Fig. 7.

Diagram of the systemic changes observed in uninfected versus infected L. japonicus plants under carbon-limited conditions. The high total amino acid (aa) concentration observed in all plant organs is accompanied by a reduction in total protein (tp) concentration, denoting protein degradation. In infected plants, the amino acids mobilized by protein degradation in nodules and other organs may have been a source of fixed carbon for leaves when photosynthesis was blocked, preventing protein degradation in these leaves. These results arise from the analysis of plants subjected to 72h of continuous darkness, when starch (st) reserves were completely exhausted.