Intracellular pH in rice and wheat root tips under hypoxic and anoxic conditions

The influence of anoxia and hypoxia on dynamic of intracellurar pH and ATP content in rice and wheat root tips was investigated with ³¹P-NMR spectroscopy. Both cereals responded to hypoxia similarly, by rapid cytoplasmic acidification (from pH 7.6–7.7 to 7.1), which was followed by slow partial recovery (0.3 units). Anoxia led to a dramatic pH_cyt drop in tissues of both species (from pH 7.6–7.7 to less than 7.0) and partial recovery took place in rice only. In wheat, the acidification continued to pH 6.8 after 6 h of exposure. Anoxic wheat root tips were deficient in ADH induction, whereas increased activity of alcoholic fermentation enzymes took place in anoxic rice root tips, as well as in both species after hypoxic treatment. In both plants, NTP content followed the dynamics of pH_cyt. There was a strong correlation between NTP content and cytoplasmic H⁺ activity ([H⁺]_cyt = 10^−pHcyt) for both hypoxic and anoxic conditions. In this addendum we want to focus the reader''s attention on the importance of adequate experimental design when hypoxia is under investigation and on some further perspectives of intracellular pH regulation in plants under anaerobic conditions.Key words: anoxia, hypoxia, rice, wheat, cytoplasmic pH regulation     

Effects of Anoxia on Wheat Seedlings: II. INFLUENCE OF O2 SUPPLY PRIOR TO ANOXIA ON TOLERANCE TO ANOXIA, ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION, AND SUGAR LEVELS

Prior exposure of roots of intact wheat seedlings for 15–30h to hypoxia (0016-006 mol m 02) greatly increased their toleranceto subsequent anoxia, as assessed by the ability of the rootsto elongate upon return to air. Such hypoxically pretreatedroots had 2–4-fold higher activities of pyruvate decarboxylase(PDC) and 35–l7-fold higher activities of alcohol dehydrogenase(ADH) in their 0–1 mm apices and 0–5 mm root tipsthan in apices and tips of roots pretreated in air (026–031mol m3 02). The ADH/ PDC ratio increased I 3–5-fold duringhypoxic pretreatment. Furthermore, the rate of alcoholic fermentationby 0–5 mm tips of the hypoxically pretreated roots was14-4-fold faster than in tips from aerobically pretreated roots.No consistent difference between 02 pretreatment was found foralcoholic fermentation by tissues taken between 10 and 20 mmfrom the root tip. The observed activities of PDC and rates of alcoholic fermentationindicate that alcoholic fermentation is usually rate-limitedby PDC in 0–1 mm apices and 0–5 mm tips of wheatroots. Comparisons with data in the literature indicate thatwheat has at most a small Pasteur effect, which may explainwhy wheat is more intolerant to anoxia than rice. Exogenous glucose delayed the loss of elongation potential inboth aerobically and hypoxically pretreated roots. In the absenceof glucose, more than 85% of aerobically pretreated roots hadlost their elongation potential after 9 h anoxia, compared with30% in the presence of glucose. After 21 h anoxia nearly allaerobically pretreated roots had lost their elongation potential,compared with 10% and 0% of hypoxically pretreated roots inthe absence and presence, of glucose, respectively. The protective effect of glucose was presumably not due to anendogenous sugar deficiency; at the start of anoxia, 0–1mm apices of aerobically pretreated roots contained sufficientsugar for 23 h of their measured rate of ethanol synthesis yet,85% of these apices had lost their elongation potential afteronly 9 h of anoxia. It is suggested that in wheat roots, lowrates of synthesis of ethanol and hence of ATP, lead to injuryof cells, in turn generating a requirement for exogenous glucose,despite high endogenous sugar concentrations. Key words: Wheat seedlings, anoxia, glucose, O₂ pretreatment, alcoholic fermentation     

Genetic and biochemical analysis of anaerobically-induced enzymes during seed germination of Echinochloa crus-galli varieties tolerant and intolerant of anoxia

To compare the regulation of anaerobic metabolism during germination in anoxia-tolerant and intolerant plants, enzymes associated with anaerobic metabolism such as sucrose synthase, aldolase, enolase, pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) were assayed in two varieties of Echinochloa crus-galli, formosensis (tolerant) and praticola (intolerant). The initial and intervening enzymes of the pathway (sucrose synthase and aldolase) and enzymes in the last part of the pathway (PDC, ADH and ALDH) revealed similar changing patterns in activities during germination. This implies that each group of enzymes may be controlled by an identical regulatory mechanism. During anoxia, activities of all enzymes increased 1.5-30-fold in both varieties compared to their activities under aerobic conditions. Activities of sucrose synthase, enolase and ADH exhibited the same induction patterns under anoxia in formosensis and praticola. However, the activities of aldolase, ALDH and PDC were more strongly induced in formosensis under anoxia (1.2-2-fold) than in praticola. These enzymes were also assayed in F(3) families which varied in their anaerobic germinability. For PDC, activities under anoxia in anoxia-tolerant families were similar to those of an anoxia-intolerant family during the whole period although the family did not exhibit anaerobic germinability. This suggests that there is no correlation between PDC activity and anaerobic germinability. For ALDH, activities were more strongly induced under anoxia in anoxia-tolerant families than in anoxia-intolerant families, a trend also exhibited by the parents. This indicates that ALDH may play a role in detoxifying acetaldehyde formed through alcoholic fermentation during anaerobic germination.     

Pyruvate metabolism in rice coleoptiles under anaerobiosis

Relative importance of ethanolic, lactate and alanine fermentation pathways was estimated in coleoptiles of rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) subjected to anoxic stress. The in vitro activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, EC 1.1.1.1), pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC, EC 4.1.1.1) and alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT, EC 2.6.1.2) in the coleoptiles increased in anoxia, whereas no significant increase was measured in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, EC 1.1.1.27) activity. At 48 h, the ADH, PDC and AlaAT activities in anoxic coleoptiles were 62-, 15- and 7.6-fold greater, respectively, than those in the presence of oxygen. Ethanol and alanine in the coleoptiles accumulated rapidly under anoxia, increasing by 48 h, 57- and 5.6-fold compared with those in the presence of oxygen, respectively. However, lactate concentration did not increase and no initial burst of lactate production was detected. The relative ratio of carbon flux from pyruvate to ethanol, lactate and alanine in anoxic coleoptiles was estimated to be 92, 1 and 7% of the total carbon flux, respectively. These results suggest that the potential carbon flux from pyruvate to ethanol may be much greater than the potential flux from pyruvate to lactate and alanine in rice coleoptiles during anoxia.     

The catalytic direction of pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase in rice coleoptiles in anoxia

The catalytic direction of pyrophosphate:fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFP; EC 2.7.1.90) in coleoptiles of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) seedlings subjected to anoxia stress is discussed. The stress greatly induced ethanol synthesis and increased activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH; EC 1.1.1.1) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC; EC 4.1.1.1) in the coleoptiles, whereas the elevated PDC activity was much lower than the elevated ADH activity, suggesting that PDC may be one of the limiting factors for ethanolic fermentation in rice coleoptiles. Anoxic stress decreased concentrations of fructose 6-phosphate (Fru-6-P) and glucose 6-phosphate, and increased concentration of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (Fru-1,6-bisP) in the coleoptiles. PFP activity in rice coleoptiles was low in an aerobic condition and increased during the stress, whereas no significant increase was found in ATP:fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (PFK; EC 2.7.1.11) activity in stressed coleoptiles. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration in rice coleoptiles was increased by the stress and pyrophosphate concentration was above the K_m for the forward direction of PFP and was sufficient to inhibit the reverse direction of PFP. Under stress conditions the potential of carbon flux from Fru-6-P toward ethanol through PFK may be much lower than the potential of carbon flux from pyruvate toward ethanol through PDC. These results suggest that PFP may play an important role in maintaining active glycolysis and ethanolic fermentation in rice coleoptiles in anoxia.     

Effect of oxygen concentration on intracellular pH, glucose-6-phosphate and NTP content in rice (Oryza sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) root tips: in vivo 31P-NMR study

Hypoxic pretreatment is known to induce anoxia tolerance in plant species sensitive to oxygen deprivation. However, we still do not have detailed information on changes in cytoplasmic and vacuolar pH (pH_cyt and pH_vac) in plants under low-oxygen availability (hypoxia) and under anoxia. To investigate this, we have studied the influence of hypoxia and anoxia on pH_cyt and pH_vac, glucose-6-phosphate (Glc-6-P) and nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) contents in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) root tips in comparison with those of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) with in vivo ³¹P-nuclear magnetic resonance. Both cereals responded to hypoxia similarly, by rapid cytoplasmic acidification (from pH 7.6–7.7 to 7.1), which was followed by slow partial recovery (0.3 units after 6 h). Anoxia led to a dramatic pH_cyt drop in tissues of both species (from pH 7.6–7.7 to less than 7.0) and partial recovery took place in rice only. In wheat, the acidification continued to pH 6.8 after 6 h of exposure. In both plants, NTP content followed the dynamics of pH_cyt. There was a strong correlation between NTP content and cytoplasmic H⁺ activity ([H⁺]_cyt= 10^−pHcyt) for both hypoxic and anoxic conditions. Glc-6-P content increased in rice under anoxia and hypoxia. In wheat, Glc-6-P was not detectable under anoxia but increased under hypoxia. In this study, rice root tips were shown to behave as anoxia tolerant tissues. Our results suggest that the initial cytoplasmic acidification and subsequent pH_cyt are differently regulated in anoxia tolerant and intolerant plants and depend on the external oxygen concentration.     

Regulation of alcoholic fermentation in coleoptiles of two rice cultivars differing in tolerance to anoxia

To investigate regulation of anaerobic carbohydrate catabolism in anoxia-tolerant plant tissue, rate of alcoholic fermentation and maximum catalytic activities of four key enzymes were assessed in coleoptiles of two rice cultivars that differ in tolerance to anoxia. The enzymes were ATP-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFK), pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFP), pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC), and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). During anoxia, rates of coleoptile elongation and ethanol synthesis were faster in the more tolerant variety Calrose than in IR22. Calrose coleoptiles, in contrast to IR22, also showed a sustained Pasteur effect, with the estimated rate of glycolysis during anoxia being 1.4-1.7-fold faster than that of aerobic coleoptiles. In Calrose after 5 d anoxia, maximum catalytic activities of crude enzyme extracts were (in mumol substrate g-1 fresh weight min.-1) 170-240 for ADH, 4-6 for PDC and PFP and 0.4-0.7 for PFK. During anoxia, activity per coleoptile of all four enzymes increased 3-5.5-fold, suggesting that PFK, and PFP, like PDC and ADH, are synthesised in anoxic rice coleoptiles. Enzyme activities, on a fresh weight basis, were lower in IR22 than in Calrose. In vivo activities of PDC and PFK in anoxic coleoptiles from both cultivars were calculated using in vitro activities, estimated substrate levels, cytoplasmic pH, and S0.5 (the substrate level at which 0.5Vmax is reached, without inferring Michaelis-Menten kinetics). Data indicated that potential carbon flux through PFK, rather than through PDC, more closely approximated rates of alcoholic fermentation. That PFK is an important site of regulation was supported further for Calrose coleoptiles by a decrease in the concentration of its substrate pool (F-6-P + G-6-P) following the onset of anoxia. By contrast, in IR22, there was little evidence for control by PFK, consistent with recent evidence that suggests substrate supply limits alcoholic fermentation in this cultivar.     

Gaba shunt in developing soybean seeds is associated with hypoxia

In the present study we investigated the proposal that the γ-aminobutyrate (Gaba) shunt in developing soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) seeds is associated with hypoxia. The ontogeny and pH profile of enzymes associated with glutamate metabolism (glutamate decarboxylase [EC 4.1.1.15]. Gaba transaminase [EC 2.6.1.19], succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase [EC 1.2.1.16], glutamate dehydrogenase [EC 1.4.1.2], glutamate:oxaloacetate transaminase [EC 2.6.1.1], glutamate:pyruvate transaminase [EC 2.6.1.2] and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex [EC 1.2.4.2]) and hypoxia (alcohol dehydrogenase [ADH, EC 1.1.1.1] and pyruvate decarboxylase [PDC, EC 4.1.1.1]) were determined in cotyledons, nucellus and seed-coat tissues. Gaba-shunt enzymes were ubiquitous in the developing seed. Activities of enzymes catalyzing glutamate-C entry into the Krebs cycle via 2-oxoglutarate were generally greater than those of Gaba-shunt enzymes. In cotyledons, the activity of ADH increased throughout seed development (up to 72 days after anthesis [DAA]), whereas PDC was static during early development, then increased. In contrast, the activities of ADH and PDC in maternal tissues (nucellus and seed coat) were initially high, then declined dramatically after 37 DAA. The adenylate energy charge (AEC) = ([ATP]+0.5 [ADP])/ ([ATP] + [ADP] + [AMP]) of soybean seeds from fruits (37 DAA) frozen in situ was low (0.67±0.01) compared to the AEC of adjacent pod tissue (0.82 ± 0.04) and cotyledons exposed to air (0.84 ± 0.01). A 60-min time-course study showed that the rate of [U-¹⁴C]-glutamate catabolism by an intact excised cotyledon at 37 DAA was markedly lower at 8 and 0% O₂ than at 21%; the pool size of [¹⁴C]-Gaba was unaffected. The data indicated that: (1) Gaba-shunt activity is not a response to limited glutamate deamination/transamination: (2) the soybean seed is hypoxic; and (3) the relative partitioning of glutamate-C through glutamate decarboxylase is increased by hypoxia.     

Evaluation of the importance of lactate for the activation of ethanolic fermentation in lettuce roots in anoxia

According to the Davies–Roberts hypothesis, plants primarily respond to oxygen limitation by a burst of lactate production and the resulting pH drop in the cytoplasm activates ethanolic fermentation. To evaluate this system in lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), seedlings were subjected to anoxia and in vitro activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, EC 1.1.1.1), pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC, EC 4.1.1.1) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, EC 1.1.1.27) and concentrations of ethanol, acetaldehyde and lactate were determined in roots of the seedlings. The in vitro activities of ADH and PDC in the roots increase in anoxia, whereas no significant increase was measured in LDH activity. At 6 h, the ADH and PDC activities in the roots kept in anoxia were 2.8- and 2.9-fold greater than those in air, respectively. Ethanol and acetaldehyde in the roots accumulated rapidly in anoxia and increased 8- and 4-fold compared with those in air by 6 h, respectively. However, lactate concentration did not increase and an initial burst of lactate production was not found. Thus, ethanol and acetaldehyde production occurred without an increase in lactate synthesis. Treatments with antimycin A and salicylhydroxamic acid, which are respiratory inhibitors, to the lettuce seedlings in the presence of oxygen increased the concentrations of ethanol and acetaldehyde but not of lactate. These results suggest that ethanolic fermentation may be activated without preceding activation of lactate fermentation and may be not regulated by oxygen concentration directly.     

Tolerance of crop plants to oxygen deficiency stress: fermentative activity and photosynthetic capacity of entire seedlings under hypoxia and anoxia

The study investigates the reactions of rice, wheat and maize to anoxia (plants without access to oxygen) and hypoxia (roots with very limited access to oxygen). We studied the adaptations of these intact crop plants because they are known to differ widely in their tolerance to oxygen deficiency. In hypoxia, there was an accumulation of sugars, especially in wheat and maize, although both flood-sensitive species significantly increased the activities of fermentative and glycolytic enzymes, clearly more than in rice. In rice, avoiding an oxygen limitation due to the effective aeration system (30% of root cross-sectional area) may have accounted for only a minor metabolic reaction to hypoxia. In anoxia, maize and wheat quickly lost viability and nearly all photosynthetic capacity, while most rice leaves stayed turgid and green, losing only 50% of the photosynthetic capacity. A strong metabolic arrest under anoxia was obvious for the sucrolytic, glycolytic and fermentative enzymes in all tested species, but was most pronounced in rice. Of the 14 enzymes studied, rice showed the lowest activity increase in hypoxia for 11 enzymes, and the strongest activity decrease in anoxia for 8 enzymes. However, rice was able even under anoxia to keep a 1/4 of the ATP level of the aerated control, while it was at the detection limit in maize and wheat. It appears that in anoxic rice, the switch to metabolic dormancy and maintenance of basic shoot meristems diminishes the needs for energy and substrate. Additionally, rice already has lower sugar demand under hypoxia, and sugar supply appears to be sustained under anoxia by a functioning anaerobic amylase and by the photosynthetically active shoot.     

Dependence of Ethanolic Fermentation, Cytoplasmic pH Regulation, and Viability on the Activity of Alcohol Dehydrogenase in Hypoxic Maize Root Tips

We examined the role of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in the metabolism and survival of hypoxic maize (Zea mays L.) root tips. The dependence of the rate of ethanolic fermentation, cytoplasmic pH, and viability on the activity of ADH in maize root tips during extreme hypoxia was determined. Maize lines with ADH activities differing over about a 200-fold range were studied. Effects of genetic background were controlled by comparing pairs of F4 progeny of crosses between mutant (low ADH activity) and reference inbred lines. The capacity of hypoxic root tips to perform ethanolic fermentation exhibited a dependence on ADH activity only at activities found in Adh 1 nulls. The ability of maize root tips to withstand prolonged and extreme hypoxia was like-wise independent of ADH activity, except at the lowest activities. Root tips that exhibited lower tolerance of hypoxia had more acidic cytoplasm during extreme hypoxia. We conclude that the activity of ADH in normal maize root tips does not limit the capacity for energy production via fermentation, and does not determine viability under extreme hypoxia. The significance of the induction of ADH activity in plants by hypoxia is discussed.     

24-表油菜素内酯对低氧胁迫下黄瓜根系抗氧化系统及无氧呼吸酶活性的影响

用营养液水培,研究了根际低氧胁迫下24-表油菜素内酯(EBR)对2个抗低氧能力不同的黄瓜品种根系中抗氧化系统及无氧呼吸酶活性的影响。结果表明,在低氧胁迫下,EBR处理显著提高了低氧胁迫下2品种黄瓜幼苗根系SOD、POD及ADH活性,降低了O2-·、H2O2和MDA含量、LDH活性及‘中农八号’根系PDC活性,而对‘绿霸春四号’根系PDC及2个品种CAT活性无明显影响,表明外源EBR处理通过促进低氧胁迫下根系中抗氧化酶和ADH活性的提高,降低LDH活性及ROS含量,增强植株抗低氧胁迫的能力。     

Anaerobic induction in conifers: Expression of endogenous and chimeric anaerobically-induced genes

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH; EC 1.1.1.1) activity was measured in Picea glauca (Moench) Voss cell suspensions under differing conditions of hypoxia. ADH activity increased 4.5 fold after 48 h of induction. When cells were induced under different levels of hypoxia (2, 5 and 20% O₂) changes in ADH activity were found to increase with lower levels of oxygen. Alanine aminotransferase (AlaAT; EC 2.6.1.2) activity increased under hypoxia in a pattern similar to ADH, however lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; EC 1.1.1.27) activity did not increase under hypoxic conditions. The ability of white spruce cells to accurately regulate heterologous anaerobic promotors was tested by electroporating chimeric ADH reporter genes into protoplasts. While protoplasts were capable of anaerobically regulating a maize ADH reporter construct, constructs with dicotyledonous promoters (pea and Arabidopsis ) were not expressed.     

Ethanolic fermentation and anoxia tolerance in four rice cultivars

The relationship between coleoptile elongation and ethanolic fermentation was investigated in rice (Oryza sativa L.) coleoptiles of four cultivars subjected to a 48-h anoxic stress. The coleoptile elongation of all cultivars was suppressed by anoxic stress; however, the elongation of cvs Yukihikari and Nipponbare was much greater than that of cvs Leulikelash and Asahimochi. The stress did not significantly increase lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity or lactate concentration, but increased alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activities, as well as ethanol concentration in the coleoptiles of all cultivars. The elevated ADH and PDC activities and ethanol concentration in cvs Yukihikari and Nipponbare were much greater than those of cvs Leulikelash and Asahimochi, suggesting that ethanolic fermentation is likely more active in cvs Yukihikari and Nipponbare than in cvs Leulikelash and Asahimochi. ATP concentration in cvs Yukihikari and Nipponbare in anoxia was also greater than that in cvs Leulikelash and Asahimochi in anoxia. The ethanol concentration in the coleoptiles was correlated with anoxia tolerance with respect to the ATP concentration and coleoptile elongation. These results suggest that the ability to increase ethanolic fermentation may be one of the determinants in anoxia tolerance of rice coleoptiles.     

Nickel-induced changes in carbon metabolism in wheat shoots

In this study, we analyzed the toxic effect of Ni during the development of wheat shoots. Typical developmental alterations in carbon metabolism-related parameters reflecting changes associated with the transition of the seedlings from heterotrophic to autotrophic metabolism were observed in the control shoots between the 1st and the 4th days. Adverse effects of 50 and 100 μM Ni became evident starting from the 4th day of growth on the metal-containing media. We found that Ni-induced stimulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity coincided with decrease in the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) level and with declines in net photosynthetic rate (P_N) and stomatal conductance (g_s). Application of Ni resulted in increased activities of several dehydrogenases: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH) and malate dehydrogenase (NADH-MDH). In contrast, the activities of malic enzymes (NADP-ME and NAD-ME) decreased due to Ni stress. Treatment with Ni led to accumulation of glucose and declined concentration of sucrose as well as considerable increases in concentrations of malic and citric acids. Our results indicate that Ni stress redirects the carbon metabolism of developing wheat shoots to provide carbon skeletons for synthesis of amino acids and organic acids as well as to supply reducing power to sustain normal metabolic processes and to support defense mechanisms against oxidative stress.     

低氧胁迫下24-表油菜素内酯对黄瓜幼苗根系生长及其无氧呼吸同工酶表达的影响

采用营养液水培,研究了低氧胁迫下24-表油菜素内酯(EBR)对黄瓜幼苗根系生长及其无氧呼吸同工酶表达的影响.结果表明:低氧胁迫增强了黄瓜幼苗根系丙酮酸脱羧酶(PDC)、乙醇脱氢酶(ADH)、乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)同工酶的表达,低氧胁迫下施用外源EBR的第3天PDC、ADH同工酶的表达量分别提高了18.8％、28.8％,而第6、第9天PDC、ADH、LDH同工酶的表达减弱,比单纯低氧处理分别降低19.5％、25.6％、53.4％及26.4％、26.0％、28.4％;低氧胁迫至第9天,黄瓜幼苗根系的生长受到了显著抑制(P＜0.05),而低氧胁迫下施用EBR,黄瓜幼苗根系的生长受抑制程度减轻,其根系总长、干重、根尖数较单纯低氧处理显著增加(P＜0.05),低氧抑制了黄瓜幼苗根系的生长,低氧胁迫下营养液添加EBR可调节黄瓜根系无氧呼吸同工酶的表达,缓解低氧胁迫对黄瓜幼苗根系的伤害.     

Hypoxic Induction of Anoxia Tolerance in Root Tips of Zea mays

When root tips of fully aerobic, intact maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings are made anaerobic, viability normally is only 24 hours or less at 25°C. We find that viability can be extended to at least 96 hours if seedlings are given a hypoxic pretreatment for 18 hours by sparging the solution with 4% O₂ in nitrogen (v/v) before anoxia. Fully aerobic root tips (sparged with 40% O₂) had very low alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity (per gram root fresh weight), and the level remained low under anoxia. In hypoxically pretreated roots, however, high levels of ADH activity were induced, and activity rose further during the initial 24 hours of anoxia, and then remained high at about 20 times that of controls in 40% O₂. ADH activity in roots in solution sparged with air (21% O₂) was about three times that in 40% O₂. Improved viability of hypoxically pretreated root tips was associated with maintenance of a high energy metabolism (ATP concentration, total adenylates, and adenylate energy charge). Roots that were not pretreated lost 94% of the total adenylates and ATP at 24 hours of anoxia. The relation between induced ADH activity, energy metabolism, and improved anoxia-tolerance in acclimated maize root tips is discussed.