Advances In Plant Nitrogen Metabolism

Advances in Plant Nitrogen Metabolism is a thoughtful, provocative, and up-to-date volume that presents important physiological, biochemical, and molecular perspectives of the nitrogen metabolism in plants and regulatory networks underlying it. The book is an attempt to team up with global leading research experts working in the field of plant nitrogen metabolism to compile an up-to-date and wide-ranging volume. The main purpose of this book is to present information on the most recent developments including the different modern approaches and methodologies that are being currently employed in the field of plant nitrogen metabolism. We trust that this comprehensive volume will familiarize readers with the detailed mechanisms of nitrogen metabolism and its regulation and the current trends in this field of study. The book offers comprehensive coverage of the most essential topics, including: Role of nitrogen and its assimilation in plants Recycling and remobilization of nitrogen during senescence Role of phytohormones in nitrogen metabolism Biological nitrogen fixation Nitrogen biofertilizers: role in sustainable agriculture Effect of stress on plant nitrogen metabolism Reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in plants Nitrogen toxicity in plants, symptoms, and safeguards Nitrogen metabolism enzymes: structure, role, and regulation Regulatory RNAs and their role in nitrogen metabolism of diazotrophs As a pivotal contribution to the field, this volume is an invaluable and up-to-date foundation for plant physiologists, plant biochemists, geneticists, molecular biologists, agronomists, environmental researchers, and students of plant science. The book can also be used for the coursework of research and master's students.

This volume is based on papers presented by invited speakers at a symposium entitled "Plant Nitrogen Metabolism" held in conjunction with the 28th Annual Meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America. The meeting took place on the campus of the University of Iowa at Iowa City during June 26-30, 1988, and attracted 110 participants from 11 countries. The goal of the symposium was to trace the pathway by which nitrogen passes from soil and atmosphere into both primary and secondary nitrogenous metabolites, focusing upon areas which were felt to be most rapidly expanding. From nodulines (nodule specific proteins) and GS/GOGAT mutants to sugar mimics (polyhydroxyalkaloids) and herbicide inhibitors of amino acid metabolism, research in nitrogen metabolism has expanded into areas barely envisioned only a few years ago. Both the nitrogen specialist and the general plant biochemist will be pleased by the range of topics covered here. Following an overview in Chapter 1 of plant nitrogen metabolism, the remaining chapters are loosely organized into three groups. Chapters 2-6 deal primarily with the biochemistry and molecular biology of nitrogen assimilation and transport, Chapters 7-9 with amino acid metabolism, and Chapters 10-12 with secondary metabolites.

Plant Physiology: A Treatise, Volume VIII: Nitrogen Metabolism focuses on the physiological aspects of nitrogen metabolism in plants. This book considers the descriptive biochemistry by which nitrogen compounds and their reactions are recognized; the way the feasible reactions are assembled into metabolic pathways and cycles that give meaningful purpose and direction to the course of metabolism; and the ongoing fate of nitrogen compounds in relation to ontogeny, growth, and development. This volume is organized into four chapters and begins with an introduction to developments in basic and applied biological nitrogen fixation, focusing on the agriculturally important mechanisms by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted to plant protein. The biology and biochemistry of nitrogen-fixing associations and their practical application in agriculture are discussed, along with nitrogen metabolism in the context of various actual situations in which cells divide and grow and specific plants develop, mature, and reproduce. The next chapter deals with the metabolism and turnover of proteins, citing specific proteins (the enzymes ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase and nitrate reductase and seed protein) as the type cases to illustrate the fate of special proteins through their formation and turnover. The mechanisms and biological settings of protein degradation, as distinct from breakdown during protein turnover, are also covered in detail. This book is intended for teachers, research workers, and students with specific interest in plant physiology.

This volume is based on papers presented by invited speakers at a symposium entitled "Plant Nitrogen Metabolism" held in conjunction with the 28th Annual Meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America. The meeting took place on the campus of the University of Iowa at Iowa City during June 26-30, 1988, and attracted 110 participants from 11 countries. The goal of the symposium was to trace the pathway by which nitrogen passes from soil and atmosphere into both primary and secondary nitrogenous metabolites, focusing upon areas which were felt to be most rapidly expanding. From nodulines (nodule specific proteins) and GS/GOGAT mutants to sugar mimics (polyhydroxyalkaloids) and herbicide inhibitors of amino acid metabolism, research in nitrogen metabolism has expanded into areas barely envisioned only a few years ago. Both the nitrogen specialist and the general plant biochemist will be pleased by the range of topics covered here. Following an overview in Chapter 1 of plant nitrogen metabolism, the remaining chapters are loosely organized into three groups. Chapters 2-6 deal primarily with the biochemistry and molecular biology of nitrogen assimilation and transport, Chapters 7-9 with amino acid metabolism, and Chapters 10-12 with secondary metabolites.

The field of plant nitrogen metabolism continues to be a compelling focus for basic research activities because there is a strong demand for immediate solutions, particularly in key areas, such as improving plant nitrogen use efficiency, which are crucial to future agricultural sustainability and the future economic success of agriculture. The 13 reviews which comprise this excellent and carefully edited new volume bring together the expertise and enthusiasm of an international team of leading researchers. Topics covered include nitrogen sensing and signalling, uptake and membrane systems, nitric oxide, primary nitrogen assimilation and C/N balance and interactions, and regulation of root and plant architecture. Together, these reviews provide an insight into how plants sense, uptake and assimilate nitrogen into the organic compounds required for growth, co-ordinate nitrogen and carbon metabolism and regulate growth and development according to nitrogen availability. The transcription factors that act to integrate environmental nutrient (nitrogen) signals to co-ordinate primary and secondary metabolism are discussed, together with new concepts of cross-talk, transport and signalling, and how such molecular networks influence nitrogen and carbon cycling processes in the environment. Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 42: Nitrogen Metabolism in Plants in the Post-genomic Era is an essential purchase for advanced students, researchers and professionals in plant sciences, biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, genetics and agricultural sciences, working in the academic and industrial sectors. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where these subjects are studied and taught will need copies of this excellent volume on their shelves.

This book results from a symposium on the theme of 'The Physiology and Biochemistry of Plant Productivity' which was held at the University of Calgary from July 14-18, 1980, and was jointly sponsored by the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists and the International Association of Plant Physiologists. The subject matter of the book deals with various aspects of nitrogen and carbon metabolism, their interrelationships and interdependence. The topics covered in the chapters highlight various interesting and important lines of research that are in progress. There is no attempt to provide a comprehensive coverage of the basic physiological knowledge upon which this research depend- important references are to be found at the end of each chapter, however, and the reader will be able to pursue these as necessary. An introductory chapter by Dr. R.G.S. Bidwell (winner of the C.S.P.P. Gold Medal in 1979) considers some implications of plant physiological research and the aims and responsibilities of plant physiologists. In the next two chapters Drs. J. Rigaud and L.E. Schrader (with R.J. Thomas) elaborate on current research on nitrate metabolism and nitrogen fixation, and how an understanding of these phenomena might be usefully applied towards the manipulation of plants to improve productivity. Dr. J.S.

Of all the advances in agriculture, it is the use of nitrogen fertilizers that has provided the greatest increase in crop yield. The study of nitrogen metabolism is thus of vital importance. Additionally, because nitrogen is a constituent of such a wide range of plant metabolites, the study of their chemistry and biochemistry engages the attention of many plant scientists. This book covers recent developments in this field. Topics include the study of root nodules; the uptake, assimilation, and transport of ammonium and nitrate; amino acid metabolism; the distribution and synthesis of seed proteins; and recent research on polyamines, cyanogenic glycosides, and alkaloids. There are also chapters on denitrification and the impact of nitrogen on agricultural productivity and the environment. With contributions from international experts, this volume will interest all plant physiologists and phytochemists as well as biochemists interested in the behavior of nitrogen compounds.