Skip to main content
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1976 Oct;58(4):588–591. doi: 10.1104/pp.58.4.588

Effect of Light and Glucose on the Induction of Nitrate Reductase and on the Distribution of Nitrate in Etiolated Barley Leaves 1

Muhammad Aslam 1,2,2, Ann Oaks 1,2, Ray C Huffaker 1,2
PMCID: PMC543287  PMID: 16659723

Abstract

Barley seedlings grown in the dark with 10 mm KNO3 have low levels of nitrate reductase activity even though large amounts of No3 accumulate in the leaves. When the leaves are excised and transferred to the light, there is an increase in nitrate reductase activity both in the presence and absence of exogenous NO3. When the leaves are transferred to a glucose solution (0.05 m) but kept in the dark, induction of nitrate reductase activity occurs only when fresh NO3 is added to the system.

In dark-grown leaves, there are small traces of NO3 in a “metabolic pool.” Addition of glucose does not alter this distribution. Light, on the other hand, results in an appreciable accumulation of NO3 in the metabolic pool. There is a linear correlation between nitrate reductase activity and the size of the metabolic NO3 pool. Our results thus suggest that NO3 accumulates in a storage pool when seedlings are grown in continuous darkness. The transfer of this NO3 to an active metabolic pool is mediated by light but not by glucose. We believe that this transfer of NO3 leads to the induction of nitrate reductase. When NO3 is included in the medium, both light and glucose increase its incorporation into the metabolic pool. The results suggest two mechanisms for regulating the metabolic NO3 pool: (a) a transfer from the storage pool which requires light; and (b) a transfer from the external medium which requires either glucose or light.

Full text

PDF
588

Selected References

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

  1. Aslam M., Huffaker R. C., Travis R. L. The interaction of respiration and photosynthesis in induction of nitrate reductase activity. Plant Physiol. 1973 Aug;52(2):137–141. doi: 10.1104/pp.52.2.137. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Aslam M., Oaks A. Comparative studies on the induction and inactivation of nitrate reductase in corn roots and leaves. Plant Physiol. 1976 Apr;57(4):572–576. doi: 10.1104/pp.57.4.572. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Aslam M., Oaks A. Effect of glucose on the induction of nitrate reductase in corn roots. Plant Physiol. 1975 Nov;56(5):634–639. doi: 10.1104/pp.56.5.634. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Beevers L., Schrader L. E., Flesher D., Hageman R. H. The Role of Light and Nitrate in the Induction of Nitrate Reductase in Radish Cotyledons and Maize Seedlings. Plant Physiol. 1965 Jul;40(4):691–698. doi: 10.1104/pp.40.4.691. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ferrari T. E., Yoder O. C., Filner P. Anaerobic nitrite production by plant cells and tissues: evidence for two nitrate pools. Plant Physiol. 1973 Mar;51(3):423–431. doi: 10.1104/pp.51.3.423. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Filner P., Varner J. E., Wray J. L. Environmental or developmental changes cause many enzyme activities of higher plants to rise or fall. Science. 1969 Jul 25;165(3891):358–367. doi: 10.1126/science.165.3891.358. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Heimer Y. M., Filner P. Regulation of the nitrate assimilation pathway in cultured tobacco cells. 3. The nitrate uptake system. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1971 Feb 23;230(2):362–372. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(71)90223-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Huffaker R. C., Obendorf R. L., Keller C. J., Kleinkopf G. E. Effects of Light Intensity on Photosynthetic Carboxylative Phase Enzymes and Chlorophyll Synthesis in Greening Leaves of Hordeum vulgare L. Plant Physiol. 1966 Jun;41(6):913–918. doi: 10.1104/pp.41.6.913. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jackson W. A., Flesher D., Hageman R. H. Nitrate Uptake by Dark-grown Corn Seedlings: Some Characteristics of Apparent Induction. Plant Physiol. 1973 Jan;51(1):120–127. doi: 10.1104/pp.51.1.120. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jones R. W., Sheard R. W. Phytochrome, nitrate movement, and induction of nitrate reductase in etiolated pea terminal buds. Plant Physiol. 1975 Jun;55(6):954–959. doi: 10.1104/pp.55.6.954. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Oaks A., Wallace W., Stevens D. Synthesis and turnover of nitrate reductase in corn roots. Plant Physiol. 1972 Dec;50(6):649–654. doi: 10.1104/pp.50.6.649. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Schrader L. E., Ritenour G. L., Eilrich G. L., Hageman R. H. Some characteristics of nitrate reductase from higher plants. Plant Physiol. 1968 Jun;43(6):930–940. doi: 10.1104/pp.43.6.930. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Travis R. L., Huffaker R. C. Light-induced Development of Polyribosomes and the Induction of Nitrate Reductase in Corn Leaves. Plant Physiol. 1970 Dec;46(6):800–805. doi: 10.1104/pp.46.6.800. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Travis R. L., Key J. L. Correlation between Polyribosome Level and the Ability to Induce Nitrate Reductase in Dark-grown Corn Seedlings. Plant Physiol. 1971 Nov;48(5):617–620. doi: 10.1104/pp.48.5.617. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Plant Physiology are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES