Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P F Brownell.
Mesophyll chloroplasts from sodium-deficient compared to normal plants of the C(4) species Kochia childsii and Amaranthus tricolor were found to have significantly less stacking in their grana. On the other hand, no marked difference of thylakoid arrangement between bundle sheath chloroplasts from sodium-deficient and normal plants of A. tricolor were observed.
The dry weight yield of plants of Bryophyllum tubiflorum Harvey, a species with Crassulacean acid metabolism characteristics, increased significantly (P < 1%) in response to added sodium (0.1 milliequivalents per liter NaCl was supplied to the culture solution initially containing less than 0.08 microequivalents per liter of Na) when grown under short day (8 hours) conditions but not when grown under long day conditions (16 hours).From results of other work with Crassulacean acid metabolism species, it appears likely that under long day conditions, the plants assimilate CO(2) by the C(3) pathway but under short day conditions by the Crassulacean acid metabolism pathway in which metabolic processes common to those operating in the C(1) dicarboxylic pathway are active. It is suggested that sodium is involved in plants assimilating CO(2) with the C(4) and Crassulacean acid metabolism pathways.
Six species having characteristics of plants with the C(4) dicarboxylic photosynthetic pathway, Echinochloa utilis L. Ohwi et Yabuno (Japanese millet), Cynodon dactylon L. (Bermuda grass), Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb., Amaranthus tricolor L. cv. Early splendour, Kochia childsii Hort., and Portulaca grandiflora Hook (rose moss), responded decisively to 0.1 milliequivalent per liter NaCl supplied to their culture solutions initially containing less than 0.08 microequivalent per liter Na. Chlorosis and necrosis occurred in leaves of plants not receiving sodium. Portulaca failed to set flower in the sodium-deficient cultures. Under similar conditions Poa pratensis L. (Kentucky blue grass) having characteristics of the C(3) photosynthetic pathway made normal growth and did not respond to the addition of sodium. It is concluded from these results and previously reported work that sodium is generally essential for species having the C(4) pathway but not for species with the C(3) pathway.
Anabaena cylindrica grown with nitrate required higher levels of sodium (0.4 meq/l NaCl) to prevent chlorosis than when grown without combined nitrogen (0.004 meq/l NaCl). Nitrite accumulated in sodium-deficient cultures containing nitrate. Amounts of nitrite similar to those found in deficient cultures when added to normal cultures resulted in a chlorosis of the cells. Thus loss of chlorophyll was caused by nitrite toxicity.A deficiency of sodium resulted in an increased incorporation of (15)NO(3), (15)NO(2), (15)NH(3) or (14)C glutamate into protein compared with normal cells. The enzyme nitrate reductase was markedly increased in cells grown without sodium.Evidence from chloramphenicol treatment of the cells suggests that sodium may exert its control of nitrate reductase through a protein factor(s).By contrast, N(2) fixation was reduced in sodium deficient cells. Since the incorporation of ammonia or glutamate into protein was increased under these conditions, it is likely that the element is required for the conversion of N(2) gas into ammonia. Various nitrogenous compounds including ammonium chloride, amides and amino acids at low concentrations (0.1 mm) greatly reduced the nitrite accumulation in sodium-deficient cultures.
Although the concentration of sodium in leaves of Atriplex plants increased rapidly after receiving sodium, no growth response was detectable for about 6 days. It was found that respiration rate increased to its maximum within 3 days. Chlorophyll content also increased from an early stage, whereas the concentrations of sugars and starch did not increase, and ratios of soluble to total nitrogen did not decrease until later.The respiratory response appears to be specific to sodium as different salts of sodium caused similar responses, and no other univalent cation substituted for sodium. In addition, both growth response and respiration rate tended towards their maxima with the same concentration of applied sodium. The rate of anaerobic CO(2) production increased when sodium was fed to leaves, suggesting that the effect of sodium is in the glycolytic sequence.
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