The Influence of the Proton Gradient on the Activation of Ferredoxin-NADP+-oxidoreductase by Light

Ferredoxin-NADP+-oxidoreductase (FNR, EC 1.18.1.2) has been shown to be activated by light within a few seconds during dark-light transitions and inactivated in the dark. In previous papers this could be pointed out by the correlation of cytochrome f induction kinetics to the rate of NADP-photoreduction and the variable fluorescence. The present study deals with the role of the proton gradient during the activation process. The transition from an inactive to an active form is followed continuously in an in situ system. The steady-state rate of NADP-photoreduction is affected only by ionophores which inhibit a formation of the proton gradient, but not by inhibitors of the electric field. It …

Studies on the diurnal courses of the contents of abscisic acid, 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid and its malonyl conjugate in needles of damaged and undamaged spruce trees

Summary The diurnal courses of the contents of 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC), its malonyl conjugate (MACC) and abscisic acid (ABA) in the two-year-old needles of damaged and undamaged spruce trees (Picea abies L.) were investigated. The contents of ACC and MACC were significantly higher in the needles of the damaged trees as compared with the undamaged ones. In the needles of the damaged spruce trees, the ACC and MACC contents, and ABA contents as well, fluctuated to a greater extent than those in the undamaged spruce trees during the day. The relationships between ACC-ABA and MACC-ACC contents as well are also discussed.

Fatty Acid Composition in the Lipids of some Marine Chiorococcales and Eustigmatales

Abstract The fatty acid composition in the lipids of six coccoid microalgae species (≈ 2 μm in diameter) was investigated. In addition to analyses of ultrastructure and pigment content, lipid composition is shown to be a chemotaxonomic tool in the classification of algae. The four species of Chiorococcales (Chlorophyceae) - the marine species as well as the fresh water species, both kept in artificial seawater - contain a fatty acid composition resembling that of Chlorella spp. and of green leaves of higher plants. The fatty acid pattern is characterized as lacking in C20 acids but containing large amounts of C 16 and C 18 polyunsaturated fatty acids, hexadecatrienic acid (16 :3) and a-lino…

Chloroplastic glutamine synthetase from Brassica napus.

Phenolic Compounds in Needles of Norway Spruce Trees in Relation to Novel Forest Decline I. Studies on Trees from a Site in the Northern Black Forest

Summary Contents of selected phenolic compounds in needles of Norway spruce trees (Picea abies) from the Black Forest were measured using a HPLC-technique elaborated for serial studies in forest decline research. Measurements on needles that were harvested on several dates during two growing seasons gave no hint of seasonal variations in the concentrations of the studied phenolic compounds. Values for picein demonstrate an average decrease in the needles of severely damaged trees compared with the still undamaged ones, but the results are impaired by strong individual variations among the single trees. p-Hydroxyacetophenone was found in only very low amounts showing no constant differences …

Effects of Kinetin and Different Light Qualities on the Content of Carbohydrates

Summary The effects of kinetin on the content of soluble redueing sugars, starch, soluble proteins and various components of the photosynthetic apparatus were studied with primary leaves of Sinapis alba, which were grown under different light qualities (white, red, blue Jight conditions). It was especially the content of soluble reducing sugars that was most influenced by kinetin. The enhancement of the sugar content was dependent on the duration of application as well as on the concentration of kinetin. The doseresponse curve shows that the sugar content strongly increased at low kinetin eoneentrations (0.01 to 1 mg · 1-1), whereas from 1 mg · 1-1 onwards the inerease was slower and linear…

Changes in the Content of Chlorophyll and Redox Components of the Thylakoid Membrane during Development and Senescence of Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Leaves

Abstract Leaves from 145-year-old and 44-year-old beech trees were harvested during 1991-1993. Chlorophyll (Chl) and redox components of the thylakoid membrane, including P-700, cytochrome f (Cyt f) and D1 protein, were determined with the following results. Chl a + b, P-700 and Cyt f per unit of fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW) and leaf area (LA) increase significantly during leaf development. This can be attributed to a massive membrane syn­thesis and new thylakoid formation in the cells. The Chl a/Chl b ratio decreases with the synthesis of Chl during the development of beech leaves and is reduced further with Chl breakdown in the stage of senescence. When expressed on the basis of Chl…

A Comparative Ultrastructural Investigation of Some Nannochloris Species (Chlorococcales) with Particular Reference to the Systematic Position of Nanochlorum eucaryotum

Nanochlorum eucaryotum was described by Wilhelm et al. (1982) as a new algal species with an uncertain taxonomic position. Whereas some features were chlorococcacean, others suggested an isolated position in the sense of a “pre-eucaryote” (Wilhelm, 1983; Zahn, 1984; Geisert et al., 1987). Our comparative ultrastructural, physiological and biochemical examinations of coccoid microalgae (Menzel, 1988) gave no arguments for the separation of Nanochlorum eucaryotum from the genus Nannochloris. This paper is concerned with the ultrastructural composition of the cell wall and mode of reproduction in Nanochlorum eucaryotum as well as in three Nannochloris species. The systematic position of Nanoch…

Photosynthesis and Transpiration in Damaged and Undamaged Spruce Trees

Abstract The investigations presented here focus on the CO2/H2O gas exchange in damaged and undamaged spruce trees while using open-air measurements as well as measurements under defined conditions in the laboratory. The studies were performed at two different sites in the Hunsrück and the Westerwald mountains. In the laboratory the CO2/H2O gas exchange was measured on detached branches under controlled conditions in the course of two years. CO2 saturation curves were also generated. In addition CO2 compensation points were deter­ mined employing a closed system. In the natural habitat diurnal course measurements of photosynthesis and transpiration as well as light-saturation curves for pho…

Die Wirkung unterschiedlicher Lichtintensitäten während der Anzucht auf die CO2-Kompensationslage, die Glykolsäure-Oxidase- und Ribulosebiphosphat-Carboxylase-Aktivitäten bei Sinapis alba

Summary Sinapis alba (white mustard) plants were grown under conditions of strong (100 W · m -2 ) and weak (3 W · m -2 ) light and the effect of the light intensity during growth on the CO 2 -compensation point and the activities of glycolic acid oxidase and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase were studied. The CO 2 -compensation concentration was determined according to two methods: firstly in a closed system with an infrared CO 2 -analyzer, and secondly according to the curve of net photosynthesis as a function of C0 2 -concentration over the range of 400 vpm CO 2 to the CO 2 -compensation point (Fig. 4). The intensity of light during growth was observed to exert an unmistakable effect on t…

Physiologie der Photosynthese Höherer Pflanzen Die Anpassung an die Lichtbedingungen

Isolation of chlorophyll-protein complexes and quantification of electron transport components in Synura petersenii and Tribonema aequale

The chlorophyll-protein complexes of the yellow alga Synura petersenii (Chrysophyceae) and the yellow-green alga Tribonema aequale (Xanthophyceae) were studied. The sodiumdodecylsulfate/sodiumdesoxycholate solubilized photosynthetic membranes of these species yielded three distinct pigment-protein complexes and a non-proteinuous zone of free pigments, when subjected to SDS polyacrylamid gel electrophoresis. The slowest migrating protein was identical to complex I (CP I), the P-700 chlorophyll a-protein, which possessed 60 chlorophyll a molecules per reaction center in Tribonema and 108 in Synura. The zone of intermediate mobility contained chlorophyll a and carotenoids. The absorption spect…

EnzymesIn Vitro as indicators for pesticides: An examination

Pesticides—a serious problem especially for drinking water quality—frequently are potent inhibitors of enzymes in their target organisms. As the established chemical analyses of pesticides are time-consuming, complicated, and expensive, so-called screening methods are urgently needed. For this purpose the sensitivity of 13 different enzymes was tested in vitro by inhibiting their kinetic rates and/or substrate conversions by 16 pesticides (herbicides and fungicides). Because of the stabilization and resulting low sensitivity of enzymes commercially available—especially in test kits—it was necessary to vary the test conditions and to develop special methods for detecting enzymatic inhibition…

Studies on the mechanism of photosystem II photoinhibition II. The involvement of toxic oxygen species.

In a previous paper it was shown that photoinhibition of reaction centre II of spinach thylakoids was predominantly caused by the degradation of D1-protein. An initial inactivation step at the QB-site was distinguished from its breakdown. The present paper deals with the question as to whether this loss of QB-function is caused by oxygen radical attack. For this purpose the photoinhibition of thylakoids was induced at 20°C in the presence of either superoxide dismutase and catalase or the antioxidants glutathione and ascorbic acid. This resulted in comparable though not total protection of D1-protein, photochemistry and fluorescence from photoinhibition. The combined action of both the enzy…

Die Anpassung des Photosyntheseapparates h�herer Pflanzen an die Lichtbedingungen

Investigations on the content indole-3-acetic spruce needles of healthy and damaged trees of various sites

Summary Surveys were made on the concentration of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in spruce trees of various sites. The concentrations of the hormone were specified with a radioimmunoassay after the needle extract had been purified in several steps. The content of IAA in needles of damaged trees was distinctly lower than the content in needles of healthy trees. Another feature was the annual rythm of the IAA content with the maximum of concentration in June. A distinct diurnal course with highest level of concentration during the early afternoon hours was also observed. The diurnal rhythm of the damaged trees was clearly lower. The supposition is that the lower IAA content is responsible for a p…

Samenbau und Samenkeimung

Die Samenpflanzen (Abteilung Spermatophyta) bilden mit mehr als 250.000 Arten die Hauptmasse der Landvegetation, wobei die Bedecktsamer (Angiospermae = Magnoliophytina) die weitaus umfangreichste Entwicklungsgruppe reprasentieren, wahrend die rezenten Vertreter der Nacktsamer (Gymnospermae mit den Klassen Cycadopsida [Palmfarne], Ginkgopsida [Ginkgo] und Coniferopsida [Nadelbaume]) nur etwa 800 Arten umfassen. Das Hauptmerkmal dieser grosten und wichtigsten Abteilung des Pflanzenreichs ist die Ausbildung von Samen. Der Same dient der Vermehrung, Uberdauerung und Verbreitung Hoherer Pflanzen. Ursprunglich bildete der Same fur sich allein das grundlegende Ausbreitungsorgan der Samenpflanzen. …

Cytochrome F as Indicator for the Interaction of the Two Photosystems in the State 1 and State 2

The transition of plants into a State 1 or a State 2 by an excess of PS I or PS II excitation was described by BONAVENTURA and MYERS [1]. Since the time of their investigations fluorometric methods gained increasing importance in analyzing the distribution of energy between the two photosystems [21. It was possible to correlate the altered energy balance to the phosphorylation of LHCII and it’s migration into non-appressed thylakoid membranes [31. However fluorescence measurements can give only indirect evidences that also changes in the activity of the two photosystems are produced by the changed energy distribution. A direct assessment of the photochemical variations during state transiti…

Global uptake of carbonyl sulfide (COS) by terrestrial vegetation: Estimates corrected by deposition velocities normalized to the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>)

Abstract. COS uptake by trees, as observed under dark/light changes and under application of the plant hormone abscisic acid, exhibited a strong correlation with the CO2 assimilation rate and the stomatal conductance. As the uptake of COS occurred exclusively through the stomata we compared experimentally derived and re-evaluated deposition velocities (Vd; related to stomatal conductance) for COS and CO2. We show that Vd of COS is generally significantly larger than that of CO2. We therefore introduced this attribute into a new global estimate of COS fluxes into vegetation. The new global estimate of the COS uptake based on available net primary productivity data (NPP) ranges between 0.69-1…

Wasserhaushalt der Pflanzen

Wasser ist Hauptbestandteil aller Lebewesen. Es dient ihnen als universelles Losungsmittel fur die meisten anorganischen und organischen Verbindungen. Daher laufen praktisch alle Stoffwechselvorgange im wassrigen Milieu ab. Fur pflanzliche Organismen ist Wasser als Elektronendonator unentbehrlicher Reaktionspartner in der Photosynthese. Auserhalb der Zellen ubernimmt das Wasser bei Hoheren Pflanzen die Funktion eines Transportmittels, mit dem Nahrsalze bzw. in den Blattern gebildete Assimilate zu ihrem Bestimmungsort gelangen. Diese vielfaltigen Funktionen des Wassermolekuls machen deutlich, dass eine ausreichende Versorgung des pflanzlichen Organismus mit Wasser eine der wichtigsten biolog…

Inhibitory Effects of the Insecticides Allethrin, Lindane, and Jacutin-Fogetten Sublimate on Photosynthetic Electron Transport

Abstract The inhibitory effects of the insecticides Allethrin, Lindane, and Jacutin-Fogetten sublimate on photosynthetic electron transport of broken chloroplasts were tested. 50 μmol l-1 Allethrin caused an inhibition of 80% of the benzoquinone and ferricyanide Hill-reactions. 39 μmol l-1 Lindane inhibited the basal, coupled and uncoupled electron transport to ferricyanide up to 35%. The precipitate formed by the sublimation of Jauctin-Fogetten containing Lindane depressed electron transport much more than pure Lindane. 50 μg ml-1 of the sublimate led to an 80% inhibition of ferricyanide Hill-reaction.

Dissimilation II: Atmung (aerobe Dissimilation)

Der Gesamtvorgang der aeroben Dissimilation entspricht formal der Umkehrung der CO2-Assimilation in der Photosynthese.

The contribution of ozone to forest decline

More than 10 years of intensive research into forest decline in Germany has ascertained that the full extent of the visible damage cannot be explained by just one of the current hypotheses on forest decline. One of the prominent hypotheses is that chronic exposure of forest trees to ozone is probably one of the primary causes of forest decline. The aim of this paper is the critical review of a number of recent results dealing with the ozone hypothesis from a plant physiological point of view. The synopsis focusses on the effects of ozone on conifers because the most extensive data are available for coniferous trees, especially for spruce (Picea sp.) and pine (Pinus sp.) trees.

A Rapid Method for Amplification of Plastome DNA-Fragments from Spinacia oleracea by PCR

Summary Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used as a very powerful technique to amplify DNA-fragments. Isolated chloroplasts and a crude suspension of small leaf pieces of Spinacia oleracea were osmotically shocked and subsequently heated. Aliquots of the resulting homogenate including the organelle DNA were directly added to basic reaction mixtures to carry out PCR without additional isolation- or purification steps. A 180 by DNA-fragment from the psbA-gene was amplified in both cases. In parallel, plasmid-DNA (pHT1) bearing the psbA-gene was subjected to PCR retaining unchanged reaction conditions. Identical DNA-fragments were obtained, as the following sequencing revealed. With the meth…

Picosecond time-resolved study on the nature of high-energy-state quenching in isolated pea thylakoids different localization of zeaxanthin dependent and independent quenching mechanisms

Abstract The influence of the transthylakoid proton gradient on the kinetics of picosecond fluorescence decay was examined using isolated pea thylakoids having high or low zeaxanthin contents. Fluorescence lifetime measurements were performed with open (Fo) and closed (Fm) PS II reaction centers. Zeaxanthin formation in membrane energized isolated thylakoids led to a marked decrease of the average fluorescence lifetime at both Fm and Fo. In contrast, when zeaxanthin synthesis was blocked by the inhibitor DTT, the fluorescence lifetime decrease was less pronounced in the Fm state and totally missing in the Fo state. Samples containing the uncoupler ammonium chloride did not exhinit any zeaxa…

Measurements of manganese in thylakoids of Sinapis alba grown under high-light and low-light conditions.

The manganese content of thylakoids and tissues was measured in leaves grown under high- and low-light conditions. Especially when grown in a nutrient medium enriched in manganese (20 μM), the thylakoids contained large amounts of manganese, which could be removed by EDTA washing without impairment of the Hill reaction. The unremovable content of manganese was almost the same in thylakoids from plants grown in nutrient media of normal (2 μM) and reduced (0.2 μM) manganese content. Up to this limit of manganese content, Hill activity did not seem to be impaired. 1.2 atoms Mn per 100 molecules chlorophyll were found in low-light thylakoids and 1.6 atoms Mn in high-light thylakoids. This is si…

Photosynthese II: Substanzumwandlung und Ökologie der Photosynthese

Ausgangsstoffe der Photosynthese der Pflanzen sind die energiearmen anorganischen Molekule Wasser und Kohlendioxid, die in einer komplexen biochemischen Reaktionsfolge zunachst zu Kohlenhydraten umgesetzt werden, und zwar hauptsachlich zu Saccharose und Starke. Als Nebenprodukt entsteht Sauerstoff, der zum Teil von der Pflanze selbst veratmet, hauptsachlich aber an die Atmosphare abgegeben wird.

The Effect of Light Intensity During Growth of Sinapis alba on the Electron-Transport and the Noncyclic Photophosphorylation

The photosynthetic rate of Sinapis alba can be modified over a wide range by the light intensity during growth. Our present results indicate that there exist regulatory mechanisms in the field of photosynthetic primary reactions. We compared the effect of different light intensities during growth of Sinapis plants on the concentrations of soluble proteins, manganese and lipophilic plastid quinones, the electron flow from water to ferricyanide and noncyclic phosphorylation. We further determined the light dependence curves for the uncoupled electron transport with ferricyanide as electron acceptor and methylammonium-chloride as an uncoupler of photophosphorylation.

New trends in photobiology

Abstract At the beginning of our century few scientists paid attention to the phenomenon of inactivation of photosynthesis by high light intensities which was later called photoinhibition. In the period 1925–1950, the idea was established that photoinhibition is a reversible inactivation, determined by light intensity and exposure time, followed by irreversible damage of the photosynthetic apparatus. However, the absence of a uniform terminology demonstrates that photoinhibition was not completely perceived and understood. In 1956, B. Kok gave the first definition of photoinhibition as a photochemical inactivation of pigment complexes.

A Specific Radioimmunoassay for the Determination of Low Quantities of Indole-3-acetic Acid in Spruce Needles of Healthy and Damaged Trees

Summary The aim of the present investigation was to develop a radioimmunoassay for the quantification of indole-3-acetic acid in needles of Picea abies in damaged and phenotypically healthy trees. Phenols, lipophilic substances or compounds with cross-reactivity had to be separated from the extracts in several purification steps. Measurements were carried out between May and October 1986 on trees from two spruce plantations. Marked differences were found in IAA content in needles of healthy and damaged trees. In most cases the needles of the damaged trees contain lower endogenous IAA levels. The auxin levels also depended on the age of the tree, the year of needle formation, and the vegetat…

Investigation on the Photosynthetic Membranes of Spruce Needles in Relation to the Occurrence of Novel Forest Decline I. The Photosynthetic Electron Transport

The investigations described here were carried out in the context of our research project on the physiological, biochemical, and cytomorphological characterization of spruce trees growing in natural habitats and showing damage of varying intensity. Here we report on specific aspects of the photosynthetic apparatus. The aim of the measurements was to analyze whether or not the activity of the photosynthetic electron transport pathway is affected in damaged trees. The investigations were carried out on a 20 to 25-year-old spruce plantation in the Hunsrück mountains and on an 80-year-old spruce plantation in the Westerwald mountains. The photosynthetic electron transport rate was determined by…

The Loss of Structural Integrity in Damaged Spruce Needles from Locations Exposed to Air Pollution I. Mesophyll and Central Cylinder

In connection with the new type of forest damage, the individual disease situation of two-year-old spruce (Picea abies) needles was analyzed histopathologically in forest areas exposed to different levels of O3-, SO2- and NO3- pollution. Early damage results from losses of chlorophyll in the mesophyll cells. The bleaching is more intensive towards the apex in severely damaged needles. The cytoplasm is aggregated at the cell wall and the chloroplasts show definite structural damage as well. The mesophyll cells below the epidermis, or the cells adjacent to the vascular bundle sheath, appear to be particularly susceptible. Collapsed cells (bone cells), which increase in number with damage, can…

A method to isolate cDNA-quality RNA from adult conifer needles and a psbA cDNA from Norway spruce

Summary In order to investigate the expression of the psbA gene in damaged and undamaged Norway spruce trees ( Picea abies ) a cDNA clone encoding the D1 protein was isolated via RT-PCR. Applying a method developed by Schneiderbauer et al. (1991) with some modifications, we were able to obtain the required RNA from mature needles and successfully reverse transcribe it into cDNA. Sequence analysis of the cDNA clone revealed an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 353 amino acid polypeptide that is highly homologous to the D1 protein sequences deduced from higher plant psbA genes. A 4 bp insertion, directly following the stop codon ochre (TAA), was found by comparison with two Pinus species, t…

The intensification of absorbance changes in leaves by light-dispersion

In dispersive samples, like leaves, the absorbance of pigments is intensified. The intensification is due to a longer optical path through the dispersive sample. However, in chloroplast suspensions the optical path is not much longer than in clear solutions. The factor of intensification β (=the lengthening of the optical path) is calculated by comparing the absorbance of leaves and the absorbance of chloroplast suspensions with equal pigment-content. This method also includes the influence of possible sieve effects which could decrease absorbance. The measurements are carried out with high- and low-light leaves of different thickness and pigment content. The intensification of absorbance w…

The Effect of Bialaphos on Ammonium-Assimilation and Photosynthesis I. Effect on the Enzymes of Ammonium-Assimilation

Abstract In this investigation, the effect of bialaphos (phosphinothricyl-alanyl-alanine) on the enzymes involved in NH4 +-assimilation - glutamine synthetase, glutamine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase - is examined and compared to the effect of phosphinothricin (glufosinate) on the same enzymes. Bialaphos was given to whole plants (in vivo) and to leaf homogenate (in vitro). The investigation showed that bialaphos has an inhibiting effect on glutamine synthetase in vivo, but not in vitro. In contrast to this, phosphinothricin inhibits glutamine synthetase in vitro as well as in vivo. It was found that bialaphos, similar to phosphinothricin, does not inhibit glutami…

The Effect of Temperature and Radical Protection on the Photoinhibition of Spinach Thylakoids

Photoinhibition of spinach thylakoids was studied by examination the inactivation of different parts of the electron transport chain, the decline of the variable fluorescence and the loss of atrazine binding sites. The results obtained after photoinhibition at 20° C and 0° C revealed an inactivation at the QB-site of the D1-protein as the first event in the course of photoinhibition. The natural antioxidants glutathione and ascorbate as well as the enzymes SOD and catalase diminished photoinhibition to similar extents. Further protection was achieved through combination of both radical defense systems. In addition to the radical scavenging properties glutathione and ascorbate have reducing …

Investigation on the Photosynthetic Membranes of Spruce Needles in Relation to the Occurrence of Novel Forest Decline II. The Content of QB-Protein, Cytochrome f, and P-700

In order to obtain an insight into the damage of thylakoid membranes of spruce (Picea abies) trees with damage of varying intensity, investigations were performed on the content of Qв-protein, cytochrome f, and P-700 in chloroplasts of spruce needles from apparently healthy and from damaged trees. Needles from the second and third needle year and the seventh whorl were chosen. The investigations were carried out in 1986 on a 20 to 25-year-old spruce plantation in the Hunsriick mountains and on an 80-year-old spruce plantation in the Westerwald mountains. In damaged trees an unequivocal decrease in the content of Qв-protein, cytochrome f, and P-700 was found, even in needle groups that appea…

Cyclic and noncyclic photophosphorylation during the ontogenesis of high-light and low-light leaves of Sinapis alba.

Noncyclic electron transport to ferricyanide and photophosphorylation as well as the methylviologen mediated aerobic and anaerobic photophosphorylation with dichlorophenolindophenol-ascorbate as the electron donor of photosystem I were measured during the development of high-light and low-light adapted leaves of Sinapis alba. Anaerobic methylviologen-catalyzed phosphorylation is more than twice as high as aerobic phosphorylation. The difference between the rates of aerobic and anaerobic phosphorylation is sensitive to dibromothymoquinone. Thus, under anaerobic conditions, methylviologen mediates a cyclic phosphorylation including plastoquinone. All photochemical activities of high-light chl…

Molecular characterization of a phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in the gymnosperm Picea abies (Norway spruce)

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) genes and cDNA sequences have so far been isolated from a broad range of angiosperm but not from gymnosperm species. We constructed a cDNA library from seedlings of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and identified cDNAs coding for PEPC. A full-length PEPC cDNA was sequenced. It consists of 3522 nucleotides and has an open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a polypeptide (963 amino acids) with a molecular mass of 109551. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed a higher similarity to the C3-form PEPC of angiosperm species (86-88%) than to the CAM and C4 forms (76-84%). The putative motif (Lys/Arg-X-X-Ser) for serine kinase, which is conserved in all angiosperm …

Changes of the Quantum Yield of Oxygen Evolution and the Electron Transport Capacity of Isolated Spinach Thylakoids during Photoinhibition

Summary Isolated spinach thylakoids can be protected from photoinhibitory loss of electron transport capacity by the radical defense system composed of the enzymes SOD and catalase, as well as the antioxidants glutathione and ascorbate. With these compounds present at saturating concentrations, thylakoids not only retain a high photochemical capacity but also do not suffer D1-protein degradation during photoinhibition. However, a strong decrease in the quantum yield of oxygen evolution, Φ O 2 , occurs with the same thylakoids. These results support the view that the photochemical capacity and the quantum yield of oxygen evolution decline due to different mechanisms during photoinhibition. T…

Electron Microscopic Studies of Spruce Needles in Connection with the Occurrence of Novel Forest Decline.

Needles of four spruce trees showing different degrees of novel kinds of forest decline were investigated by electron microscopy. Green needles appearing at least superficially still intact were selected for the present investigation. Most of the mesophyll appeared to be undamaged. However, groups of atypical mesophyll cells were found close to the endodermis or the hypodermis. The chloroplasts of the apparently damaged cells were particularly affected. Changes in the matrix of the chloroplasts, i.e,. increased affinity to osmium, occurrence of extensive nests of plastoglobuli, as well as damage to the membranes, i.e. lesions in the envelope and abnormal thylakoid membranes, were observed. …

Biologisch wichtige Makromoleküle und ihre Bausteine I: Mono-, Di-, Polysaccharide

Kohlenhydrate oder Saccharide (griech.: sakcharon = Zucker) sind die am haufigsten vorkommenden organischen Molekule der Erde, wobei unter den zahlreichen Verbindungen die Cellulose den ersten Platz einnimmt. Als Energiespeicher dient den Pflanzen die Starke, den Tieren und Echten Pilzen das Glykogen, die beide zum zentralen Brennstoff des Stoffwechsels, der Glucose, abgebaut werden konnen. Die Zellwande der Pflanzen werden insbesondere aus Cellulose, das Exoskelett der Arthropoden und die Zellwand der Echten Pilze aus Chitin aufgebaut; hier dienen diese Kohlenhydrate als Bau- und Gerustsubstanzen. Weiterhin sind sie als Desoxyribose und Ribose am Aufbau der Nucleinsauren und damit an der S…

The concentration of Cytochrome f and P700 in chlorophyll-deficient mutants of Chlorella fusca

The ratio of Chlorophyll: Cytochrome f and of Chlorophyll: P700 (reaction center pigment in photosystem I) is essentially lower in chlorophyll-deficient mutants than in the normal green strain. On a dry weight basis, the mutants have the same or a higher content of redox enzymes than the normal form. The size of the photosynthetic unit of the mutants is 4 to 7 times smaller than that of the normal strains, due mainly to a deficiency of the light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complex.

Investigation on phospheonol pyruvate carboxylase and proline in damaged and indamaged needles of Picea Abies and Abies Alba

The client of forest damage is rapidly characterized by visible criteria such as loss and yellowing of leaves and needles Additionally damage to Norway spruce (Picea abies) and silver fit (Abies alba) can be diagnosed by biochemical criteria. The results in the present study performed in 1993 and 1994 on six Norway Spruces of each of the eleven open air stands in south-western Germany indicate that the activity of phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) correlates with the extent of damage and of the loss of needles, respectively. Needles of severely damaged trees had higher levels of PEPC than needles of healthy trees. There was also a positive correlation between the activity of PEPC and …

The Effect of Vanadium on the Content of Chlorophyll, P-700 and Cytochrome f at Different Light Intensities in Chlorella fusca

Summary Cells of Chlorella fusca, were grown in liquid medium supplemented ,vith O.2% glucose and varied concentrations of vanadium both at 5 different light intensities and in the dark. \Vith increasing concentrations of vanadium the content of chlorophyll, P-700 and cytochrome f increased as well, each, however, in a different way. At the saturating concentration of 20 µg vanadium per litre the pigment content per dry weight was double as high as that of the vanadium-free control; the ratio of chlorophyll a/chlorophyll b increased from 2.1 to 2.9. The content of P-700 at saturating vanadium concentration was four times higher than that of the control when based on dry weight and double as…

Phenolic Compounds in Needles of Norway Spruce Trees in Relation to Novel Forest Decline. II. Studies on Trees from Two Sites in Middle Western Germany

Abstract The content of several phenolic compounds in needles of 20- to 30-year-old Norway spruce trees (Picea abies) was measured using HPLC. The results of two forestry sites in middle western Germany are reported in this paper. They are part of a research programme on novel forest decline which was carried out in various regions of Germany. Distinct amounts of picein, catechin, piceatannol glucoside, and other phenolic compounds were detected in the studied spruce needles. Additionally, their contents changed in relation to damage. Some compounds, especially catechin, showed increased levels in the needles of the damaged trees compared to the undamaged ones. Here, the values for the unda…

Studies on the mechanism of photosystem II photoinhibition I. A two-step degradation of D1-protein

The role of D1-protein in photoinhibition was examined. Photoinhibition of spinach thylakoids at 20°C caused considerable degradation of D1-protein and a parallel loss of variable fluorescence, QB-independent electron flow and QB-dependent electron flow. The breakdown of D1-protein as well as the loss of variable fluorescence and QB-independent electron flow were largely prevented when thylakoids were photoinhibited at 0°C. The QB-dependent electron flow markedly decreased under the same conditions. This inactivation may represent the primary event in photoinhibition and could be the result of some modification at the QB-site of D1-protein. Evidence for this comes from fluorescence relaxati…

Nanochlorum eucaryotum: a Very Reduced Coccoid Species of Marine Chlorophyceae

Nanochlorum eucaryotum was isolated from a sea water aquarium housing different sponge species, cucumarias, small crustaceans and annelids. This bright green marine alga differs from all other known coccoid species. Its most prominent features are its very small cell size (1.5 pm) and its reduced cellular organization. Its cell contains one nucleus, one chloroplast, one mitochondrium and small vacuoles. Sometimes a Golgi apparatus can be seen. No other subcellular features have been observed. The cell wall is thin and smooth and does not contain any material of high electron density; only dividing cells show a rougher surface. The cells split into two daughter cells. No sexual reproduction …

Ultrastructure and freeze-fracture studies of the thylakoids ofMantoniella squamata (Prasinophyceae)

The ultrastructure and the supramolecular organization of the thylakoids of the small green flagellate,Mantoniella squamata, were examined in thin sections and freeze-fracture preparations. The whole chloroplast is tightly packed with thylakoids, which show a pattern of meandering, branching and/or anastomosing membranes. In freeze-fracture preparations only two fracture-faces can be distinguished: the PF- and the EF-face. The PF-face has a much higher particle density than the EF-face (PF: 4086 particles/μm2; EF: 865 particles/μm2). The EF-face is not as uniform as the PF-face. The areas which are packed with particles probably correspond to closely appressed thylakoid regions or adhesive …

Microscopical and Mycological Investigations on Wood of Pendunculate Oak (Quercus robur L) Relative to the Occurrence of Oak Decline

Summary Microscopical studies exhibited great differences between healthy and damaged pendunculate oak trees (Quercus robur L.) relative to the state of sapwood vessels and the degree of fungal infection. In the sapwood of damaged trees deposits, discolorations and early tylosis formations were found which frequently occurred in combination with fungal infections. These results lead to the assumption that the defence reaction of the trees probably induced by fungal infection changes the structure of the tree vessels to such an extent that their water transfer function is disturbed. Some fungal genera playing an important role in the discussion of the causes of oak decline could be isolated.…

Nutrient disturbance through manganese accumulation in Douglas fir

Abstract The disturbance of the nutrient balance induced by a surplus of manganese is discussed as the main cause of the disease striking Douglas fir. In this context a close examination of the iron balance is of great interest. Despite high total iron content, damaged Douglas fir show symptoms similar to that of an iron deficiency chlorosis in which the redox state of iron seems to be affected (physiological iron-deficiency). The first results of the project strengthen this assumption. During this research project iron dependent systems (e.g. activities of iron dependent enzymes, structure of chloroplasts etc.) are being scrutinised by the use of various microtechnical and chemical methods…

The combined effect of CO2, ozone, and drought on the radical scavenging system of young oak trees (Quercus petraea) — A phytothron study

In order to study the combined effects of CO 2 , ozone, and drought, we simulated in a controlled environment the climatic conditions of a German oak stand with high ozone (daytime: 80 ppb, control: 20 ppb) during one vegetative period under a regime of low and high CO 2 concentration (370 vs 720 ppm) and drought (4 weeks < -800 hPa). To investigate the effects of CO 2 , ozone and drought on the radical scavenging system, we monitored the level of glutathione, ascorbate, and α-tocopherol. However, it is important that, under the regime of elevated CO 2 , the antioxidative behaviour of glutathione and ascorbate appears to be masked by their function as storage molecules for sulfur or carbon.

The Influence of (2-Chloroethyl)trimethylammoniumchloride (CCC) on Growth and Photosynthetic Metabolism of Young Wheat Plants (Triticum aestivum L.)

Summary The influence of (2-chloroethyl)trimethylammoniumchloride on growth and cell metabolism of Triticum aestivum var. Kolibri was investigated. CCC was added to the nutrient solution on the 11th day of development with a final concentration of 10 −2 mol·1 −1 . It immediately stopped root growth and showed a strong inhibitory influence on the growth of the leaves. Smaller and fewer cells accounted for the reduction in final leaf size of about 40 %. The content of soluble proteins and soluble reducing sugars were significantly increased in the treated leaves. CCC also exhibited a stimulating effect on the synthesis of RubPc-ase protein and the in vitro activity of this enzyme. In contrast…

Chlorophyll-Protein Complexes of Chlorella fusca

Chlorophyll-protein complexes from thylakoids of the normal type and two mutants of Chlorella fusca were separated using sodium dodecyl sulfate acrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The properties of the chlorophyll-protein complexes of the three strains of Chlorella were compared. Standard curves were set up for the characterization of the chlorophyll-proteins. In every electrophoretic separation of chlorophyll-protein complexes, a certain amount of pigment is separated from the protein. We tried to keep that amount as low as possible by mild solubiliza­tion and by working in low temperature. Under these conditions, we obtained several new chlorophyll-proteins in addition to the P-700-chl…

Physiologie der Bewegungen

Die Beweglichkeit (Motilitat) ist eine der Grunderscheinungen des Lebendigen. Wir verstehen unter Bewegung eine aktive, meist durch ihre Geschwindigkeit auffallige Orts- und Lageveranderung von Organellen, Organen oder Organismen. Die Bewegung des gesamten Organismus wird als Lokomotion (Fortbewegung) bezeichnet. Solche lokomotorischen Bewegungen uberwiegen entschieden bei den Tieren. Bei den Pflanzen ist die Fahigkeit zur Lokomotion im Wesentlichen auf wasserbewohnende, einzellige oder koloniebildende Algen und auf Fortpflanzungszellen beschrankt (s. Abschnitt 13.5). Verandern dagegen nur einzelne Organe ihre raumliche Orientierung, so spricht man von Organbewegungen. Die Hoheren Landpflan…

Früherkennung von Waldschäden

The Effect of Phosphinothricin (Glufosinate) on Glutathione Synthesis in Plants

The inhibitory effect of DL-phosphinothricin (glufosinate) on glutathione synthesis was studied in vivo and in vitro. The influence of phosphinothricin on γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase was compared with the already known effects of l-buthionine sulfoximine and l-methionine sulfoximine. The results showed that phosphinothricin and buthionine sulfoximine are inhibitors of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase of plants. With both substances the enzyme was inhibited by 50 % at a concentration of 7 . 10−4M (pI50 = 3.15). Methionine sulfoximine reduced the enzyme activity by 50% at 5 . 10−2 M (pI50 = 1.30). It is discussed that the target enzyme of phosphinothricin is the glutamine synthetase whereas th…

The influence of brassinosteroid on growth and parameters of photosynthesis of wheat and mustard plants.

The growth response of wheat (Triticum aest. L.) and mustard seedlings (Sinapis alba L.) treated with 10(-6) mol · l(-1) brassinosteroid (BR) foliar spray was measured. BR-treatment resulted in a general promotion of plant growth. We found the accumulation of photosynthates to be stimulated in the treated plants, as indicated by enhanced fresh and dry weights of leaves and shoots. BR also promoted the synthesis of soluble proteins and soluble reducing sugars, whereas the chlorophyll content was hardly affected. CO(2)-fixation in vivo as well as the (in vitro) RubPC-ase activity of BR-treated leaves were enhanced. In the developing wheat leaves we detected no difference in the ratio fraction…

Phenolic Compounds as a Tool of Bioindication for Novel Forest Decline at Numerous Spruce Tree Sites in Germany

Abstract Within a project that applied biochemical criteria to the diagnosis of damage to Norway spruce, 43 sites in western and eastern Germany showing only moderate tree damage were screened for the amounts of methanol soluble phenolic compounds in spruce needles. The concentrations of most of the main compounds-especially catechin-positively correlated with needle loss and the altitude of the site. It was also found that it is necessary to differenti­ate between trees younger and older than 60 years of age. The correlations between the increase of the phenolic compounds studied and the needle loss or the damage class are stronger in the younger trees, possibly implicating differences in …

Short duplication in a cDNA clone of the rbcL gene from Picea abies.

The plastidic rbcL gene encodes the LSU of Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39), the enzyme that catalyzes CO, fixation during photosynthesis (Hallick and Bottomley, 1983). In higher plants the enzyme structure is commonly given as a hexadecameric structure composed of eight LSUs and eight small subunits. Nucleotide sequence data from the rbcL gene have been used extensively in studies of plant phylogeny and molecular evolution (Morden and Golden, 1991; Pasternak and Glick, 1992). To investigate the expression of the rbcL gene in damaged and undamaged Norway spruce trees (Picea abies), we have isolated a rbcL cDNA clone via reverse transcriptasePCR (Table I). Using the proofreading ability of the DNA poly…

Detection of a Single Gene Encoding Glutamine Synthetase in Sinapis alba (L.)

Summary Ion-exchange chromatography of glutamine synthetase polypeptides (GS; EC 6.3.1.2) from green leaves and the roots of Sinapis alba yielded identical elution patterns. This is likewise true for GS from etiolated cotyledons. As we have previously demonstrated the identity of GS-enzymes from etiolated and green leaf tissues, the obviously very similar charge properties of GS-proteins indicate the eventual existence of only one type of GS in all mustard plant organs. To further prove this possibility, Southern blot analysis of mustard DNA was carried out using hybridization probes specific to different GS-isoforms. Concluding from the relative strength of the hybridization signals, the G…

Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Activity and Malate Content of Spruce Needles of Healthy and Damaged Trees at Three Mountain Sites

Summary Investigations were carried out on the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity and the malate content in spruce trees [Picea abies (L.) Karst] at three natural sites. In needles of damaged spruce the PEPC activity is significantly higher than in needles of undamaged spruce. Therefore, the PEPC activity seems to be a biochemical damage indicator in spruce needles. The increase in PEPC activity in damaged trees is discussed as a repair mechanism to compensate the increased need of carbon skeletons by providing oxaloacetate. The malate content is enhanced in needles of severely damaged trees. An increase in malate seems to indicate senescence reactions and may be related to the…

Crystallization of Light-Harvesting Complex II From Vicia Faba (Fabaceae)

The most abundant chlorophyll binding complex in plants is the intrinsic light-harvesting complex II (LHC II), comprising about half of the total chlorophyll in thylakoid membranes. The structure of LHC II has been determined by electron crystallography, providing a three-dimensional map at 3.4 A (1). Nevertheless, high-resolution structure based on x-ray crystallography is still missing because of the lack of highly ordered 3-D crystals. While delipidation of membrane proteins suitable for high-quality 3-D crystals seems to be a prerequisite, in case of LHC H delipidation leads to a loss of the ability to crystallize. So far, standard purification methods like chromatography have been proo…

Glutamine synthetase from roots of Brassica napus. Nucleotide sequence of a cytosolic isoform.

Effect of Glufosinate (Phosphinothricin) and Inhibitors of Photorespiration on Photosynthesis and Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase Activity

Summary Glufosinate (phosphinothricin) irreversibly inhibits glutamine synthetase and leads to a great decrease in the amino acids glutamine, glutamate, aspartate, serine, glycine and alanine. Due to the lack of glutamate and serine, the transamination of glyoxylate into glycine in the course of photorespiration cannot take place. The inhibition of this part of the photorespiratory process plays the essential role with respect to the photosynthesis inhibition caused by PPT under atmospheric conditions. After addition of different photorespiration or Calvin cycle intermediates to phosphinothricin no decrease in photosynthesis inhibition can be measured. This suggests that photosynthesis inhi…

Wirkung der Insektizide Allethrin, Lindan und Jacutin-Fogetten-Sublimat auf den photosynthetischen Elektronentransport

Summary During our studies of Hill-reactions of isolated chloroplasts we observed an inhibition of electron transport after an application of the smoke of «Jacutine-Fogetten» in the plant growth chamber. Therefore we tested the influence of the insecticides Lindane (Gammexan), the sublimate formed by the fumigation of «Jacutin Fogetten», and of Allethrin on the photosynthetic electron transport reactions of PS II and PS I. 39 μ M Lindane inhibits the basal, coupled and uncoupled electron transport to ferricyanide of broken chloroplasts isolated from leaves of Pisum sativum up to 35%. A higher inhibitory effect with higher concentrations is limited by the low water solubility of Lindane. On …

Purification and Characterization of Glutamine Synthetase Isoenzymes from Leaves and Roots of Brassica napus (L.)

Summary The glutamine synthetase enzymes from leaves (GS2) and roots (GSR) of Brassica napus L. have been purified to homogeneity by the application of a three-stage isolation procedure comprising anion-exchange chromatography, adsorption by hydroxylapatite and gel filtration on Sephacryl 5-300 HR. The isoforms of the enzyme show a differential distribution in leaf and root tissues. Elution profiles of hydroxylapatite chromatography showed a distinct behaviour for GS proteins found in leaves and roots. Denaturing SDS-PAGE and Western blot experiments revealed molecular masses of approximately 43.5 and 40.5 kD for GS2 and GSR subunits, respectively. Moreover, kinetic properties determined us…

Eigenschaften und Wirkungsweise von Enzymen

Samtliche Stoffwechselreaktionen laufen in den Organismen nur aufgrund der Wirkung von Enzymen ab. Der Name kommt aus dem Griechischen: „zýme“ heist Sauerteig. Enzyme sind die Katalysatoren biologischer Systeme. Unter Katalysatoren versteht man Stoffe, die in der Lage sind, die Geschwindigkeit chemischer Reaktionen zu beschleunigen.

Selection of biological and chemical parameters indicating or affecting the vitality of Norway spruce

Abstract Thirty-two young and old Norway spruce trees ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.) showing different degrees of damage were investigated in a forest stand in the Taunus Mountains (FRG). The old trees showed visual symptoms of damage such as discolouration of the needles and needle loss. Over 70 biometric, physiological and chemical parameters were determined for needle and soil samples. Interrelationships between these variables were described by correlation analysis. The most discriminant variables between different groups of trees were found by Fisher weighing. This reduced data set was used for principal component analysis and for the classification of various parameters according to diffe…

Investigations on the Polyamine Content of Spruce Needles Relative to the Occurrence of Novel Forest Decline

Summary Levels of free polyamines were monitored in needles of spruce trees [ Picea abies (L.) Karst.] during the course of two vegetation periods at five natural sites. The putrescine concentration in needles of damaged spruce trees was significantly higher than in needles of undamaged trees. This is e.g. impressively proved by the putrescine/spermidine-ratio. While undamaged trees show nearly similar putrescine and spermidine concentrations, damaged trees have five- to tenfold higher putrescine levels depending on the increasing state of damage. Thus, the content of putrescine in needles can be used as a qualified biochemical damage indicator of spruce trees. The physiological effects of …

The Effect of Different Growth Light Intensities On Photosystem II Components

Light is essential not only as the driving force of photosynthesis but also as a trigger and a modulator of morphogenic processes. Physiological and morphological factors are modified when plants are grown at different light intensities and light qualities. Many plants are able to adapt the photosynthetic rate to the environmental factor light in a wide range. Low-light (LL) and high- light(HL) plants differ in a number of component processes of photosynthesis (1, 2). The adaptation process consists in a complex well coordinated change of many structural and biochemical components of the series of photosynthetic subprocesses (3).

Role of ΔpH in the mechanism of zeaxanthin-dependent amplification of qE

Abstract The influence of zeaxanthin on the high-energy-state fluorescence quenching (qE) and the pH dependence of the maximum chlorophyll fluorescence yield (Fm) was examined in spinach thylakoids. High contents of zeaxanthin were achieved using different pretreatments. A pronounced, zeaxanthin-dependent amplification of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) was exclusively found in thylakoids containing zeaxanthin, synthesized in the dark via the buildup of an artificial ΔpH. These thylakoids also showed a significant quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence in the range pH 5.5–6.3, where no or only slight quenching was visible in zeaxanthin-free thylakoids. Thylakoids containing high amounts of…

Inhibitory Action of Glufosinate on Photosynthesis

Glufosinate (phosphinothricin) irreversibly blocks the glutamine synthetase which subsequently gives rise to an accumulation of ammonium and to a strong decrease in some amino acids, especially glutamine and glutamate. Under atmospheric conditions (400 ppm CO2, 21% O2) glufosinate causes a rapid inhibition of photosynthesis, too. H ow ever, under non-photo respiratory conditions (1000 ppm CO2, 2% O2) only a slight inhibition of photosynthesis occurs with glufosinate. Since under both conditions an accumulation of ammonium occurs, it is concluded that inhibition of photosynthesis is not induced by the higher concentrations of ammonium. The results rather suggest that the absence of amino don…

Mineral nutrients in leaves and bast of pedunculate oak (Quercus Robur L.) at different states of defoliation

Abstract Adult oaks (age > 135a) with different grade of defoliation were investigated for their mineral nutrient contents in leaves and bast. In the leaves of the trees with a defoliation of more than 60 % lower concentrations of almost all nutrients were found. No differences were found between defoliation class 1 (defoliation ≤ 25 %) and defoliation class 2 (defoliation ≤ 45 %). In all defoliation classes the mineral nutrient contents are in the normal range except the contents of magnesium, which is in the range of deficiency in all defoliation classes. The mineral contents in bast showed high concentrations of cadmium, manganese zinc, and aluminum in dead trees, and in the case of cadm…

Ethylene-biosynthesis in conifers: Investigations on the emission of ethylene and the content of ACC and MACC in Norway Spruce (Picea abies) and silver fir (Abies alba)

Abstract The assessment of forest damage is carried out throughout the European Community by evaluation of the loss and yellowing of leaves or needles. The results of this ocular damage diagnosis can be confirmed and stated more precisely by applying biochemical criteria, e.g. by monitoring ethylene, its precursor ACC (1-amino-cyclopropane-carboxylate) and the malonyl conjugate of ACC malonyl-amino-cyclopropane-carboxylate (MACC). Therefore we investigated ethylene emissions well as ACC and MACC contents in six Norway Spruce trees (Picea abies) each of eleven permanently monitored sites in the southwest of Germany. The same examinations were applied with silver fir at two additional sites. …

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase-Oxygenase: New Aspects Respective the pH-Dependance of the Carboxylation Reaction

The investigation was directed towards the effects of reaction conditions, substrates and pH on the carboxylation reaction of ribulose-1 ,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase in the crude enzyme extracts from several plants. Optimal substrate concentrations (HCO3 - and RubP) were determined. The highest carboxylase activity was attained with Tris/HCl buffer. The pH activity profile was quite sharp with an optimum at pH 7.8. Purified and crystallized carboxylase yielded a broad optimum curve under the same reaction conditions

Investigations on the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity of spruce needles relative to the occurrence of novel forest decline

Summary Investigations were carried out on phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity in needles of Norway spruce trees [ Picea abies (L.) Karst.] at two natural sites during the course of three vegetation periods. PEPC activity found in needles of damaged trees was considerably higher than in needles of undamaged trees. Annual average figures varied up to 100%. The positive correlation between PEPC activity and the extent of damage of the investigated needles indicates a significant relationship between both parameters: the PEPC activity in spruce needles seems to be not only a qualitative, but also a quantitative indicator of the extent of damage. Higher PEPC activity in needles of d…

Zeaxanthin Dependent and Zeaxanthin Independent Changes in Nonphotochemical Energy Dissipation

Summary The influence of zeaxanthin on high-energy-state quenching (qE) of room temperature chlorophyll fluorescence and on the quantum yield of oxygen evolution(ФO2) has been studied with isolated spinach thylakoids. A set of three different pretreatments was tested which all led to thylakoids with high contents of zeaxanthin. Depending on the presence of light the pretreatments differed strongly with respect to their effect on nonphotochemical fluorescence quenching. Independently from the extent of changes in nonphotochemical energy dissipation in the membrane energized state as reflected by nonphotochemical quenching the light pretreatments caused also changes in nonphotochemical energy…

Diagnosis of damage to Norway spruce (Picea abies) through biochemical criteria

Bioindication can be carried out at different hierarchical levels, eg. cell, organism, and ecosystem. While the monitoring of damage by visible criteria (e.g. loss of needles) is connected with the organism as a whole, the monitoring of damage by biochemical indicators is above all connected with cell metabolism. The degree of vitality of a tree can be ascertained through the integration of a number of biochemical parameters. Furthermore, a differential diagnosis of a particular stress pattern can be carried out because of the feedback pattern of several biochemical indicators. In order to describe and interpret biochemical or physiological changes that have been caused by a number of facto…

Dissimilation I: Glykolyse und Gärung (anaerobe Dissimilation)

Unter Dissimilation versteht man den Abbau organischer Verbindungen im Stoffwechsel zum Zweck der Energiegewinnung. Die bei der Photosynthese unter Aufwand von Lichtenergie aufgebauten energiereichen Molekule dienen nur teilweise als Bausteine fur das weitere Wachstum der Pflanze. Ein erheblicher Anteil der Assimilate wird vielmehr in geeigneter Form und an geeignetem Ort gespeichert, um zu gegebener Zeit unter Freisetzung von Energie wieder dissimiliert zu werden. Auf diese Weise kann die autotrophe Pflanze fur eine begrenzte Zeit unabhangig von der Energiezufuhr durch die Sonne leben. Im Gegensatz zur Photosynthese ist die Dissimilation nicht auf bestimmte Gewebe beschrankt, sondern eine …

Structure and function of ferredoxin-NADP+-oxidoreductase

The redox-enzyme ferredoxin-NADP-oxidoreductase has been shown to be activated by light and inactivated in the dark. This review will summarize recent data concerning the biochemical characterization of the enzyme compared to its in-vivo activation. Further-more the mechanism of this activation process is discussed as a conformational change caused by the light-driven proton gradient.

Studies on the Mechanism of Inhibition by Phosphinothricin of Glutamine Synthetase Isolated from Triticum aestivum L.

Summary The activity of glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2) isolated from roots and leaves of wheat is strongly inhibited by phosphinothricin. As revealed by gel filtration and kinetic studies the mechanism of inhibition appears to be irreversible. The results indicate that the rate limiting step of the reaction of the inhibitor with the chloroplast glutamine synthetase is not the initial, but the following reaction. However, of root glutamine synthetase the irreversible inhibition follows a second order reaction depending on the concentration of the enzyme and of phosphinothricin and the rate limiting step is the formation of the initial enzyme-inhibitor complex. According to the kinetic dat…

Investigation on the Nitrogen Metabolism of Spruce Needles in Relation to the Occurrence of Novel Forest Decline

Summary In order to obtain information on the nitrogen metabolism of undamaged and damaged spruce ( Picea abies ), investigations were performed in 1985 and 1986 on the activity of glutamine synthetase and on the content of free ammonium and soluble proteins in spruce needles. In addition, the chlorophyll content was determined. Needles from the second needle year and the seventh whorl were used. The investigations were carried out in pair comparison on a 20-year-old spruce plantation and in comparison with damage classes on an 80-year-old spruce plantation. Both the pair comparison and the contrasting of different damage groups show an unequivocal decrease of the chlorophyll content correl…

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid, its Malonyl Conjugate and 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate Synthase Activity in Needles of Damaged and Undamaged Norway Spruce Trees

Summary Levels of free 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), its malonyl conjugate (MACC) and ACC-synthase activity were significantly higher in the needles of damaged Norway spruce trees ( Picea abies (L.) Karst ) compared with those in undamaged trees during both the diurnal and seasonal courses. The concentrations of ACC and MACC, and ACC-synthase activity fluctuated much more intensively in the needles of damaged trees both in the diurnal and the seasonal courses than in those of undamaged ones, which implies that damaged trees respond more sensitively to the environmental conditions. ACC concentrations were the highest in summer and lowest in fall, while MACC concentrations seem…

Investigations on the Starch Content and Ultrastructure of Spruce Needles Relative to the Occurrence of Novel Forest Decline

The starch content and ultrastructure of needles of Norway spruce trees [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] taken from three natural habitats, undamaged or with symptoms of novel forest decline, were investigated during the course of three years. The starch content was clearly dependent on the seasons, with a maximum in spring and a decline during summer and autumn, leading to a minimum in winter. Needles of damaged trees from one habitat exhibited in all three years from August to October a significantly higher starch content than their undamaged counterparts. Microscopic investigations of these needle samples exhibited severe damage symptoms to the phloem in macroscopically green needles, though mo…

Studies of Components of the Thylakoid Membrane of Undamaged and Damaged Spruce Trees at Different Mountain Sites

During a five-year period, components of the thylakoid membrane in needles of the second generation of undamaged and damaged trees of Norway spruce were studied at three different mountain sites in West Germany. Visible signs of damage at these sites are a yellowing of the light-exposed sides of the needles as well as the loss of needles. The goal of this study was to determine damage-induced alterations in composition and physiological reactions of the thylakoid membranes in spruce needles. In order to meet this purpose, contents of chlorophyll a and b, electron transport rate of photosystem II, contents of the D 1 protein, cytochrome f, as well as P-700 were measured. The chlorophyll cont…

Diagnosis of Damage to Norway Spruce (Picea Abies) through Ethylene and Other Biochemical Criteria

Forest damage normally is characterized by loss and yellowing of leaves or needles. The results of this ocular damage diagnosis can be confirmed and stated more precisely through biochemical criteria, e.g. the plant hormone ethylene, the activity of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate-carboxylase (PEP-C), the content of chlorophyll and other biochemical parameters. Therefore we investigated the interrelation between visible damage and 13 biochemical parameters in six trees each from eleven permanent observed sites in the south-west of Germany. The results indicate that damaged trees can be separated clearly from undamaged trees by these biochemical criteria. Furthermore, statistical evaluation o…

Ernährung und stoffliche Zusammensetzung der Pflanzen

Die grunen Pflanzen sind photoautotroph, d. h. sie sind in der Lage, energiereiche organische Verbindungen (z. B. Kohlenhydrate, Fette, Proteine) mithilfe des Sonnenlichts in der Photosynthese aus einfachen energiearmen, anorganischen Molekulen (Kohlendioxid, Wasser) aufzubauen. Die Pflanze deckt ihren Energiebedarf durch die Photosynthese. In dieser Hinsicht unterscheidet sich die Hohere Pflanze grundsatzlich vom Tier und von zahlreichen Mikroorganismen, welche mit der Nahrung nicht nur stoffliche Substanz, sondern auch Energie aufnehmen mussen. Die Pflanze nimmt – im Unterschied zum tierischen Organismus – anorganische Stoffe als Nahrstoffe auf; niedermolekulare organische Stoffe, wie Glu…

Comparative Investigations on the Photosynthetic Electron Transport Chain of Spruce (Picea Abies) with Different Degrees of Damage in the Open Air

Several components of the photosynthetic electron transport chain (P-700, cytochrome f, QB-protein) as well as the rate of electron transport and the chlorophyll content of the needles of spruce trees with different degrees of damage were investigated. The investigations were carried out in pair comparison at a location in the Hunsruck (West Germany). The rate of electron transport was determined as photoreduction of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol. Significant damage to the electron transport system is shown in the thylakoids of the damaged trees compared to the less severely damaged trees. In the spruce trees with more damage, the rates of electron transport are significantly lower. The inve…

Studies on the Correlation of Putrescine and Potassium Contents in the Needles of Spruce Trees

Summary The correlation between the polyamine putrescine and the nutritional element potassium was examined in Picea abies trees at numerous natural stands in Germany. The amounts of potassium and putrescine in needles was analyzed and a linear negative correlation between the K + and putrescine contents was found, which is significant in the bulk of all stands as well as in subsets. The negative correlation becomes even more pronounced when only sites situated over 600 m with trees older than 60 years are included. While former investigations were concerned with experimental conditions of potassium concentrations in soil or nutrient solutions, the data presented here derive from natural ha…

The Mechanism of Photoinhibition of Spinach Thylakoids

There is conflicting evidence as to wether D1-protein is the primary target of photoinhibition [1] or P680, the reaction centre of photo-system II [2]. The present paper desribes photoinhibition within a two step process consisting of an oxygen radical induced inactivation at the QB-site followed by damage to reaction centre II through the degradation of the D1-protein.

The Variability of the Photosynthetic Unit in Chlorella Fusca

The concept of the photosynthetic unit (PSIT) was introduced by Gaffron and Wohl (1936) on the basis of Emerson and Arnold’s flash light experiments (1932). The PSU was defined as the minimum of chlorophyll molecules required for the evolution of one O2. Later on, the PSU was considered to be the complex of one reaction center and its appropriate antenna of light harvesting chlorophyll molecules. Assuming that there is an equal number of the PS I and PS II reaction centers the PSU was mostly expressed as Chl/P-700. However, recently it could be shown that the ratio of PS II/PS I is variable depending on the light conditions during growth (Kawamura et al., 1979; Myers, Graham, 1982). Further…

Measurement of Photosynthesis and Transpiration in Spruce Trees with Various Degrees of Damage

Summary In the context of a project on physiological and biochemical characterization of spruce with different degrees of damage, the C02 and H2O gas exchange of 22-year-old spruce from a location in the Hunsru.ck (West Germany) were measured in summer 1985. The measurements were carried out on shoots from 1984 and were set up as a pair comparison, i.e. the measurement data of a tree with symptoms of damage were always compared with a tree in the immediate vicinity which phenotypically showed less damage. Diurnal course measurements in the open air revealed a marked reduction of photosynthesis depending on the degree of damage of the trees. If one plots photosynthetic rate against light int…

Photosynthesis and transpiration of healthy and diseased spruce trees in the course of three vegetation periods

CO2- and H2O-gas exchange of 20- to 25-year-old spruce trees from a plantation in the Hunsruck mountains were investigated over a period of 3 years. All measurements were made as pair comparisons, i.e., in each case the gas exchange of a damaged tree and of a relatively healthy tree in its immediate vicinity was measured simultaneously. A second plantation in the Westerwald mountains consisted of 18-year-old apparently healthy spruce trees. Pair comparison at this location meant comparison of two healthylooking trees. The investigations at both locations included diurnal course measurements of photosynthesis and transpiration, and light saturation curves and CO2-saturation curves of photosy…

Studies on the Content of Free Amino Acids in Needles of Undamaged and Damaged Spruce Trees at a Natural Habitat

Summary Measurements of the amino acids in needles of undamaged and damaged 90-year-old spruce trees ( Picea abies ) showed different patterns. During the summer months a reduction in total amino acid content of about 60 % was found. In autumn the content of total amino acids rose again. The courses of the single amino acids behave similarly to that of the total amino acids. Quantitatively, the main amino acids were GLU, ASP and GLN with about 37 %, 21 % and 10 %, respectively, followed by PRO, ALA and SER with about 3–4 % each. In the needles of healthy trees large variations in ARG content could be observed. These variations correlate neither with the damage degree of the trees nor with t…

The effect of indole-3-acetic-acid on the photosynthetic apparatus of Sinapis alba

The influence of indole-3-acetic-acid (IAA) during the development of primary leaves of Sinapis alba was studied. IAA treatment (4 ppm ≈ 22.8 μM) caused a decrease of dry weight, soluble reducing sugars, soluble protein, chlorophylls, carotenoids and cytochrome f; it also caused a lower ratio of protein to chlorophyll, a lower ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b and a higher ratio of chlorophyll per cytochrome f. Furthermore, IAA treatment induced a significantly lower rate of CO2 fixation and a depressed nitrite reductase activity. Similar effects could also be observed in adaptation reactions brought about by red light and low-light (or shade) conditions.

Experimentelle Beeinflussung des Granamusters einer abweichenden Plastidensorte von Antirrhinum majus

Glutamine synthetases of green and etiolated leaves ofSinapis alba : Evidence of the identity of the respective enzyme proteins.

Studies on the glutamine synthetases (GS, EC 6.3.1.2) of green (GS2) and etiolated leaves (GSet) ofSinapis alba L. (cv. Steinacher) revealed striking similarities between the respective enzyme proteins. The enzymes showed corresponding chromatographic properties, both on dimethylaminoethyl-Sephacel and on hydroxylapatite columns. The purified GS proteins were also identical with regard to the molecular weight of their subunits. Isoelectrofocusing of pure GSet yielded two distinct polypeptide bands in the pH 5.6 region of the gels. This pattern corresponded to the two strong bands of GS2. Two charge variants of GS polypeptides could be detected by Western-blot analysis of the soluble protein…

Effect of phosphinothricin (glufosinate) on photosynthesis and photorespiration of C3 and C 4 plants.

Phosphinothricin (glufosinate), an irreversible inhibitor of glutamine synthetase, causes an inhibition of photosynthesis in C3 (Sinapis alba) and C4 (Zea mays) plants under atmospheric conditions (400 ppm CO2, 21% O2). This photosynthesis inhibition is proceeding slower in C4 leaves. Under non-photorespiratory conditions (1000 ppm CO2, 2% O2) there is no inhibition of photosynthesis. The inhibition of glutamine synthetase by phosphinothricin results in an accumulation of NH4 (+). The NH4 (+)-accumulation is lower in C4 plants than in C3 plants. The inhibition of glutamine synthetase through phosphinothricin in mustard leaves results in a decrease in glutamine, glutamate, aspartate, asparag…

Pigment composition of PS II pigment protein complexes purified by anion exchange chromatography. identification of xanthophyll cycle pigment binding proteins

Summary The pigment composition of the chlorophyll binding proteins of Photosystem II (PS II) of spinach ( Spinacea oleracea L.) has been determined using sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, anion exchange chromatography and HPLC based pigment analysis. The xanthophyll cycle pigments violaxanthin, antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin were exclusively found in the proteins of the outer PS II antenna, with the highest amounts being present in the minor chlorophyll alb binding proteins CP 29 and CP 26. PS II core particles containing the reaction centre proteins D1, D2, cytochrome b 559 and the proteins of the inner antenna CP 47 and CP 43 bind β-carotene as the only carotenoid. The presence of the…

Biologisch wichtige Makromoleküle und ihre Bausteine II: Aminosäuren, Peptide, Proteine

Der Name Protein leitet sich vom griechischen „proteios“ ab, was soviel wie „an erster Stelle“ bedeutet. Bereits 1836 erkannte Jons Jakob BERZELIUS (1779–1848, schwedischer Chemiker), der den Namen einfuhrte, die besondere Bedeutung dieser Stoffklasse fur das Leben. Die Proteine tragen ihren Namen zu Recht, und es ist bemerkenswert, mit welcher klugen Voraussicht BERZELIUS diesen Namen gewahlt hat.

Evidence for the Existence of a Pseudogene for the Large Subunit of Rubisco within the Chloroplast DNA of Norway Spruce (Picea Abies)

Many hundreds of genes are involved in the synthesis, maintenance and degradation of chloroplasts. Although quite a number of these genes are located in the chloroplast genome, by far the greater proportion is present in the nuclear genome. The sizes of chloroplast DNAs (cpDNA) were estimated from restriction enzyme mapping studies and the complete sequences of different cpDNAs from diverse plant lineages have been determined to date (Marchantia polymorpha [1], Nicotiana tabacum [2], Oryza saliva [3], Epifagus virginiana [4], Euglena gracilis [5], Pinus thunbergii [6], Porphyra purpurea [7], Odontella sinensis [8], Zea mays [9], Chlorella vulgaris [10]).

The Effect of Different Light Intensities on the Frequency and Size of Stomata, the Size of Cells, the Number, Size and Chlorophyll Content of Chloroplasts in the Mesophyll and the Guard Cells during the Ontogeny of Primary Leaves of Sinapis alba

Summary Plants of Sinapis alba were cultivated under high light (60 W m -2 PhAR) and low light (6 W m -2 PhAR) conditions. High light intensity during growth increased the stomatal frequency but there were only small changes in the length of the stomatal pore. High-light leaves had more than twice as many stomata per unit area as low-light leaves. The decrease of stomatal diffusive resistance in high-light leaves is primarily caused by the increase in stomatal density. There were striking changes in stomatal frequency during the ontogeny of primary leaves. High light caused a stronger development of the assimilating mesophyll. The volume of the palisade cells increased to a much higher exte…

Methodical Studies in the Separation of Chlorophyll-Protein Complexes by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

Summary Chlorophyll-protein complexes from thylakoids of Sinapis alba plants were separated, using Tris-HCl and Tris-borate buffer in the sodium dodecyl sulphate acrylamide gel electrophoresis. In the electrophoretogram with Tris-borate buffer, 6 bands could be characterized in the gel pattern. In addition to the three major green zones (P-700-chlorophyll a-protein, light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein, free pigment zone), which were also observed in experiments with the Tris-HC1 buffer, three further bands (LHCP 1 , LHCP 2 , CPa) were electrophoretically separated. An elongation of the electrophoretical period resulted especially in a decrease of the proportion of the light-harvesting …

Changes in the Constitution of Thylakoid Membranes in Spruce Needles During an Open‐top Chamber Experiment

The goal of the presented paper was to study the emission effects of natural air pollutants on the protein complexes of the thylakoid membrane. The tests were carried out in the frame of a long-term experiment in which spruce trees kept in open-top chambers with unfiltered ambient-air were compared to spruce trees in chambers with purified-air. The reaction centres of photosystem I (P-700), cytochrome f, cytochrome b-563, cytochrome b-559, as well as the oxidation speed of the antennae chlorophylls were quantified. The concentrations of the cytochromes f and b-563 indicate a marked annual rhythm with decreased concentrations during the summer months. The spruce trees in chambers with ambien…

Three-dimensional crystallization of the light-harvesting complex from Mantoniella squamata (Prasinophyceae) requires an adequate purification procedure

Abstract We present a new purification procedure for the light-harvesting complex of Mantoniella squamata whereupon three-dimensional crystallization succeeded. Previous purification methods were based on density centrifugations as the only separating principle. We have extended this preparation procedure by applying anion-exchange and molecular-sieve chromatography techniques. Purity and stability of the complex were proved by denaturing and non-denaturing polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and spectroscopic measurements. With respect to contaminating lipids the purified pigment-protein complex was examined by thin-layer chromatography and the aggregation and/or oligomeric states were inv…

Measurements of cytochrome f and P-700 in intact leaves of Sinapis alba grown under high-light and low-light conditions

The oxidation and reduction of cytochrome f and P-700 is measured spectrophotometrically in leaves of low-light and high-light plants. After illumination with red light, an induction phenomenon for cytochrome f oxidation is observed which indicates a regulation of photosystem I activity through energy distribution between the pigment systems by the energy state of the membrane. After far-red excitation the reduction of cytochrome f in the dark is much slower in low-light leaves. This shows that cyclic electron transport is not improved in low-light plants under these conditions. P-700 is oxidized on excitation with far-red light. However, with high intensities of far-red light, P-700 is par…

The Effect of Phosphinothricin (Glufosinate) on Photosynthesis II. The Causes of Inhibition of Photosynthesis

It was shown in the previous study that phosphinothricin (glufosinate) causes an accumulation of ammonia and inhibition of photosynthesis. The extent to which there is a connection between these two processes is now investigated in the present study. First of all. the role of NH3 per se in the impairment of photosynthesis was to be clarified. For this purpose, the inhibition of photosyn­thesis was investigated in relation to exogenously applied ammonia in chloroplasts, protoplasts and entire leaves. The comparison with the experimental results in leaves in which the ammonia was formed endogenously (by action of phosphinothricin) shows that the ammonia toxicity at least cannot be solely resp…

The combined effects of CO2, ozone and drought on rubisco and nitrogen metabolism of young oak trees (Quercus petraea) A phytotron study

Abstract In this phytotron experiment we investigated the influence of increased CO 2 , O 3 and drought on the content of soluble proteins and some enzymes of carbon and nitrogen metabolism. We found that the amounts of soluble proteins and the large subunit of the rubisco per fresh weight in young oak leaves declined under conditions of increasing levels of CO 2 and after temporary water stress. The activities of nitrite reductase and glutamine synthetase were reduced when O 3 and CO 2 levels were raised.

Growth and Photosynthesis of Nanochlorum eucaryotum, a New and Extremely Small Eucaryotic Green Alga

Nanochlorum eucaryotum is a very small species of unicellular coccoid green algae (1.5 pm). The growth of Nanochlorum under different conditions of salinity, pH and light intensities was studied. Optimal growth rates were observed with normal sea water salinity and low light conditions at pH 7.0. The contents of chlorophylls, carotinoids, soluble proteins and the chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b ratio were measured. The light saturating curves of Nanochlorum cells grown under light intensities of 100 lx, 2000 lx and 10000 lx reveal a very narrow capacity of light adaptation. When cultured under higher light intensities, Nanochlorum was not able to reach high photosynthetic activities but unde…

Bau, Eigenschaften und Funktionen von Biomembranen Die pflanzliche Zelle als osmotisches System

Alle Zellen sind von einer Membran umgeben, die ihnen lebenswichtige Individualitat verleiht. Die Zell- oder Plasmamembran, das Plasmalemma, trennt das Cytoplasma von der extrazellularen Ausenwelt, wahrend sich die Organellen durch ihre Membranen gegen das Cytoplasma abgrenzen. Membranen sind sehr selektive Permeabilitatsschranken (Permeabilitat = Durchlassigkeit), die einerseits aufgrund ihrer physikalisch-chemischen Struktur, andererseits uber spezifische Kanale und Pumpen einen kontrollierten Stoffaustausch mit ihrer Umgebung ermoglichen. Sie trennen damit Reaktionsraume (Kompartimente) voneinander. Diese Kompartimentierung ermoglicht eine Aufgabenteilung, sodass viele unterschiedliche S…

The effect of kinetin on the photosynthetic apparatus of Sinapis alba

The influence of kinetin during the development of primary leaves of Sinapis alba was investigated. Kinetin treatment (6 ppm) induced an increase of dry weight, of soluble reducing sugars, soluble protein, chlorophylls, carotenoids and cytochrome f; a higher ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b, higher rates of CO2 fixation per fresh weight and higher activity of nitrite reductase, were also found. These effects are comparable with strong and blue light adaptations. On the other hand, the Hill activity with ferricyanide as the electron acceptor, the rates of CO2 fixation per chlorophyll, the ratios of chlorophyll to cytochrome f and of protein to chlorophyll did not change. Therefore we …

The effect of light intensities on the transcript level of proteins involved in photosynthesis in mustard plants

Summary The influence of light quantity on the steady-state levels of plastid encoded transcripts was examined during the development of primary leaves from mustard ( Sinapis alba ) plants. RbcL mRNA, petA mRNA, and psbA mRNA, which encode the large subunit (LSU) of Rubisco, Cyt f of the Cyt b6/f complex, and D1 protein of PS II were investigated in leaves grown under high-light (HL) or low-light (LL) conditions. Additionally, the nuclear encoded 25 S rRNA was quantified. As a proportion of total RNA, the levels of 25 S rRNA, rbcL mRNA, petA mRNA, and psbA mRNA did not differ substantially in the HL versus LL plants. During leaf ontogenesis, though, the proportion of psbA mRNA in total RNA …

Correlative Analysis of the Photosynthetic Capacity and Different Components of the Photosynthetic Apparatus

The majority of higher plants is able to adapt to the ecological factor light in a wide range. Depending on the light intensity and the light quality during growth, plant with an equal genotype develop into so-called low light and high light forms. The photosynthetic adaptation to different light conditions involves complex, balanced changes of many leaf features. The changes of physiological factors of photosynthesis includes differences in the CO2 conductance, in the Calvin cycle enzymes, the capacity of electron transport, the photophosphorylation and the pigments (Boardman, 1977; Wild, 1979; Bjorkman, 1981; Lichtenthaler et al., 1981). The adaptation of individual plants or leaves to lo…

Comparison of the Effects of Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Kinetin on the Photosynthetic Apparatus and on the Cell Metabolism

External and internal factors can exert a regulatory influence on growth and differentiation within a reaction norm determined by the genetic material. As to the internal factors, the phytohormones intervene in the most development processes in a regulatory manner. In a number of publications it was pointed out that there is a far-reaching accordance between the effects caused by I.4A and the effects induced by red light and low light conditions (Zerbe, Wild, 1980 a; Holzapfel et al., 1982 a). Plants of Sinapis alba grown under low light conditions but additionally treated with kinetin show changes in their metabolism that are characteristic of plants grown at higher light intensities (Zerb…

Die Wirkung unterschiedlicher Lichtintensitäten auf die Nitratreduktase-Aktivität, den Gehalt an löslichen Proteinen und löslichen reduzierenden Zuckern von Sinapis alba im Verlauf der Entwicklung von der Keimung bis zum Blühen

Summary Plants of Sinapis alba (white mustard) grown under strong light conditions have a higher content of soluble reducing sugars, of soluble proteins and a higher dry wight during growth from germination to flowering. Furthermore, in these plants the nitrate reductase activity is essentially higher during the vegetative development, but before the beginning of the flowering phase the activity is less than the level of plants grown under low light intensities. The results obtained indicate a direct correlation between nitrate reductase activity and the content of soluble proteins. In the high-light plants both components show distinct maxima 13—14 days after sowing the seeds. The enhancem…

Biochemical indicators for novel forest decline in spruce

Abstract The impact of air pollution on 24 stands of spruce trees in several regions in Germany was investigated. We looked for evidence of biochemical and physiological change at the level of the photosynthetic thylakoid membranes as well as for changes in the antioxidative system in two year old needles. We observed that, as the chlorophyll content decreases in the needles, the amoung of D1 protein declines far more rapidly in relation to the redox components P700 and cytochrome f. Consequently, the PSII/PSI stoichiometry keeps dropping to pregressively lower, meaning unfavorable, values at the chlorophyll content diminishes. This is particularly the case in the higher elevation character…

Detection of primary DNA damage in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by means of modified microgel electrophoresis.

The assessment of genotoxic potential in surface water requires test methods, among which are those that detect initial DNA damage in organisms of aquatic biocenosis. The microgel electrophoresis (MGE) "comet assay" was applied to a ubiquitous unicellular green alga (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) to detect DNA damage caused by genotoxins. For this, the test protocol described by Singh NP et al. [Exp Cell Res 175: 184-191, 1988] was modified. Major modifications were the use of alkaline lysis buffer with ionic detergents and the reduction of preincubation and electrophoresis times. Short-time exposure of Chlamydomonas to the well-known genotoxicants 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO), N-nitrosodi…

Chlorophyll-protein-complexes of thylakoids of wild type and chlorophyll b mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

Pigment-protein-complexes of two chlorophyll b deficient mutants of Arabidopsis and from the wild type were separated electrophoretically. Light-harvesting proteins were absent in the chlorophyll b free mutant ch(1) and their amount was reduced in the mutant ch(2) which has a reduced content of chlorophyll b. The ratio of CPa:CP I increased with decreasing chlorophyll b content which indicated that the stoichiometry of photosystem II to photosystem I is not constant.

Molecular Composition of Glutamine Synthetase of Sinapis alba L.

Chloroplastic glutamine synthetase of Sinapis alba, purified to homogeneity by a simple three step procedure, revealed a molecular weight of about 395 kDa. The native enzyme is composed of eight subunits of identical molecular weight (about 50 kDa (each), although isoelectrofocusing yielded six distinct bands in the pH 5.6 region of the gel. Labelling of the enzyme with the glutamate analogue herbicide [14C]phosphinothricin and with [γ-32P]ATP indicated that glutamine synthetase has eight reactive centers per molecule. The native enzyme dissociated into two enzymatically active subaggregates of about 195 kDa after Mg2+ deprivation.

Photosynthese I: Energieumwandlung

Bei der Photosynthese der Pflanzen wird anorganische Substanz (CO2, H2O) mithilfe von Strahlungsenergie (Licht) in organische Substanz (z. B. Kohlenhydrate) umgewandelt. Die produzierte organische Substanz, das Assimilat, enthalt sowohl die gewonnene Energie als auch die aufgenommene Substanz. Dementsprechend hat die Photosynthese zwei verschiedene Aspekte: die Energieumwandlung und die Substanzumwandlung. Man kann demgemas die Vorgange, die bei der Photosynthese ablaufen, in zwei Abschnitte gliedern.

The Effect of Bialaphos on Ammonium-Assimilation and Photosynthesis II. Effect on Photosynthesis and Photorespiration

Abstract The application of bialaphos (phosphinothricyl-alanyl-alanine) effects a quick photosynthesis inhibition under atmospheric conditions (400 ppm CO2, 21% O2). However, under conditions (1000 ppm CO2, 2% O2) under which photorespiration cannot occur there is no photosynthesis inhibition. In the previous investigation it could be shown that bialaphos splits in plants into phosphinothricin and alanine. The inhibition of glutamine synthetase through freed phosphinothricin results in an NH4 +-accumulation and a decrease in glutamine. With the addition of glutamine, photosynthesis inhibition by bialaphos can be reduced. An NH4 +-accumulation takes place under atmospheric conditions as well…

Activity and activation state of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase of spruce trees with varying degrees of damage relative to the occurrence of novel forest decline.

The aim was to determine whether a reduced carboxylation efficiency in needles of damaged spruce trees (Picea abies), is derived from a direct impairment of the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBP carboxylase) or there is an indirect inhibition of the RuBP carboxylase. In 1985, 1986 and 1987 measurements of RuBP carboxylase activity were carried out at three locations. Trees of different ages and degrees of damage were examined. RuBP carboxylase was assayed using both a rapid extraction method to determine the initial activity and an in vitro test after total activation to determine the total activity. The activation state was calculated as the ratio of initial activity to total act…

THE LIGHT-HARVESTING SYSTEM OF THE UNICELLULAR ALGA Mantoniella squamata (PRASINOPHYCEAE): EVIDENCE FOR THE LACK OF A PHOTOSYSTEM I-SPECIFIC ANTENNA COMPLEX

The light-harvesting complexes (LHC) were isolated from the unicellular alga Mantoniella squamata (Prasinophyceae) by sucrose-density centrifugation. Beside the major LHC (II), a photosystem I complex was obtained that could be dissociated into a photosystem I core complex and an associated LHC I. In contrast to other chlorophyll b-containing antennae, both LHC II as well as LHC I were observed to be identical with respect to the following features: the molecular weights, the isoelectric points and the retention behavior on anion-exchange chromatography of the apoproteins, the pigment content and the absorption and fluorescence spectra

Effect of Phosphinothricin (Glufosinate) on Photosynthesis and Photorespiration

Phosphinothricin (PPT) causes a rapid inhibition of photosynthesis under atmospheric conditions (400 ppm CO2, 21% O2). However, under conditions (1000 ppm CO2, 2% O2) under which photorespiration cannot occur, there is no or only a very low rate of photosynthesis inhibition by phosphinothricin. Under both conditions, a strong NH4 +-accumulation is apparent caused through the inhibition of glutamine synthetase by phosphinothricin. This indicates, that NH4 +-accumulation cannot be the primary cause for photosynthesis inhibition by phosphinothricin, but a process in connexion with photorespiration plays a central role. Through the lack of amino donors, the transamination of glyoxylate to glyci…

Contents of free amino acids in needles of Norway Spruce trees in relation to novel forest decline. Studies on trees from a site in the northern Black Forest.

The free amino acid content in needles of Norway spruce trees (about 45-year-old) was determined by means of HPLC. The studied trees have been growing at a forestry site in the Black Forest which is characterized by a high impact of ozone and magnesium deficiency. Measurements were carried out on visibly healthy and on damaged trees on several dates during two vegetation periods and during the course of a day. The amino acids occurring at the highest concentrations were glutamate, arginine, aspartate, and glutamine. The typical seasonal changes in the content of free amino acids, with their minimum during summer, were disturbed in the needles of the damaged trees. Particularly in summer and…

Changes in Levels of a-Tocopherol and Ascorbate in Spruce Needles at Three Low Mountain Sites Exposed to Mg2+-Deficiency and Ozone

The main objective of this study was the com parison of changes in levels of α-tocopherol and ascorbate in needles of spruce trees with various degrees of damage at three low mountain sites. The ascorbate content in needles of spruce trees with various degrees of dam age differs in the course of seasons as well as in the absolute level. The antioxidant status was affected mainly during summer. The content of ascorbate in needles of dam aged trees was significantly increased compared to that of undamaged trees. Despite seasonal and daily fluctuations, the level of ascorbate seems to be a good indicator for the degree of dam age in the case of symptoms described as montane yellowing. Together…