Summary
Ten nitrate reductase-deficient Hordeum vulgare mutants were characterized for NADH and FMNH2 nitrate reductase (NR), cytochrome C reductase (CR) and nitrite reductase (NiR) activities. The mutants sort into four major groups. Group I represented by mutants Az 12, Az 23, Az 29 and Az 30 have low Nr and Cr activities. Group II represented by mutants Az 13, Az 31, Az 33 and Az 34 have low NR activities but intermediate CR activities. Group III represented by mutant Az 28 has low NR activity, but above normal CR activity. Group IV represented by Az 32 has low NADH-NR, low CR, but above normal FMNH2-NR activity. All ten mutants have elevated NiR activities. None of the ten mutants were constitutive for nitrite reductase activity. Only Az 34 showed a definite high temperature sensitivity when the NADH nitrate reductase activity was compared in the 12 to 26° C range. The mutants Az 12, Az 13, Az 23, Az 28, Az 29, Az 30, Az 31, Az 32 and Az 33 are allelic and were assigned the locus designation nar1. Mutant Az 34 represents a different genetic locus designated nar2. The nar1 gene is codominant and the nar2 gene is recessive.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Antoine, A.D.: Purification and properties of the nitrate reductase isolated from Neurospora crassa mutant nit-3. Kinetics, molecular weight determination and cytochrome involvement. Biochemistry 13, 2289–2294 (1974)
Coddington, A.: Biochemical studies on the nit mutants of Neurospora crassa. Mol. Gen. Genet. 145, 195–206 (1976)
Cove, D.J.: Chlorate toxicity in Aspergillus nidulans. Selection and characterization of chlorate resistant mutants. Heredity 36, 191–203 (1976a)
Cove, D.J.: Chlorate toxicity in Aspergillus nidulans. Studies of mutants altered in nitrate assimilation. Mol. Gen. Genet. 146, 147–159 (1976b)
Doddema, H., Hofstra, J.J., Feenstra, W.J.: Uptake of nitrate by mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana, disturbed in uptake or reduction of nitrate. Physiol. Plant. 43, 343–350 (1978)
Feenstra, W.J., Braaksma, F.J.: Genetic control of nitrate reduction in Arabidopsis. In: Arabidopsis information service. Second International Symposium on Arabidopsis Research, pp. 133–135. Frankfurt/Main: J.W.-goethe-University, Goettingen, 1976
Garrett, R.H., Cove, D.J.: Formation of NADPH-nitrate reductase activity in vitro from Aspergillus nidulans nia D and cnx mutants. Mol. Gen. Genet. 149, 179–186 (1976)
Garrett, R.H., Nason, A.: Further purification and properties of Neurospora nitrate reductase. J. Biol. Chem. 244, 2870–2882 (1969)
Hewitt, E.J.: Assimilatory nitrate-nitrite reduction. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 26, 73–100 (1975)
Kleinhofs, A., Warner, R.L., Muehlbauer, F.J., Nilan, R.A.: Induction and selection of specific gene mutations in Hordeum and Pisum. Mutat. Res. 51, 29–35 (1978)
Kuo, T., Kleinhofs, A., Warner, R.L., Nilan, R.A.: Characterization of nitrate reductase deficient mutants in barley. Genetics 86, 37 (1977)
MacDonald, D.W., Cove, D.J., Coddington, A.: Cytochrome-c reductases from wild-type and mutant strains of Aspergillus nidulans. Mol. Gen. Genet. 128, 187–199 (1974)
Mendel, R.R., Müller, A.J.: A common genetic determinant of xanthine dehydrogenase and nitrate reductase in Nicotiana tabacum. Biochem. Physiol. Pflanzen 170, 538–541 (1976)
Müller, A.J., Grafe, R.: Isolation and characterization of cell lines of Nicotiana tabacum lacking nitrate reductase. Mol. Gen. Genet. 161, 67–76 (1978)
Müller, A.J., Grafe, R., Mendel, R.R., Saalbach, I.: Nitrate reductase deficient mutants isolated from cultured Nicotiana tabacum cells. In: Experimental mutagenesis in plants. Proc. Symp. held in Varna, October 1976. Sofia, 1977. (in press)
Oostindier-Braaksma, F.J., Feenstra, W.J.: Isolation and characterization of chlorate-resistant mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutat. Res. 19, 175–185 (1973)
Pan, S.-S., Nason, A.: Purification and characterization of homogeneous assimilatory reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-nitrate reductase from Neurospora crassa. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 523, 297–313 (1978)
Payne, W.J.: Reduction of nitrogenous oxides by microorganisms. Bacteriol. Rev. 37, 409–452 (1973)
Schrader, L.E., Cotaldo, D.A., Peterson, D.M.: Use of protein in extraction and stabilization of nitrate reductase. Plant Physiol. 53, 688–690 (1974)
Schrader, L.E., Ritenour, F.L., Elrich, G.L., Hageman, R.H.: Some characteristics of nitrate reductase from higher plants. Plant Physiol. 43, 930–940 (1968)
Sherrard, J.H., Green, D.L., Swinden, L.B., Dalling, M.J.: Identification of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) chromosomes with genes controlling the level of nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and acid proteinase using the Chinese Spring-Hope substitution lines. Biochem. Genet. 14, 905–912 (1976)
Sorger, G.J.: Nitrate reductase electron transport systems in mutant and in wild type strains of Neurospora. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 118, 484–494 (1966)
Tokarev, B.I., Shumny, V.K.: Detection of barley mutants with low level of nitrate reductase activity after the seed treatment with ethylmethanesulphonate. Genetika, Moskva 13, 2097–2103 (1977)
Warner, R.L., Hageman, R.H., Dudley, J.W., Lambert, R.J.: Inheritance of nitrate reductase activity in Zea mays L. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 62, 785–792 (1969)
Warner, R.L., Kleinhofs, A.: Relationships between nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and ribulose diphosphate carboxylase activities in chlorophyll-deficient mutants of barley. Crop Sci. 14, 654–658 (1974)
Warner, R.L., Lin, C.J., Kleinhofs, A.: Nitrate reductase-deficient mutants in barley. Nature 269, 406–407 (1977)
Wray, J.L., Filner, P.: Structural and functional relationships of enzyme activities induced by nitrate in barley. Biochem. J. 119, 715–725 (1970)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by H. Böhme
Scientific Paper No. 5463. College of Agriculture Research Center, Washington State University, Pullman, Project Nos. 0233 and 0430. Supported in part by National Science Foundation Grants PCM 78-07649 and PCM 78-16025
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kleinhofs, A., Kuo, T. & Warner, R.L. Characterization of nitrate reductase-deficient barley mutants. Molec. Gen. Genet. 177, 421–425 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00271480
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00271480