Endogenous superoxide production and the nitrite/nitrate ratio control the concentration of bioavailable free nitric oxide in leaves.
We have quantitatively measured nitric oxide production in the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana and Vicia faba by adapting ferrous dithiocarbamate spin tapping methods previously used in animal systems. Hydrophobic diethyldithiocarbamate complexes were used to measure NO interacting with membranes, and hydrophilic N-methyl-d-glucamine dithiocarbamate was used to measure NO released into the external solution. Both complexes were able to trap levels of NO, readily detectable by EPR spectroscopy. Basal rates of NO production (in the order of 1 nmol g(-) (1) h(-1)) agreed with previous studies. However, use of methodologies that corrected for the removal of free NO by endogenously produced superoxide resulted in a significant increase in trapped NO (up to 18 nmol g(-) (1) h(-1)). Basal NO production in leaves is therefore much higher than previously thought, but this is masked by significant superoxide production. The effects of nitrite (increased rate) and nitrate (decreased rate) are consistent with a role for nitrate reductase as the source of this basal NO production. However, rates under physiologically achievable nitrite concentrations never approach that reported following pathogen induction of plant nitric-oxide synthase. In Hibiscus rosa sinensis, the addition of exogenous nitrite generated sufficient NO such that EPR could be used to detect its production using endogenous spin traps (forming paramagnetic dinitrosyl iron complexes). Indeed the levels of this nitrosylated iron pool are sufficiently high that they may represent a method of maintaining bioavailable iron levels under conditions of iron starvation, thus explaining the previously observed role of NO in preventing chlorosis under these conditions.
Vanin
Anatoly F
AF
Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117977, Russia.
Svistunenko
Dimitri A
DA
Mikoyan
Vasak D
VD
Serezhenkov
Vladimir A
VA
Fryer
Michael J
MJ
Baker
Neil R
NR
Cooper
Chris E
CE
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000378:metabolism; D001669:Biochemical Phenomena; D001671:Biochemistry; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D009566:Nitrates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D013012:Sorbitol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013113:Spin Labels; D019097:Spin Trapping; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D013859:Thiocarbamates / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D031307:Vicia faba / Q000378:metabolism
D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D013113:Spin Labels; D013859:Thiocarbamates; C110934:dithiocarbamate-Fe(II); D013481:Superoxides; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D013012:Sorbitol; C041262:N-methyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate; D007501:Iron; D009584:Nitrogen