Journal article
Acquisition and Assimilation of Nitrogen as Peptide-Bound and D-Enantiomers of Amino Acids by Wheat
PloS one, Vol.6(4), e19220
2011
PMCID: PMC3082556
PMID: 21541281
Abstract
Nitrogen is a key regulator of primary productivity in many terrestrial ecosystems. Historically, only inorganic N (NH4+ and NO3-) and L-amino acids have been considered to be important to the N nutrition of terrestrial plants. However, amino acids are also present in soil as small peptides and in D-enantiomeric form. We compared the uptake and assimilation of N as free amino acid and short homopeptide in both L- and D-enantiomeric forms. Sterile roots of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants were exposed to solutions containing either C-14-labelled L-alanine, D-alanine, L-trialanine or D-trialanine at a concentration likely to be found in soil solution (10 mu M). Over 5 h, plants took up L-alanine, D-alanine and L-trialanine at rates of 0.9+/-0.3, 0.3+/-0.06 and 0.3+/-0.04 mu mol g(-1) root DW h(-1), respectively. The rate of N uptake as L-trialanine was the same as that as L-alanine. Plants lost ca.60% of amino acid C taken up in respiration, regardless of the enantiomeric form, but more (ca.80%) of the L-trialanine C than amino acid C was respired. When supplied in solutions of mixed N form, N uptake as D-alanine was ca.5-fold faster than as NO3-, but slower than as L-alanine, L-trialanine and NH4+. Plants showed a limited capacity to take up D-trialanine (0.04+/-0.03 mmol g(-1) root DW h(-1)), but did not appear to be able to metabolise it. We conclude that wheat is able to utilise L-peptide and D-amino acid N at rates comparable to those of N forms of acknowledged importance, namely L-amino acids and inorganic N. This is true even when solutes are supplied at realistic soil concentrations and when other forms of N are available. We suggest that it may be necessary to reconsider which forms of soil N are important in the terrestrial N cycle.
Details
- Title
- Acquisition and Assimilation of Nitrogen as Peptide-Bound and D-Enantiomers of Amino Acids by Wheat
- Authors/Creators
- Paul W. Hill - Bangor UniversityRichard S. Quilliam - Bangor UniversityThomas H. DeLuca - Bangor UniversityJohn Farrar - Bangor UniversityMark Farrell - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationPaula Roberts - Bangor UniversityKevin K. Newsham - British Antarctic SurveyDavid W. Hopkins - University of StirlingRichard D. Bardgett - Lancaster UniversityDavid L. Jones - Bangor University
- Publication Details
- PloS one, Vol.6(4), e19220
- Publisher
- Public Library Science
- Number of pages
- 4
- Grant note
- bas0100025 / Natural Environment Research Council; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) NE/E017304/1 / NERC; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) AFI 8/08 / UK Natural Environment Research Council; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- Identifiers
- 991005560422007891
- Copyright
- © 2011 Hill et al.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
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- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.45 Soil Science
- 3.45.112 Soil Carbon Dynamics
- Web Of Science research areas
- Plant Sciences
- ESI research areas
- Agricultural Sciences