Plant Physiol. (1998) 118: 835-841
Source and Magnitude of Ammonium Generation in Maize
Roots1
Jinan Feng2,
Richard J. Volk*, and
William A. Jackson
Department of Soil Science, North Carolina State University,
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7619
 |
ABSTRACT |
Studies
with 15N indicate that appreciable generation of
NH4+ from endogenous sources accompanies the
uptake and assimilation of exogenous NH4+ by
roots. To identify the source of NH4+
generation, maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings were grown on
14NH4+ and then exposed for 3 d to highly labeled 15NH4+. More of
the entering 15NH4+ was
incorporated into the protein-N fraction of roots in darkness (approximately 25%) than in the light (approximately 14%). Although the 14NH4+ content of roots
declined rapidly to less than 1 µmol per plant, efflux of
14NH4+ continued throughout the 3-d
period at an average daily rate of 14 µmol per plant. As a
consequence, cumulative 14NH4+
efflux during the 3-d period accounted for 25% of the total
14N initially present in the root. Although soluble organic
14N in roots declined during the 3-d period, insoluble
14N remained relatively constant. In shoots both soluble
organic N and 14NH4+
declined, but a comparable increase in insoluble 14N was
noted. Thus, total 14N in shoots remained constant,
reflecting little or no net redistribution of 14N between
shoots and roots. Collectively, these observations reveal that
catabolism of soluble organic N, not protein N, is the primary source
of endogenous NH4+ generation in maize roots.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
Short-term studies with
13NH4+
have provided estimates of NH4+
influx, efflux, and cytoplasmic concentration in spruce (Kronzuker et
al., 1995a
, 1995b
). As the NH4+
concentration in the external solution increased from 10 to 1500 µM, cytosolic NH4+
levels increased from 2 to 33 mM and efflux increased from
10% to 35% of influx. Similar rates were reported for rice: as
external NH4+ levels increased
from 2 to 1000 µM, cytosolic
NH4+ levels increased from 3 to
38 mM and efflux rose from 11% to 29% of influx (Wang et
al., 1993
). The half-lives of cytosolic NH4+ were 8 and 15 min for rice
and spruce, respectively.
During short-term exposure of cereal seedlings to
15NH4+
solution, efflux of endogenous
14NH4+
exceeded the total
14NH4+
initially present in the root tissues (Morgan and Jackson, 1988a
, 1988b
). Moreover, after a 5-h pretreatment in
15NH4+
solution, the subsequent efflux of
15NH4+ to
the ambient
14NH4+
solution was greater than the initial
NH4+ content of the root (Morgan
and Jackson, 1989
). Thus, appreciable generation of
NH4+ from endogenous organic N
sources accompanies concurrent uptake and assimilation of
NH4+ by roots.
The efflux of NH4+ provides only
a minimal estimate of endogenous
NH4+ generation because part of
the NH4+ is likely
reassimilated. In support of this possibility, when NH4+ assimilation via Gln
synthetase was blocked with Met sulfoxamine, NH4+ generation in maize roots
was estimated to be 50% faster than concurrent
NH4+ uptake (Jackson, et al.,
1993
). The potential for substantial generation, recycling, and efflux
of endogenous NH4+ in roots is
thus indicated.
A crucial question raised by these observations is whether protein
turnover is the source of endogenous
NH4+ generation, or if recycling
of intermediates of the NH4+
assimilation pathway, such as Gln, is the source. To address this
question, maize (Zea mays) seedlings that had been grown on
14NH4+
were exposed to highly labeled
15NH4+ for
3 d. It was hypothesized that if protein turnover is the source of
NH4+ and if
part of this NH4+ is subject to
efflux and translocation to the shoot, a decline in endogenous
14N protein in the root should occur as new
protein is synthesized from the entering
15NH4+.
The fact that
15NH4+ was
applied during six diurnal periods also permitted us to (a) directly
measure of the diurnal pattern of
NH4+ fluxes into and out of
roots, (b) compare
15NH4+
uptake and assimilation by roots during successive light and dark
periods, and (c) determine the relationship of the latter processes to
carbohydrate levels in shoots and roots.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Plant Culture
Maize (Zea mays L. cv Pioneer 3320) caryopses were
germinated at 30°C in contact with 0.1 mM
CaSO4. After 30 h, uniform seedlings were
selected and their seminal roots excised. Cultures of eight seedlings
each were transplanted into 160 L of basal nutrient solution, pH 6.0, containing 0.125 mM
(NH4)2SO4,
1.25 mM K2SO4, 0.25 mM
Ca(H2PO4)2,
1 mM CaSO4, 46 µM B, 9 µM Mn, 0.8 µM Zn, 0.3 µM Cu,
0.1 µM Mo, and 54 µM Fe as ferric
diethylenetriamine pentaacetate. The solution was aerated with
compressed air that had been washed with
H2SO4 and water to remove
ambient NH4+. A combination of
sodium vapor and metal halide lamps provided 1140 µE
m
2 s
1 illumination at
canopy height during a 14-h photoperiod (7 AM to 9 PM). The average air temperature during the experiment was 23.4°C ± 1.6°C. Both pH and
[NH4+] of the nutrient
solution were checked daily and maintained at pH 6.0 and 0.25 mM, respectively, by continuous injection of
Ca(OH)2 and
(NH4)2SO4.
Experimental Procedure
At the beginning of the dark period on the 7th d after imbibition,
four cultures were harvested and the rest were transferred to fresh
basal nutrient solution containing 0.22 mM
NH4+ labeled with 96.1 atom % 15N. An initial sample of
15NH4+
nutrient solution was taken for subsequent analysis. Four additional cultures were harvested and a solution sample was taken at the beginning (7 AM) and end (9 PM) of each light
period on the 8th, 9th, and 10th d. The pH and
[NH4+] of the nutrient
solution were checked daily and maintained as described above by
continuous injection of Ca(OH)2 and
(15NH4)2SO4
containing 99.8 atom % 15N.
At harvest, the roots were dipped five times in 0.1 mM
CaSO4, excised, blotted lightly, and weighed.
After weighing the shoots, which included the remaining seed pieces,
all tissue samples were freeze dried, weighed, ground, and mixed
thoroughly.
N and 15N Analysis
Shoots, roots, and nutrient solutions were analyzed for
NH4+ and its
15N enrichment (Jackson et al., 1993
). In
addition, shoots and roots were analyzed for soluble and insoluble N
and their respective N enrichments. These
fractions were separated by extraction with acidified (pH 3.0) 80%
(v/v) ethanol. Organic N in the extract and residue was converted to
NH4+ by Kjeldahl digestion
(McKenzie and Wallace, 1954
), and the
NH4+ was quantified by
spectrophotometric analysis (Smith, 1980
). NH4+ was recovered by diffusion,
converted to dinitrogen gas by a freeze-layer procedure (Volk and
Jackson, 1979
), and analyzed for 15N enrichment
by MS.
Total N and 15N analyses were used to calculate
the tissue contents of six isotopic N species:
14NH4+,
15NH4+,
soluble 14N, soluble
15N, insoluble 14N, and
insoluble 15N. Because
14NH4+ and
15NH4+
were subtracted from soluble 14N and soluble
15N, these fractions represent soluble organic N
constituents. Protein is the primary constituent of the insoluble-N
fraction.
Carbohydrate Analysis
To obtain comparable tissue samples for nonstructural carbohydrate
analysis, the experiment was repeated and the seed pieces were
discarded at harvest. Insoluble and soluble carbohydrates of shoots and
soluble carbohydrates of roots were assayed by enzymatic and
spectrophotometric procedures after separation by extraction with 80%
(v/v) ethanol (Jones et al., 1977
).
 |
RESULTS |
Changes in Endogenous 14N Fractions
An appreciable increase in insoluble 14N in
shoots (Fig. 1C) was balanced by an
equivalent decline in the
14NH4+ and
soluble-14N fractions (Fig. 1, A and B). Thus,
the total endogenous 14N in shoots remained
constant during the 3-d exposure to
15NH4+
(Fig. 1D). By contrast, the insoluble 14N of
roots remained relatively constant (Fig.
2C), even though NH4+ and
soluble 14N decreased appreciably (Fig. 2, A and
B). As a consequence, total N in the root
declined during the 3-d exposure to
15NH4+
(Fig. 2D). On a whole-plant basis, the changes in
14N (Fig. 3)
reflected those in the shoot, which contained more than 75% of the
total 14N in the plant.

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| Figure 1.
Shoot contents of NH4+
(A), soluble N (B), insoluble N (C), and total N (D) derived from
endogenous (14N) sources and from exogenously supplied
NH4+ (15N) during a 3-d continuous
exposure of maize seedlings to highly labeled
15NH4+. Each value is the mean of
four replicates ± SE.
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| Figure 2.
Root contents of NH4+ (A),
soluble N (B), insoluble N (C), and total N (D) derived from endogenous
(14N) sources and from exogenously supplied
NH4+ (15N) during a 3-d continuous
exposure of maize seedlings to highly labeled
15NH4+. Each value is the mean of
four replicates ± SE.
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| Figure 3.
Whole-plant contents of
NH4+ (A), soluble N (B), insoluble N (C), and
total N (D) derived from endogenous (14N) sources and from
exogenously supplied NH4+ (15N)
during a 3-d continuous exposure of maize seedlings to highly labeled
15NH4+. Each value is the mean of
four replicates ± SE. The diurnal rates of
15NH4+ uptake (in micromoles per
gram fresh weight per hour) are noted in D.
|
|
Estimation of NH4+ Fluxes into and out of
Roots
During each diurnal period a complete balance sheet of the changes
in 14NH4+
and 15NH4+
in the uptake solution was compiled. The procedure is illustrated in
Table I using data from the initial 10-h
dark period. Even though an appreciable quantity of 99.8 atom % 15N was injected to maintain the
[NH4+], the
15N enrichment of the nutrient solution declined
from 96.1 to 93.5 atom % 15N, reflecting a
release of
14NH4+
from the root. The net rate of release, 4.3 µmol
plant
1 h
1, is less than
the actual rate because of concurrent uptake of NH4+
from the nutrient solution. The latter can be estimated from the fact
that
14NH4+ and
15NH4+ are
taken up in proportion to their average molar concentrations in the
nutrient solution during any given period. The calculation (Table I,
line G) reveals that
14NH4+ was
taken up at a rate of 2.6 µmol plant
1
h
1. This rate, when added to the net rate of
14NH4+
release, provides an estimate of "true"
14NH4+
release (Table I, line J). Similar calculations were made throughout the experiment to quantify
14NH4+
release from the root in successive diurnal periods (Table
II). Both the uptake and release of
NH4+ were greater in light than
in darkness. NH4+ release
remained appreciable even in the final light period, when it accounted
for 4.8% of the total 14N initially present in
roots harvested on the 7th d. As a consequence, cumulative
14NH4+
release during the 3-d period was equivalent to 25% of the total N initially present in the root.
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Table I.
Calculation of NH4+ fluxes
into and out of maize roots
Rates of 15NH4+ uptake,
14NH4+ uptake, and
14NH4+ release by 227 maize
seedlings were calculated from
[15NH4+] and
[14NH4+] in the nutrient solution
at the beginning (9 PM) and end (7 AM) of the
first 10-h dark period, during which 97.56 mL of 113 mM
15NH4+ (99.8 atom % 15N) was injected to maintain the total
[NH4+] close to its initial level (0.223 mM).
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Table II.
Diurnal rates of
15NH4+ uptake,
14NH4+ uptake, and
14NH4+ release by maize roots
Roots of maize seedlings were exposed continuously to highly labeled
15NH4+ for 3 d.
NH4+ flux rates were calculated from periodic
analysis of the uptake solution, as illustrated in Table I.
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|
It is important to note that the data in Table II cannot be compared
directly with the data in Figure 2. Table II shows the true release of
14NH4+
from roots, which consists of measured net release of
14NH4+
plus the concurrent, calculated uptake of
14NH4+. By
contrast, Figure 2 portrays the net change in root
14N, which reflects only net release of
14NH4+
from the root, provided that no interchange of
14N between roots and shoots occurs.
Uptake and Assimilation of Applied
15NH4+
The rate of
15NH4+
uptake by maize seedlings was similar during light and dark periods
(Fig. 3D). A small but measurable amount of the entering
15NH4+
accumulated as NH4+ in the
shoot, and the amount increased appreciably as the plants developed
(Fig. 1A). By contrast,
15NH4+
accumulation in the root exhibited a diurnal pattern (Fig. 2A). Except
for the initial dark period, root
15NH4+
increased during illumination and declined in darkness.
Most of the entering
15NH4+ was
assimilated into the soluble-15N and
insoluble-15N fractions (Fig. 3, B and C).
Although the patterns of accumulation in shoots (Fig. 1, B and C) and
roots (Fig. 2, B and C) were similar to those in the whole plant,
diurnal differences in assimilation and translocation were evident
(Fig. 4). During each dark period a
greater percentage of the entering
15NH4+ was
retained in the root and incorporated into the
insoluble-15N fraction. Conversely, during each
light period a greater percentage of the entering
15NH4+, or
metabolites thereof, was translocated to the shoot and incorporated into the shoot insoluble-15N fraction.

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| Figure 4.
Diurnal increments of total 15N and
insoluble 15N (I 15N) in shoots and roots of
maize seedlings as percentages of 15N uptake during each of
six successive photoperiods. Each value is the mean of four
replications. SE values are indicated by vertical bars.
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Diurnal Changes in Dry Matter and Carbohydrate
The dry weight of maize shoots generally increased during light
periods and declined during dark periods (Fig.
5). By contrast, root weight increased at
least as rapidly in darkness as in light. Although the carbohydrate
content of both shoots and roots exhibited a typical diurnal pattern
(Fig. 6), the pattern in roots was
attenuated considerably.

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| Figure 5.
Dry weights of maize shoots and roots harvested at
the beginning and end of each photoperiod during a 3-d exposure to
highly labeled 15NH4+. Each value
is the mean of four replications. SE bars are shown when
they are larger than the symbols.
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| Figure 6.
Soluble and insoluble carbohydrate contents of
shoots and soluble carbohydrate contents of roots during a 3-d
continuous exposure of maize seedlings to
14NH4+. Each value is the mean of
four replicates ± SE.
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 |
DISCUSSION |
Source of 14NH4+ Generation in
Roots
Morgan and Jackson (1988a
, 1988b
, 1989)
demonstrated that
significant generation of NH4+
occurs in roots during uptake and assimilation of exogenously supplied
NH4+. They suggested that
organic N degradation, NH4+
assimilation, and NH4+ influx
and efflux can be modified by environmental and nutritional conditions
that alter the pool size of NH4+
in roots.
Throughout the 3-d exposure of maize seedlings to
15NH4+,
during which appreciable synthesis of insoluble
15N occurred in roots, the endogenous insoluble
14N of roots remained relatively constant.
However,
14NH4+ and
soluble 14N in roots declined significantly.
There was evidence of 14N-protein synthesis in
the shoot, apparently at the expense of the pool of soluble
14N in the shoot. The ultimate source of
14N for protein synthesis in the shoot remains
tentative, however, because of the likelihood of
soluble-14N interchange between the root and
shoot as a consequence of amino acid cycling (Lambers et al., 1982
;
Cooper and Clarkson, 1989
). In spite of this possibility, no measurable
net transport of endogenous N from roots to
shoots occurred during the 3-d exposure to
15NH4+.
Collectively, these data reveal that soluble organic N, rather than
protein, is the primary source of endogenous
NH4+ generation in maize roots.
Release of 14NH4+ from Roots
During the first 24 h of exposure to
15NH4+ the
release of endogenously derived
14NH4+
from the root into the nutrient solution was equivalent to 10.7% of
the initial 14N content of the root (Table II). A
slower but measurable release of
14NH4+
continued throughout the subsequent 2-d period. This occurred even
though the content of
14NH4+ in
the root was less than 1 µmol after 24 h of exposure to
exogenous NH4+
(Fig. 2A), indicating a continual generation of
14NH4+
from endogenous 14N pools. Thus, it is clear that
the source of
14NH4+,
presumably the soluble-14N pool of the root, was
not replaced completely by synthesis of soluble
15N from entering
15NH4+. In
support of this premise are the observations that the root soluble-14N pool declined only 22 µmol
root
1 (34%) during the first 24 h, and
remained relatively constant at 40 µmol root
1
thereafter (Fig. 2B). This occurred even though the root
soluble-15N pool increased from near 0 to more
than 200 µmol root
1 during the 3-d period.
One interpretation of these observations is that the endogenous
soluble-14N pool, the putative source of
14NH4+
generation in roots, occupies a different cellular or intracellular "compartment" than that of recently synthesized soluble
15N. For example, synthesis of soluble
15N might occur primarily in the root tip (0-2
cm), where NH4+ uptake is
maximal (Cruz et al., 1995
), whereas
NH4+ generation might occur in
the more mature regions of the root.
Diurnal Use of Exogenous 15NH4+
Although effective absorption and assimilation of
15NH4+
occurred in both dark and light periods, diurnal differences in
utilization were observed (Fig. 4). More of the entering
15N was retained by the root in the dark
(33%-56%) than in the light (18%-26%). A similar retention of
NH4+ was reported for perennial
ryegrass by Ourry et al. (1996)
. We also observed that more of the
entering
15NH4+ was
incorporated into root insoluble 15N in the dark
(approximately 25%) than in the light (approximately 14%).
Conversely, the synthesis of shoot insoluble 15N
was enhanced by light.
In contrast to the data reported here, Ourry et al. (1996)
found that
the rate of NH4+ uptake by
perennial ryegrass declined during darkness. However, the plants were
exposed to a lower light intensity (500 µmol
m
2 s
1) and a lower
[NH4+] (20 µM)
than were used in our study. Restricted rates of
NH4+ uptake in the dark were
also reported for both fescue and timothy grass when grown at 20 µM NH4+ (Macduff
et al., 1997
). Finally, the rate of
NH4+ uptake in the dark by
barley grown under light-limited conditions (350 µmol
m
2 s
1) was only 50% of
the rate in the light (Rigano et al., 1996
), perhaps reflecting a
limitation of NH4+ uptake by
carbohydrate supply.
Several lines of evidence suggest that both the uptake and assimilation
of NH4+ are regulated by
carbohydrate supplied from the shoot. First, Massimino et al. (1981)
reported that NH4+ uptake by
maize declined within 2 h after lowering the light intensity to
restrict photosynthesis. Second, after bean plants had been ringed,
NH4+ uptake and root soluble
carbohydrate content declined concurrently (Michael et al., 1970
). When
exogenous Suc was supplied to the roots of ringed plants, however, the
rate of NH4+ uptake exceeded
that of intact plants. Third, Lewis et al. (1987)
found that a much
higher proportion of 14C derived from
photosynthetic CO2 fixation was allocated to the root when N was supplied as NH4+
rather than as NO3
.
Based on these observations we hypothesized that diurnal differences in
retention and incorporation of
NH4+ into macromolecules were
related to changes in the diurnal supply of carbohydrate to the root.
To examine this possibility, the changes in carbohydrate contents of
the shoot and roots in a duplicate experiment were compared with
15NH4+-assimilation
rates in the original experiment (Table
III). It was assumed that (a) the
carbohydrate changes in the replicate experiment were comparable to
those in the original study, (b) assimilation of the entering
15NH4+
occurred exclusively in the root, (c) the initial product of NH4+ assimilation in the root
was Gln, and (d) the assimilation of 1 mol of
15NH4+
into Gln requires 0.505 mol of Glc equivalents to supply the necessary
reductant, ATP, and C skeletons (Schubert, 1980
). Using these
assumptions, the C required for net
15NH4+
assimilation during each diurnal period was estimated.
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Table III.
Carbohydrate required for
15NH4+ assimilation by maize roots
The diurnal assimilation of 15NH4+
was measured during a 3-d exposure of maize seedlings to highly labeled
15NH4+. The minimal transport of C
from shoot to root required to support
15NH4+ assimilation was calculated
from the theoretical C requirement for
15NH4+ assimilation and the changes
in tissue carbohydrate. Each value is the mean of four replicates ± SE.
|
|
As plants developed, the C required to support measured
15NH4+
assimilation increased from 117 µmol plant
1
in the first dark period to 872 µmol plant
1
during the final light period (Table III). Yet the carbohydrate content
of the roots at the beginning of each dark period varied from 120 to
200 µmol plant
1 (i.e. 20-33 µmol Glc
equivalents plant
1; Fig. 6). These data reveal
that with the exception of the first dark period, there were
insufficient carbohydrate reserves in the root to support assimilation
of the
15NH4+
absorbed. However, there were adequate reserves in the shoot. Thus,
appreciable transport of carbohydrate from the shoot to the root must
have occurred during both dark and light periods.
Minimal estimates of the transport of C to the root required to support
15NH4+
assimilation can be calculated by adding the total C required for
15NH4+
assimilation to the accumulation of C by the root (Table III). Such
estimates ranged from 60 µmol plant
1 during
the first dark period to 990 µmol plant
1
during the final light period (Table III). It is of particular interest
to note that during the three successive dark periods, NH4+
assimilation accounted for 19%, 31%, and 65%, respectively, of the
decline in shoot carbohydrate. This reflects the facts that carbohydrate reserves in the root at the beginning of each dark period
were relatively constant (12-19 µmol Glc equivalents
plant
1), whereas the rate of
15NH4+
uptake and assimilation during the three successive dark periods increased from 3.9 to 7.8 µmol g
1 fresh
weight root h
1 (Fig. 3D).
The increasing proportion of C reserves required to sustain the
assimilation of entering NH4+
supports the concept that carbohydrate availability is involved in the
regulation of NH4+ uptake and
assimilation by the root. If so, the dark-enhanced assimilation of
15NH4+
into the insoluble-15N fraction of the root
indicates that C availability is higher during dark periods relative to
15NH4+
uptake. This possibility is consistent with the diurnal pattern of
15NH4+
accumulation in roots (Fig. 2A). Although the
15NH4+
content of roots was low (<5 µmol), fluctuations likely reflect the
changing diurnal equilibria between uptake and assimilation of
15NH4+.
With the exception of the first dark period, the
15NH4+
content of roots declined in darkness and increased during the light.
This suggests that in darkness the assimilation of
15NH4+
usually exceeded its uptake, indicating an adequate supply of carbohydrate. During illumination, however, the
15NH4+
content of roots increased, suggesting that the supply of carbohydrate was insufficient to assimilate all of the entering
15NH4+.
Yet, measured carbohydrate levels in roots increased during illumination. Additional studies are in progress to examine this apparent anomaly.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
1
This work was supported by a grant from the
Office of International Development of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service.
2
Present address: Wetland Ecology Program,
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307-4100.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail richard_volk{at}ncsu.edu; fax
1-919-515-2167.
Received April 20, 1998;
accepted July 30, 1998.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENT |
We are grateful to P.V. Windsor for excellent technical
assistance.
 |
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