SYMBIOTIC NITROGEN FIXATION IN CEANOTHUS ROOTS

Ceanothus greggii var. perplexans is a common shrub in the southern California chaparral. Clusters of nodules found under the canopy of this species are modified roots which contain a nitrogen-fixing endophyte, Frankia ceanothi (Actinomycetales), within the cortex. The nodule density per m² obtained from root system excavations is much lower than that reported for different Ceanothus species in northern California. Field observations indicate that soil moisture is an important factor in nodule formation. Anatomical studies with the scanning electron microscope and acetylene reduction assays support the hypothesis that the vesicles, spherical swellings of hyphal endings (1.2–3.0 μm in diam), are indeed the sites of N₂ fixation. No bacteria-like bodies were found. The acetylene reduction rates of C. greggii endophytes were of the same order of magnitude as those reported for other members of the genus Frankia. It is estimated that 100 grams of nitrogen are fixed per year per hectare for a specific area in the southern Californian chaparral where C. greggii comprises 1/3 of the ground cover. This amount appears to be large enough to replace the nitrogen that is lost annually by drainage and runoff from winter rain storms.     

氮素水平对花生氮素代谢及相关酶活性的影响

 在大田高产条件下研究了氮素水平对花生(Arachis hypogaea)可溶性蛋白质、游离氨基酸含量及氮代谢相关酶活性的影响, 结果表明, 适当提高氮素水平既能增加花生各器官中可溶性蛋白质和游离氨基酸的含量, 又能提高硝酸还原酶、谷氨酰胺合成酶和谷氨酸脱氢酶等氮素同化酶的活性, 使其达到同步增加; 氮素水平过高虽能提高硝酸还原酶和籽仁蛋白质含量, 但谷氨酰胺合成酶(GS)和谷氨酸脱氢酶(GDH)的活性下降; N素施肥水平不改变花生植株各器官中可溶性蛋白质、游离氨基酸含量以及硝酸还原酶(NR)、谷氨酰胺合成酶、谷氨酸脱氢酶活性的变化趋势, 但适量施N (A2和A3处理)使花生各营养器官中GS、GDH活性提高; 氮素水平对花生各叶片和籽仁中GS、GDH活性的高低影响较大, 但对茎和根中GDH活性大小的影响较小。     

羊奶果结瘤固氮特性研究

羊奶果根瘤多年生,初发生时呈2—3分又状,后经多次分叉生长,形成珊瑚状的根瘤簇,外形球状或扁球状,直径可达数厘米。根瘤固氮活性较高,全年平均固氮活性8.86微摩乙烯/克鲜瘤/小时。固氮活性秋夏较高,冬春较低。根瘤离体后固氮能力持续时间较长,可达9小时。固氮作用最适温度为30℃,低温使固氮活性显著下降,短时间高温(37℃)能提高根瘤固氮活性,但持续高温会抑制固氮活性。 羊奶果根瘤具有氢酶,表现出较高吸氢活性(9.52微摩氢/克鲜瘤/小时),且持续时间较长。外源氢能明显提高根瘤固氮活性,提高幅度达60％左右。 羊奶果各器官硝酸还原酶活力为根>根瘤>叶片>枝条,叶片NR活力呈季节性变化,秋夏较高,冬春较低。根瘤NR活力变化较大,且与根瘤固氮活性变化的趋势基本一致。     

NITROGEN EXCRETION IN MARINE AND FRESH-WATER CRUSTACEA

1. The major characteristic of aquatic Crustacea is ammonotelism as shown by the relative importance of various nitrogenous end-products of their nitrogen metabolism.
2. In contrast to urico- and ureo-genesis pathways, ammoniogenesis pathways have received recent attention; some specific enzymes such as glutamate dehydrogenase, AMP-deaminase and glutaminase are now admitted to play a possible key role in ammoniogenesis of various crustacean species.
3. Processes involved in ammonia output through the gill epithelium (diffusion and/or ionic exchanges) are discussed though few data related to Crustacea are as yet available compared to those obtained in ammonotelic fishes.
4. The effects of some environmental factors as well as the physiological state of animals on nitrogen excretion of Crustacea are envisaged. The effects of temperature, salinity and NH₄ concentration in the external medium are discussed first, followed by the changes in nitrogen excretion associated with the moult cycle, the nutritional state of animals and possible neuroendocrine control. It is demonstrated that the response of the excretion rate to these factors presents various patterns according to the species, its osmoregulatory abilities and its body reserves. Changes can also occur in the requisite metabolic pathways, thus increasing the difficulty of generalization.
5. In spite of the great diversity encountered within Crustacea an attempt to bring out general trends of their nitrogen excretion is proposed.
6. The present review is focused on metabolic and physiological aspects of crustacean nitrogen excretion but the significance of nitrogen release in nutrient regeneration in marine and fresh-water ecosystems is foreseen.     

酰胺态氮瞬间调节荚膜红假单孢菌光合固氮活性的GS传感机制

天门冬酰胺(Asn)和谷氨酰胺(Gln)对荚膜红假单孢菌固氮酶活性抑制,在表观上类似于氨关闭效应,这种抑制效应由GS参与,相似于氨抑的传感机制。中断Gln代谢的6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine(DON)存在时,氨抑的持续时间延长,与此相类似,Gln抑制加剧,这可能归之于Gln的积累。但是,Gln抑制被methionine sulfoximine(MSX,GS的抑制剂)消除,消除时MSX对Gln的浓度比值约为0.2,与氨抑消除所需的MSX对氨的浓度比值相当。此外,MSX消除氨抑不为DON拮抗,表明Gln抑制固氮酶活性由GS传感。然而,不能抑制GS转谷酰基活性的methionine suffone(MSF,谷氨酸的类似物)却与MSX相同,能消除Gln和氨对固氮活性的抑制。上述观察结果也可延伸至Asn的关闭固氮酶活性效应。     

CHANGES IN INTRACELLULAR NITROGEN POOLS AND FEEDBACK CONTROLS ON NITROGEN UPTAKE IN CHAETOMORPHA LINUM (CHLOROPHYTA)1

Changes in the size of intracellular nitrogen pools and the potential feedback by these pools on maximum N uptake (NH₄⁺ and NO₃^?) rates were determined for Chaetomorpha linum (Müller) Kützing grown sequentially under nutrient-saturating and nutrient-limiting conditions. The size of individual pools in N-sufficient algae could be ranked as residual organic N (RON) comprised mainly of amino acids and amino compounds > protein N > NO₃^? > NH₄⁺ > chlorophyll N. When the external N supply was removed, growth rates remained high and individual N pools were depleted at exponential rates that reflected both dilution of existing pools by the addition of new biomass from growth and movement between the pools. Calculated fluxes between the tissue N pools showed that the protein pool increased throughout the N depletion period and thus did not serve a storage function. RON was the largest storage reserve; nitrate was the second largest, but more temporary, storage pool that was depleted within 10 days. Upon N resupply, the RON pool increased 3 × faster than either the inorganic or protein pools, suggesting that protein synthesis was the rate-limiting step in N assimilation and caused a buildup of intermediate storage compounds. Maximum uptake rates for both NH₄⁺ and NO₃^? varied inversely with macroalgal N status and appeared to be controlled by changes in small intracellular N pools. Uptake of NO₃^? showed an initial lag phase, but the initial uptake of NH₄⁺ was enhanced and was present only when the intracellular NH₄⁺ pool was depleted in the absence of an external N supply. A strong negative correlation between the RON pool size and maximum assimilation uptake rates for both NH₄⁺ and NO₃^? suggested a feedback control on assimilation uptake by the buildup and depletion of organic compounds. Enhanced uptake and the accumulation of N as simple organic compounds or nitrate both provide a temporary mechanism to buffer against the asynchrony of N supply and demand in C. linum.