Beneficial Consequences of a Selective Glutamine Synthetase Inhibitor in Oats and Legumes

摘要

We report on the effects of administering a unique glutamine synthetase inhibitor to cereals and N2 -fixing legumes. A bacterium (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci) delivers this inhibitor to provide extended treatment periods; we inoculated the root systems of oat and legume plants with pv. tabaci to provide for delivery of this inhibitor to their root or root/nodule systems. Inoculation of legumes is accompanied by increased plant growth, total plant nitrogen, nodulation, and nitrogen fixation activity. Inoculation of the oats is accompanied by either of two results depending upon the genotype of the oat plant. One result is inhibition of plant growth followed by plant death as consequences of the loss of all of the glutamine synthetase activities in the plant and the subsequent accumulation of ammonia and cessation of nitrate uptake. The second and opposite result is observed in a small population of oats screened from a commercial cultivar and includes increased plant growth and leaf protein. The effects of this inhibitor can be beneficial when applied to appropriate plant material. In an attempt to effectively communicate these findings to the reader, we first introduce the inhibitor (a novel amino acid) and its bacterial delivery systems, the target of the inhibitor (glutamine synthetase-catalyzed ammonia assimilation), and the two different nitrogen economics in the legume and cereal plants used experimentally. The physiological, biochemical, and molecular genetic consequences of the inhibitor action in cereals and legumes, as we presently understand them, are then presented. 18 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.,. (ERA citation 14:019489)