JXB Advance Access originally published online on May 19, 2006
Journal of Experimental Botany 2006 57(8):1621-1631; doi:10.1093/jxb/erl005
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RESEARCH PAPER |
Inter-relationships between light and respiration in the control of ascorbic acid synthesis and accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves
1Plant Physiology Institute (INFIVE), Schools of Agronomy and of Natural Sciences, National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
2MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
3MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
4Crop Performance and Improvement Division, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: christine.foyer{at}bbsrc.ac.uk
The effects of growth irradiance and respiration on ascorbic acid (AA) synthesis and accumulation were studied in the leaves of wild-type and transformed Arabidopsis thaliana with modified amounts of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) protein. Plants were grown under low (LL; 50 µmol photons m–2 s–1), intermediate (IL; 100 µmol photons m–2 s–1), or high (HL; 250 µmol photons m–2 s–1) light. Increasing growth irradiance progressively elevated leaf AA content and hence the values of dark-induced disappearance of leaf AA, which were 11, 55, and 89 nmol AA lost g–1 fresh weight h–1, from LL-, IL-, and HL-grown leaves, respectively. When HL leaves were supplied with L-galactone-1,4-lactone (L-GalL; the precursor of AA), they accumulated twice as much AA and had double the maximal L-galactone-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (L-GalLDH) activities of LL leaves. Growth under HL enhanced dehydroascorbate reductase and monodehydroascorbate reductase activities. Leaf respiration rates were highest in the HL leaves, which also had higher amounts of cytochrome c and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activities, as well as enhanced capacity of the AOX and CCO electron transport pathways. Leaves of the AOX-overexpressing lines accumulated more AA than wild-type or antisense leaves, particularly at HL. Intact mitochondria from AOX-overexpressing lines had higher AA synthesis capacities than those from the wild-type or antisense lines even though they had similar L-GalLDH activities. AOX antisense lines had more cytochrome c protein than wild-type or AOX-overexpressing lines. It is concluded that regardless of limitations on L-GalL synthesis by regulation of early steps in the AA synthesis pathway, the regulation of L-GalLDH activity via the interaction of light and respiratory controls is a crucial determinant of the overall ability of leaves to produce and accumulate AA.
Key words: Ascorbic acid, alternative oxidase, cytochrome c, light acclimation, mitochondria, respiration
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. Nunes-Nesi, R. Sulpice, Y. Gibon, and A. R. Fernie The enigmatic contribution of mitochondrial function in photosynthesis J. Exp. Bot., May 1, 2008; 59(7): 1675 - 1684. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Alhagdow, F. Mounet, L. Gilbert, A. Nunes-Nesi, V. Garcia, D. Just, J. Petit, B. Beauvoit, A. R. Fernie, C. Rothan, et al. Silencing of the Mitochondrial Ascorbate Synthesizing Enzyme L-Galactono-1,4-Lactone Dehydrogenase Affects Plant and Fruit Development in Tomato Plant Physiology, December 1, 2007; 145(4): 1408 - 1422. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Studart-Guimaraes, A. Fait, A. Nunes-Nesi, F. Carrari, B. Usadel, and A. R. Fernie Reduced Expression of Succinyl-Coenzyme A Ligase Can Be Compensated for by Up-Regulation of the {gamma}-Aminobutyrate Shunt in Illuminated Tomato Leaves Plant Physiology, November 1, 2007; 145(3): 626 - 639. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|