Changes in growth parameters and 14CO2 and [U-14C]-sucrose incorporation into the primary metabolic pools and essential oil were investigated in leaves and stems of M. spicata treated with etherel and gibberellic acid (GA). Compared to the control, GA and etherel treatments induced significant phenotypic changes and a decrease in chlorophyll content, CO2 exchange rate, and stomatal conductance. Treatment with etherel led to increased total incorporation of 14CO2 into the leaves wheras total incorporation from 14C sucrose was decreased. When 14CO2 was fed, the incorporation into the ethanol soluble fraction, sugars, organic acids, and essential oil was significantly higher in etherel treated leaves than in the control. However, [U-14C]-sucrose feeding led to decreased label incorporation in the ethanol-soluble fraction, sugars, organic acids, and essential oils compared to the control. When 14CO2 was fed to GA treated leaves, label incorporation in ethanol-insoluble fraction, sugars, and oils was significantly higher than in the control. In contrast, when [U-14C]-sucrose was fed the incorporation in the ethanol soluble fraction, sugars, organic acids, and oil was significantly lower than in the control. Hence the hormone treatment induces a differential utilization of precursors for oil biosynthesis and accumulation and differences in partitioning of label between leaf and stem. Etherel and GA influence the partitioning of primary photosynthetic metabolites and thus modify plant growth and essential oil accumulation. and Preety Singh ... [et al.].
Changes in growth parameters, carbon assimilation efficiency, and utilization of 14CO2 assimilate into alkaloids in plant parts were investigated at whole plant level by treatment of Catharanthus roseus with gibberellic acid (GA). Application of GA (1 000 g m-3) resulted in changes in leaf morphology, increase in stem elongation, leaf and internode length, plant height, and decrease in biomass content. Phenotypic changes were accompanied by decrease in contents of chlorophylls and in photosynthetic capacity. GA application resulted in higher % of total alkaloids accumulated in leaf, stem, and root. GA treatment produced negative phenotypic response in total biomass production but positive response in content of total alkaloids in leaf, stem, and roots. 14C assimilate partitioning revealed that 14C distribution in leaf, stem, and root of treated plants was higher than in untreated and variations were observed in contents of metabolites as sugars, amino acids, and organic acids. Capacity to utilize current fixed 14C derived assimilates for alkaloid production was high in leaves but low in roots of treated plants despite higher content of 14C metabolites such as sugars, amino acids, and organic acids. In spite of higher availability of metabolites, their utilization into alkaloid production is low in GA-treated roots. and N. K. Srivastava, A. K. Srivastava.
Incorporation of photosynthetically fixed 14C was studied at different time intervals of 12, 24, and 36 h in various plant parts-leaf 1 to 4 from apex, roots, and rhizome-into primary metabolites-sugars, amino acids, and organic acids, and secondary metabolites-essential oil and curcumin-in turmeric. The youngest leaves were most active in fixing 14C at 24 h. Fixation capacity into primary metabolites decreased with leaf position and time. The primary metabolite levels in leaves were maximal in sugars and organic acids and lowest in amino acids. Roots as well as rhizome received maximum photoassimilate from leaves at 24 h; this declined with time. The maximum metabolite concentrations in the roots and rhizome were high in sugars and organic acids and least in amino acids. 14C incorporation into oil in leaf and into curcumin in rhizome was maximal at 24 h and declined with time. These studies highlight importance of time-dependent translocation of 14C-primary metabolites from leaves to roots and rhizome and their subsequent biosynthesis into secondary metabolite, curcumin, in rhizome. This might be one of factors regulating the secondary metabolite accumulation and rhizome development. and Deeksha Dixit, N. K. Srivastava.
We analyzed the effect of NaCl stress on photorespiration of spinach leaves by calculating the rate of carboxylation/oxygenation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, and by measuring the content of amino acids produced through photorespiration. After 20 d of NaCl stress the carboxylation rate was reduced while the oxygenation rate was not affected. The contents of serine, glycine, and alanine increased relevantly. The amount of glutamine also increased after 20 d but the amount of glutamate did not. Hence photorespiration may be stimulated under moderate NaCl stress. A relevant electron transport rate was observed under CO2-free air, which may indicate refixation of photorespiratory CO2. When NaCl accumulation proceeded for more than 20 d, photosynthesis was reduced and the content of photo-respiratory amino acids started to decrease, but the oxygenation rate did not change. and C. di Martino ... [et al.].
The recessive lethal character Luteus-Pa, expressed as a yellowing of leaves of young seedlings and followed by death approximately 60 d after emergence, presents a 3:1 segregation in crosses and/or selfpollinated plants. We evaluated quantitatively the fluorescence emission of chlorophyll (Chl), gas exchange, and chemical composition of normal and recessive homozygous cacao seedlings of the cross Pa 121×Pa 169. The characteristics of Chl fluorescence kinetics were studied in stages B2, B3, C, D, and E of leaf development, corresponding to plant ages of 9 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 20, 21 to 30, and >30 d, respectively. Gas exchanges were measured in mature leaves of both seedlings. In regular intervals of 3 d beginning at 33 d after emergence, the seedlings were separated into roots, stems, leaves, and cotyledons to determine the contents of saccharides (SAC) and free amino acids (FAA) and variation of the leaf Chl content. The Chl distribution in complexes of the photosynthetic apparatus was analysed by SDS-PAGE in mature leaves of both normal and recessive 32-d-old seedlings. There were variations in Chl fluorescence, gas exchanges and chemical composition of different parts of both types of seedlings. However, no significant differences were found in the Chl distribution through photosynthetic complexes of 32-d-old normal and recessive homozygous seedlings. After that period a decrease in the Chl concentration was observed in the recessive seedlings, and only minimum fluorescence (F0) was found. The F0 values were higher in the recessive seedlings than in the normal ones. The net photosynthetic rate of mature leaves was negative in agreement with low conductance, transpiration rate, and high internal CO2 concentration. These factors might have contributed to a depletion in SAC in different plant parts. Although F0 partially reflects the Chl concentration in leaf tissue, the increase in its value was probably due to a damage in reaction centres of photosystem 2. Therefore, the growth and development of recessive homozygous seedlings depended exclusively on cotyledon reserves, the depletion of which leads to death. and A.-A. F. de Almeida, R. R. Valle, P. Serrano Minar.
Changes in the utilization pattern of primary substrate, viz. [U-14C] acetate, 14CO2 and [U-14C] saccharose, and the contents of 14C fixation products in photosynthetic metabolites (sugars, amino acids, and organic acids) were determined in Fe-deficient citronella in relation to the essential oil accumulation. There was an overall decrease in photosynthetic efficiency of the Fe-deficient plants as evidenced by lower levels of incorporation into the sugar fraction and essential oil after 14CO2 had been supplied. When acetate and saccharose were fed to the Fe-deficient plants, despite a higher incorporation of label into sugars, amino acids, and organic acids, there was a lower incorporation of these metabolites into essential oils than in control plants. Thus, the availability of precursors and the translocation to a site of synthesis/accumulation, severely affected by Fe deficiency, is equally important for the essential oil biosynthesis in citronella. and N. K. Srivastava, A. Misra, S. Sharma.
Partitioning of exogenously supplied U-14C-saccharose into primary metabolic pool as sugars, amino acids, and organic acids was analyzed and simultaneous utilization for production of alkaloid by leaf, stem, and root in twigs and rooted plants of Catharanthus roseus grown in hydroponic culture medium was determined. Twigs revealed comparable distribution of total 14C label in leaf and stem. Stems contained significantly higher 14C label in sugar fraction and in alkaloids [47 kBq kg-1(DM)] than leaf. In rooted plants, label in 14C in metabolic fractions in root such as ethanol-soluble, ethanol-insoluble, and chloroform-soluble fractions and in components such as sugars, amino acids, and organic acids were significantly higher than in stems and leaves. This was related with significantly higher content of 14C in alkaloids in stems and leaves. 14C contents in sugars, amino acids, and organic acids increased from leaf to stem and roots. Roots are the major accumulators of metabolites accompanied by higher biosynthetic utilization for alkaloid accumulation. and N. K. Srivastava, A. K. Srivastava.
Partitioning of current photosynthates towards primary metabolites and its simultaneous incorporation in leaf alkaloids was investigated in developing leaves of medicinally important Catharanthus roseus. Of the total 14CO2 assimilated, the leaves at positions 1-6 fixed 8, 22, 25, 19, 13, and 8 %, respectively, and stem 3 %. Leaf fresh mass, chlorophyll content, and CO2 exchange rate increased up to the third leaf. The total alkaloid content was highest in young actively growing leaves, which declined with age. Total 14C fixed and its content in ethanol soluble fraction increased up to the third leaf and then declined. The 14C content in primary metabolites such as sugars and organic acids was also highest in the 3rd leaf. The utilization of 14C assimilates into alkaloids was maximum in youngest leaf which declined with leaf age. Hence the capacity to synthesize alkaloids was highest in young growing leaves and metabolites from photosynthetic pathway were most efficiently utilized and incorporated into alkaloid biosynthetic pathway by young growing leaves. and N. K. Srivastava ... [et al.].