Nitrate assimilation in Crotalaria juncea (Linn.) pollen suspension culture

In vivo and in vitro activities of nitrate reductase were assayedin Crotalaria juncea pollen suspension cultures. This enzymewas found to be substrate-inducible and enhanced activity wasobserved when it was extracted with cysteine buffer or incubatedwith NADH (0.6 mM) at 25?C or when the germinated pollen grainswere treated with red light for 10 min. Enzymes of ammonia assimilation,glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamate synthetase, and also thepentose phosphate-shunt enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase,which catalyzes the step that provides reducing power to thesystem, are described. (Received October 20, 1977; )