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Interaction between Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism

  • Chapter
Photosynthesis: Photoreactions to Plant Productivity

Abstract

The relationship between carbon and nitrogen metabolism in higher plants is reviewed. Photosynthetic reactions are involved in the synthesis, regulation, and maintenance of the enzymes of nitrate assismilation pathway. Chloroplast signals are needed for the synthesis of nitrate and nitrite reduction. Involvement of photorespiration in the supply of reductant is also implicated. Photorespiratory nitrogen metabolism is one of the important aspects of the interactions of carbon and nitrogen. The processes of transamination of glyoxylate, release of ammonia during glycine oxidation, and the reassimilation of photorespiratory ammonia are well understood. There is increasing evidence which indicates that the photorespiratory nitrogen cycle is not a closed one. Evidence for nitrogen import into and removal from the cycle are presented. Glutamate dehydrogenase does not appear to play a significant role in the process of reassimilation of photorespiratory ammonia. This enzyme may be involved in oxidation of glutamate. Tricarboxylic aCid (TCA) cycle provides carbon cycles for amino acid biosynthesis. It operates in the light and flow of carbon from photosynthesis into TCA cycle is regulated by ammonium. Nitrate and nitrite assimilation are also implicated in the stimulation of the cycle activity. Nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) of plants appears to be associated with the carbon assimilation pathways. Higher NUE of C4 plants is attributed to the relatively smaller investment of nitrogen in the photosynthetic carboxylation enzymes, more efficient distribution and redistribution of nitrogen in the plant, and also perhaps the spatial separation of reactions involved in photorespiration and nitrate assimilation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plant Physiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012, India

    P. A. Kumar, Raghuveer Polisetty & Y. P. Abrol

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  1. P. A. Kumar
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  2. Raghuveer Polisetty
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  3. Y. P. Abrol
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

    Yash Pal Abrol

  2. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

    Prasanna Mohanty

  3. University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    Govindjee

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Kumar, P.A., Polisetty, R., Abrol, Y.P. (1993). Interaction between Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism. In: Abrol, Y.P., Mohanty, P., Govindjee (eds) Photosynthesis: Photoreactions to Plant Productivity. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2708-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2708-0_13

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