This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Web of Science (58) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Klein, S. Articles by Meller, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Klein, S. Articles by Meller, E. Agricola Articles by Klein, S. Articles by Meller, E.

Articles

Accumulation of -Aminolevulinic Acid and Its Relation to Chlorophyll Synthesis and Development of Plastid Structure in Greening Leaves ¹

^a Department of Botany, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

Levulinic acid inhibited the greening of etiolated maize (Zea mays) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) leaves and caused accumulation of -aminolevulinic acid (ALA). ALA accumulation in maize was equivalent to the decrease in chlorophyll, over a wide range of experimental conditions. It was saturated at low light intensities and was not limited by the supply of substrates during the early hours of greening. During 20 hours in light, levulinic acid had little effect on the structural development of thylakoids in bundle sheath chloroplasts but significantly reduced the number and size of thylakoids in grana of mesophyll chloroplasts. Recrystallization of prolamellar bodies and their reformation was inhibited. Mitochondria appeared not to be affected.

The accumulation of ALA in bean leaves differed from that in maize in regard to its time course and the effect of levulinic acid concentration and light intensity. The amount of ALA accumulated exceeded that expected from the degree of inhibition of chlorophyll synthesis. Levulinic acid caused abnormalities in the structural development of bean chloroplasts and marked swelling of mitochondria.

Chloramphenicol and cycloheximide inhibited ALA accumulation, while inhibitors of RNA synthesis had no effect. The extent of inhibition depended on the time the inhibitor was applied during the greening process. The use of ALA accumulation as a tool for studying the control of chlorophyll synthesis is discussed.