Nitogen control of chloroplast development and differentiation: Technical progress report

Technical Report · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5855371· OSTI ID:5855371

Schmidt, G. W.

This project concerns the role of nitrogen availability in regulation of photosynthetic gene expression in the nuclear and chloroplast compartments. These studies exploit a continuous culture system wherein Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is maintained at a steady-state of nitrogen-limited growth. Nitrogen deficiency leads to alteration of light-harvesting capabilities, augmentation of chlororespiratory electron transport flow by thylakoid membranes and redirection of photosynthetic carbon metabolism toward the accumulation of storage carbohydrates. Recovery from nitrogen-deficiency with accompanying changes in gene expression rapidly follows provision of ammonium to the cells. Previously, we found that expression of nuclear genes encoding apoproteins of light-harvesting complexes and, to a lesser extent, the small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, are strongly regulated at the level of mRNA accumulation. Chloroplast activities are also strongly influenced by nitrogen availability but the effect is primarily due to restrictions of the translation of some, but not all, organellar mRNAs. No qualitative or quantitative effects on chloroplast (or mitochondrial) transcripts have been detected in northern analyses performed to date nor is there an appreciable effect of nitrogen limitation on the abundance of organellar DNA. 4 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Georgia Univ., Athens, GA (USA). Dept. of Botany
• DOE Contract Number: FG09-84ER13188
• OSTI ID: 5855371
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/13188-6; ON: DE89015801
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
14 SOLAR ENERGY
140504 -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
140505* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photochemical
Photobiological
& Thermochemical Conversion-- (1980-)
550201 -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALGAE
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
CAROTENOIDS
CHLAMYDOMONAS
CHLOROPHYCOTA
CHLOROPHYLL-BINDING PROTEINS
CLONING
CONTINUOUS CULTURE
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DNA HYBRIDIZATION
DNA-CLONING
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
HYBRIDIZATION
HYDROCARBONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MEMBRANES
MESSENGER-RNA
MICROORGANISMS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORUS 32
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
PHOTOSYNTHETIC MEMBRANES
PHOTOSYNTHETIC REACTION CENTERS
PHYSIOLOGY
PIGMENTS
PLANTS
PROGRESS REPORT
PROTEINS
RADIOISOTOPES
RNA
TERPENES
UNICELLULAR ALGAE