsher and R. Cammack (With 1 Figure) 210
Production ofN itrogen Oxides
Production of Nitrous Oxide and Nitric Oxide by Some Nitrate-Respiring
Bacteria
R. V06winkel and H. Bothe (With 2 Figures) 216
Ammonia and Dinitrogen Assimilation
Role of Amination and Transamination in Ammonium Incotporation in
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
J. Cardenas, B. Lain-Guelbenzu, E. Moyano and J. Munoz-Blanco
(With 1 Figure) 222
NADP-Isocitrate Dehydrogenases in Higher Plants
R.D. Chen, P. Gadal, E. Bismuth and M.L. Champigny (With 1 Scheme) 229
Regulation of Nitrogen Metabolism in Rhizobium
M. Iaccarino, M. Rossi, R. Defez, M. Chiurazzi, G. Manco, G. Espin,
A. Lamberti and A. Riccio 234
Oxygen and Nitrogenase in Non-Heterocystous Cyanobacteria
J.R. Gallon (With 1 Figure) 241
Properties of Three Ferredoxins from the Photosynthetic Bacterium Rhodobacter
capsulatus: Studies on Their Possible Role in Nitrogen Fixation
Y. Jouanneau (With 1 Figure) 248
Part 5 Enzymes: Genetics and Molecular Biology
Eukaryotes
Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics and Regulation of Nitrate Reductase in
Nicotiana plumbaginijolia, Tobacco and Tomato
P. Rouze, I:Cherel, F. Daniel-Vedele, M. Deng, J. Gabard, M. Gonneau,
M. Kavanagh, J. Levin, A. Marion-Poll, C. Meyer, T. Moureaux, F. Pelsy,
S. Pouteau, H. Vaucheret, M. Vincentz and M. Caboche (With 3 Figures) 257
Molecular Characterization of Maize NADH:Nitrate Reductase
W.H. Campbell (With 3 Figures) 266
Glutamine Synthetase of French Bean: From Genes to Isoenzymes
J.V. Cullimore, J.M. Cook, M.P. Robbins and MJ. Bennett (With 4 Figures) 273
