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. 1983 Jan;71(1):63–66. doi: 10.1104/pp.71.1.63

Effect of Photosynthetic Inhibitors and Uncouplers of Oxidative Phosphorylation on Nitrate and Nitrite Reduction in Barley Leaves 1

Noah Ben-Shalom 1,2,3, Ray C Huffaker 1,2,3, Lawrence Rappaport 1,2,3
PMCID: PMC1065986  PMID: 16662799

Abstract

The effects of several photosynthetic inhibitors and uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation on NO3− and NO2− assimilation were studied using detached barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv Numar) leaves in which only endogenous NO3− or NO2− were available for reduction. Uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation greatly increased NO3− reduction in both light and darkness, while photosynthetic inhibitors did not.

The NO2− concentration in the control leaves was very low in both light and darkness; 98% or more of the NO2− formed from NO3− was further assimilated in control leaves. More NO2− accumulated in the leaves in light and darkness in the presence of photosynthetic inhibitors. Of this NO2−, 94% or more was further assimilated. It appears that metabolites, either external or internal to the chloroplast, capable of reducing NADP (which, in turn, could reduce ferredoxin via NADP reductase) might support NO2− reduction in darkness and light when photosynthetic electron flow is inhibited by photosynthetic inhibitors.

Nitrite assimilation was much more sensitive to uncouplers in darkness than in light: in darkness, 74% or more of NO2− formed from NO3− was further assimilated, whereas in light, 95% or more of the NO2− was further assimilated.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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