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Phytoremediation pp 109–118Cite as

Uptake, Assimilation, and Novel Metabolism of Nitrogen Dioxide in Plants

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Part of the book series: Methods in Biotechnology ((MIBT,volume 23))

Abstract

To understand the uptake and assimilation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in various plants, quantification of both inorganic nitrogen such as nitrate, nitrite and ammonium ions, and organic nitrogen (or Kjeldahl nitrogen) is vital. Thus, we first describe the quantification of these ions by the capillary electrophoresis method. It is noteworthy that the nitrite ion concentrations in plant tissues are somewhat controversial, and that we have previously reported possible causes of nitrite ion contamination from experimental tools. Details of fumigation of plants with NO2, and of nitrogen analysis of fumigated plant tissues are described. According to plant physiology textbooks, the total nitrogen taken up into the plant body should equal the sum of the inorganic nitrogen plus organic or Kjeldahl nitrogen. However, we have unexpectedly discovered that about one-third of the total nitrogen derived from NO2 taken up in the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana is converted to neither inorganic nor Kjeldahl nitrogen, but instead to an as yet unknown nitrogen. We hereafter designate this nitrogen unidentified nitrogen (UN). Some details for the determination of the UN also are described.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (nos. 13556002 and 16208033) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, by the Research for the Future Program, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS-RFTF96L00604) and by a Grant-in-Aid for Creative Scientific Research (no. 13GS0023) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Authors
  1. Misa Takahashi
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  2. Toshiyuki Matsubara
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  3. Atsushi Sakamoto
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  4. Hiromichi Morikawa
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research in Plant Science, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Neil Willey

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© 2007 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Takahashi, M., Matsubara, T., Sakamoto, A., Morikawa, H. (2007). Uptake, Assimilation, and Novel Metabolism of Nitrogen Dioxide in Plants. In: Willey, N. (eds) Phytoremediation. Methods in Biotechnology, vol 23. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-098-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-098-0_9

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-541-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-098-0

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