Photosynthesis in detached rye leaves at normal and low oxygen concentration. II. Incorporation of 14CO2 into amino acids.

The pools of Arg, Gly, His, Ile, Ser, Glu, Leu, Val and Asp were lower during photosynthesis at 1% O2 concentration. At the same time specific radioactivity of a number of amino acids--following 14CO2 incorporation--was different than that at atmospheric O2 concentration. This is probably due to the inhibition of the photorespiratory nitrogen cycle and the resulting NH+4 deficiency. The pattern of response to O2 concentration suggests that in rye plants in the light, all Gly and a part of Ser are synthesized by an O2-sensitive pathway, i.e. via the glycolate pathway, but most of Ser is probably formed from 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) via the O2-insensitive pathway. Changes in the pool size and specific radioactivity after 6 h incubation in darkness suggest that synthesis of Gly is strongly light-dependent, whereas synthesis of Ser was substantial also in darkness. The specific radioactivity of Ala, Asp, Ser and Glu indicates that in darkness those amino acids are formed from a common precursor, i.e. glycolytic 3-PGA, and undergo rapid metabolic turnover.