Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “ALFALFA”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Comparison of DNA Polymerase of Rhizobium meliloti and Alfalfa Bacteroids.

DNA dependent-DNA polymerase activity was established and partially purified from extracts of cultured Rhizobium meliloti, F-28, and nodule bacteroids (R. meliloti, F-28) of alfalfa plants (Medicago sativa). Polymerase activity in the partially purified fractions showed characteristic dependence on Mg(2+), DNA, and a full complement of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates. DNase activity, preference of "activated" double strand DNA, and inhibition by p-chloromercuribenzoate and MnCl(2) were responses common to both systems. The two systems however did exhibit some differences in pH, Mg(2+), and primer optima. Polymerase activity in crude extracts of the cultured bacteria was more stable and had 10- to 18-fold greater specific activity than the bacteroid extracts. Preliminary measurements of specific DNA polymerase activity in crude extracts of cultured Rhizobium japonicum were not significantly higher than that in the crude extracts of soybean nodule bacteroids. A possible correlation between DNA synthesis and the successful establishment of rhizobia-legume symbiosis is discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1976

Extractant Influence on the Relationship between Extractable Proteins and Cold Tolerance of Alfalfa.

The influence of ionic composition and pH of extractant on the relationship between the extracted proteins and the cold tolerance of Vernal and Arizona Common alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was examined. Five environments were used to induce different tolerance levels. The quantity of protein extracted from plants was influenced by the hardening environment, cultivar, and ionic composition and pH of 29 extractants. Extractants with a pH below 6 generally extracted less protein.The measured cold tolerance of the plants was correlated with the quantity of protein detected in many of the 14 regions of the electrophoresis gel columns regardless of extractant but was most closely associated with the protein in either region 7 or 8 with nine of ten extractants.The magnitudes of cultivar and hardening effects on quantities of protein detected on various column regions were influenced by choice of extractant. This suggests that proper extractant selection may be vital for study of isozymes by electrophoresis.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1977

Steady-state photosynthesis in alfalfa leaflets: effects of carbon dioxide concentration.

When the CO(2) concentration to which Medicago sativa L. var. El Unico leaflets were exposed was increased from half-saturation to saturation (doubled rate of photosynthesis), glycolate and glycine production apparently decreased due to inhibition of a portion of the glycolate pathway. Serine and glycerate production was not inhibited. We conclude that serine and glycerate were made from 3-phosphoglycerate and not from glycolate and that the conversion of glycine to serine may not be the major source of photorespiratory CO(2) in alfalfa. In investigations of glycolate and photorespiratory metabolism, separate labeling data should be obtained for glycine and serine as those two amino acids may be produced from different precursors and respond differently to environmental perturbations. The increased photosynthetic rate (at saturating CO(2)) resulted in greater labeling of both soluble and insoluble products. Sucrose labeling increased sharply, but there was no major shift of tracer carbon flow into sucrose relative to other metabolites. The flow of carbon from the reductive pentose phosphate cycle into the production of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and amino acids increased. Only small absolute increases occurred in steady-state pool sizes of metabolites of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle at elevated CO(2), providing further evidence that the cycle is well regulated.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1978

Relationship between Chloroplast Membrane Fatty Acid Composition and Photosynthetic Response to a Chilling Temperature in Four Alfalfa Cultivars.

The photosynthetic responses of four alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars to 10 and 22 C air temperatures were examined and the relationship between the photosynthetic response at 10 C and the fatty acid composition of the chloroplast membranes was determined. Chilling-resistant cultivars exhibited moderate reductions in photosynthesis at 10 C, compared to 22 C, and contained a significantly greater percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the chloroplast membrane and a greater double bond index than the chilling-sensitive cultivars. The chilling-sensitive cultivars exhibited severe reductions in photosynthesis at 10 C, compared to 22 C. The reduction in photosynthesis at 10 C is shown to be negatively correlated (r = -0.94) with the double bond index of the chloroplast membranes of the cultivars observed.The results support the hypothesis that reduced photosynthesis due to chilling temperatures is influenced by the unsaturated fatty acid composition of the chloroplast membrane which affect temperature-induced phase changes in chloroplast membrane lipids.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1979

Nitrogen Fixation, Nodule Development, and Vegetative Regrowth of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) following Harvest.

Nitrogenase-dependent acetylene reduction, nodule function, and nodule regrowth were studied during vegetative regrowth of harvested (detopped) alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedlings grown in the glasshouse. Compared with controls, harvesting caused an 88% decline in acetylene reduction capacity of detached root systems within 24 hours. Acetylene reduction in harvested plants remained low for 13 days, then increased to a level comparable to the controls by day 18.Protease activity increased in nodules from harvested plants, reached a maximum at day 7 after harvest, and then declined to a level almost equal to the control by day 22 after harvest. Soluble protein and leghemoglobin decreased in nodules from harvested plants in an inverse relationship to protease activity.Nitrate reductase activity of nodules from harvested plants increased significantly within 24 hours and was inversely associated with acetylene reduction. The difference in nitrate reductase between nodules from harvested plants and control plants became less evident as shoot regrowth occurred and as acetylene reduction increased in the harvested plants.No massive loss of nodules occurred after harvest as evidenced by little net change in nodule fresh weight. There was, however, a rapid localized senescence which occurred in nodules of harvested plants. Histology of nodules from harvested plants showed that they degenerated at the proximal end after harvest. Starch in the nodule was depleted by 10 days after harvest. The meristem and vascular bundles of nodules from harvested plants remained intact. The senescent nodules began to regrow and fix nitrogen after shoot growth resumed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1981

Inhibition of nitrogen fixation in alfalfa by arsenate, heavy metals, fluoride, and simulated Acid rain.

The acute effects of aqueous solutions of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, F, and Zn ions at concentrations from 0.01 to 100 micrograms per milliliter and solutions adjusted to pH 2 to 6 with nitric or sulfuric acid were studied with respect to acetylene reduction, net photosynthesis, respiration rate, and chlorophyll content in Vernal alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Vernal). The effects of the various treatments on acetylene reduction varied from no demonstrable effect by any concentration of F(-) and 42% inhibition by 100 micrograms Pb(2+) per milliliter, to 100% inhibition by 10 micrograms Cd(2+) per milliliter and 100 micrograms per milliliter As, Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) ions. Zn(2+) showed statistically significant inhibition of activity at 0.1 micrograms per milliliter. Acid treatments were not inhibitory above pH 2, at which pH nitric acid inhibited acetylene reduction activity more than did sulfuric acid. The inhibition of acetylene reduction by these ions was Zn(2+) > Cd(2+) > Cu(2+) > AsO(3) (-) > Pb(2+) > F(-). The sensitivity of acetylene reduction to the ions was roughly equal to the sensitivity of photosynthesis, respiration, and chlorophyll content when Pb(2+) was applied, but was 1,000 times more sensitive to Zn(2+). The relationship of the data to field conditions and industrial pollution is discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1981

Effect of pH, Mg, CO(2) and Mercurials on the Circular Dichroism, Thermal Stability and Light Scattering of Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylases from Alfalfa, Spinach and Tobacco.

Circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry and light-scattering measurements of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.39) from alfalfa, spinach and tobacco show: a) The conformation and thermal stability of the native carboxylases are sensitive to changes in pH and to activation of the enzyme with Mg(2+) and CO(2). The helical content, denaturation temperature (T(d)) and specific enthalpy of denaturation (Deltaq) decreased with increase in pH. Addition of Mg(2+) and CO(2) at pH 9 increased T(d) by 4 to 5 C; at pH 7.5 the changes in T(d) were smaller. b) Addition of mercurials produced changes in conformation and thermal stability. The decrease in helical content of the enzymes with increase in pH was enhanced by the addition of p-chloromercuribenzoate. At pH 9, addition of p-chloromercuribenzoate or of 1-(3-(chloromercuri)-2-methoxypropyl)urea decreased T(d) by 11.4 to 20.2 C and Deltaq by 2.1 to 2.8 calories per gram. c) The spinach carboxylase undergoes the largest and the tobacco the smallest changes in conformation and thermal stability upon change in pH or treatment with mercurials. d) The calorimetric data suggest that the large and small subunits are heat denatured independently but at the same temperature. e) Light scattering measurements at pH 9 of p-chloromercuribenzoate treated tobacco enzyme showed that there is no dissociation into subunits upon heating to temperatures greater than T(d). A ;ball and string' model for the carboxylase molecule is proposed to reconcile independence of subunit denaturation with apparent strong interactions between subunits.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Ploidy effects in isogenic populations of alfalfa : I. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase, soluble protein, chlorophyll, and DNA in leaves.

The influence of polyploidization on ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase), buffer-soluble protein (BSP), chlorophyll (Chl), and DNA was examined in fully expanded leaves of isogenic diploid-tetraploid (DDC 2X-4X) and tetraploid-octoploid (IC 4X-8X) sets of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). The concentration of RuBPCase in leaf extracts was determined by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. Activities of RuBPCase, expressed per milligram protein or per milligram Chl, and leaf tissue concentrations of RuBPCase, BSP, Chl, and DNA were similar between ploidy levels of the DDC 2X-4X set. Tetraploids and octoploids were similar in RuBPCase activities, expressed per milligram protein or per milligram Chl, and in leaf tissue concentrations of RuBPCase and DNA. Octoploids were significantly lower than tetraploids in concentrations of Chl and BSP.When compared on a per leaf basis, tetraploids were 80% higher in BSP and essentially double comparable diploids in fresh weight, RuBPCase, Chl, and DNA. The observation that leaves of the DDC tetraploid population contain twice as much DNA as comparable diploids suggests that leaves of both ploidy levels contain similar numbers of cells. Leaves of the octoploid population were 33% to 80% higher than corresponding tetraploids in BSP, fresh weight, RuBPCase, Chl, and DNA. Ratios of RuBPCase to DNA and Chl to DNA were similar across ploidy levels of both isogenic sets suggesting that cellular content of Chl and RuBPCase increases proportionately with the amount of DNA per cell.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Ploidy Effects in Isogenic Populations of Alfalfa : II. Photosynthesis, Chloroplast Number, Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase, Chlorophyll, and DNA in Protoplasts.

Photosynthetically-active protoplasts isolated from isogenic sets of diploid-tetraploid and tetraploid-octoploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) leaves were used to investigate the consequences of polyploidization on several aspects related to photosynthesis at the cellular level. Protoplasts from the tetraploid population contained twice the amount of DNA, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase), chlorophyll (Chl), and chloroplasts per cell compared to protoplasts from the diploid population. Although protoplasts from the octoploid population contained nearly twice the number of chloroplasts and amount of Chl per cell as tetraploid protoplasts, the amount of DNA and RuBPCase per octoploid cell was only 50% higher than in protoplasts from the tetraploid population. The rate of CO(2)-dependent O(2) evolution in protoplasts nearly doubled with an increase in ploidy from the diploid to tetraploid level, but increased only 67% with an increase in ploidy from the tetraploid to octoploid level. Whereas leaves and protoplasts had similar increases in RuBPCase, DNA, and Chl with increase in ploidy level, it was concluded that increased cell volume rather than increased cell number per leaf is responsible for the increase in leaf size with ploidy.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1983

Ozone-Induced Reduction in Quantity of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase in Alfalfa Foliage.

The concentration of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was measured in the foliage of ;Moapa 69,' ;Ladak,' and ;Vernal' cultivars of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) after plants were exposed to 0.25 or 0.30 microliters per liter ozone for 2 hours. The quantity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase decreased 80%, 68%, and 36% in leaves which did not exhibit ozone symptoms and to undetectable levels, 99% and 79% in symptomatic foliage for each cultivar, respectively.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1984

Tissue cultures derived from ineffective root nodules of alfalfa : callus initiation and enzymic comparisons.

Callus tissue cultures were developed from apical meristem regions of tumor-like ineffective root nodules of alfalfa. Callus growth was a function of tissue source and hormone composition and concentration. Callus derived from ineffective nodules also were shown not to contain Rhizobium meliloti.Glutamate dehydrogenase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activities were present in callus cultures and in the respective nodule source used for callus induction. The mean specific activity of all enzymes evaluated was higher in callus cultures than in ineffective nodules. Quantitative but not qualitative differences in enzyme activities were evident between ineffective nodules and callus derived from these nodules. Tissue cultures derived from ineffective nodules may provide a model system to evaluate host plant-Rhizobium interactions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1985

Nodule-specific polypeptides from effective alfalfa root nodules and from ineffective nodules lacking nitrogenase.

In addition to leghemoglobin, at least nine nodule-specific polypeptides from the alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-Rhizobium meliloti symbiosis were identified by immune assay. Some of these polypeptides may be subunits of larger proteins but none appeared to be subunits of the same multimeric protein. All nine of the nodule-specific polypeptides were localized to within the plant cytosol; they were not found in extracts of bacteroids or in the peribacteroid space. At least one of these nodule-specific polypeptides was found to be antigenically related to nodule-specific polypeptides in pea and/or soybean. Ineffective nodules elicited by R. meliloti strains containing mutations in four different genes required for nitrogenase synthesis contained reduced concentrations of leghemoglobin and of several of the nodule-specific polypeptides. Other nodule-specific polypeptides were unaltered or actually enriched in the ineffective nodules. Many of the differences between the ineffective and effective nodules were apparent in nodules harvested shortly after the nodules became visible. These differences were greatly amplified in older nodules. When the four ineffective nodule types were compared to one another, there were clear quantitative differences in the concentrations of several of the nodule-specific polypeptides. These differences suggest that lack of a functional nitrogenase does not have a single direct effect on nodule development.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1985

Regeneration in Alfalfa Tissue Culture: Characterization of Intracellular pH During Somatic Embryo Production by Solid-State P-31 NMR.

The composition of phosphorus-containing compounds of intact lyophilized alfalfa tissue has been determined, in part, by solid-state (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance. The tissue (Medicago sativa L., cv Regen S; and some of its crosses) was grown in culture under both nonregenerating and regenerating conditions, the latter enhanced by the addition of specific amino acids. Analysis of the (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra shows that regeneration is favored when metabolism occurs without the production of a low average intracellular pH.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Is There a Relationship between Infection by Rhizobia and Occurrence of Disomatic Nuclei in Nodules of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)?

Cytological examination of nodules from diploid, tetraploid, and octoploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants revealed that the proportion of nodule cells infected by rhizobia was not significantly affected by nuclear ploidy of the host plant. Flow cytometry was used to determine the influence of host plant nuclear ploidy on the nuclear ploidy of infected cells. In nodules from diploid plants, most of the nuclei were tetraploid, whereas in nodules from tetraploid plants, about half of the nodule nuclei were tetraploid and half were octoploid; in octoploid plants, most of the nodule nuclei were octoploid. The occurrence of disomatic nuclei was independent of infection of nodule cells by rhizobia, because diploid plants had mostly disomatic nodule nuclei, and octoploid plants had mostly monosomatic nodule nuclei, whereas all nodules maintained a constant proportion of infected to uninfected cells. These results do not support the earlier hypothesis that infected nodule cells contain disomatic nuclei.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Isoenzymes of Glutamine Synthetase in Roots of Pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Little Marvel) and Alfalfa (Medicago media Pers. cv Saranac).

Cell organelles have been isolated from protoplast lysates and total homogenates obtained from root tips of Pisum sativum L. (cv Little Marvel) and Medicago media Pers. (cv Saranac) grown in hydroponics with nitrate nutrient solutions. Density-gradient and differential centrifugation procedures have been used to prepare mitochondria-and plastid-enriched fractions in which glutamine synthetase (GS) activity was estimated. Even when purified protoplasts were gently ruptured, significant breakage of plastids occurred during preparation as shown by the high proportion of nitrite reductase recovered in the soluble fraction. Of the total GS activity recovered, up to 20% was associated with the plastid fraction, depending on the source of plant material and the GS assay utilized; when corrected for recovery of the plastid marker nitrite reductase, it was calculated that 15 to 57% of alfalfa and 14 to 64% of pea root GS was located in the plastids. A true biosynthetic assay in which glutamine production was monitored by high performance liquid chromatography was devised to estimate the physiological significance of the transferase and the semibiosynthetic assays currently used for activity measurements. When compared with the true and semibiosynthetic assays, the transferase assay for GS appeared to underestimate the root plastid enzyme. Root plastid GS was partially purified by ion-exchange chromatography, and results show that the isoenzyme found in root plastids is different from chloroplastic or cytosolic GS.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Effects of Cold Hardening on the Regulation of Polyamine Levels in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

When leaves of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are exposed to a cold hardening temperature, a major accumulation of putrescine (6-9 times) takes place. Spermidine accumulates to a lesser extent and, conversely, spermine decreases slightly. These variations are completely reversible when plants are returned to initial growing conditions. A similar response is obtained with crowns. During cold hardening, arginine decarboxylase activity remains near its initial level while a considerable loss of activity is observed in control plants. Ornithine decarboxylase and diamine oxidase activity levels are not substantially modified by the treatment. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) also accumulates putrescine under low temperature stress, indicating that this phenomenon is not typical of cereals. The physiological significance of this accumulation of putrescine is still unexplained but the results obtained suggest the involvement of polyamines in the biochemical processes of cold hardening.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1987

Changes in Protein Patterns and Translatable Messenger RNA Populations during Cold Acclimation of Alfalfa.

Changes in the rate and pattern of protein synthesis and in translatable mRNA population during cold acclimation of alfalfa (Medicago falcata cv Anik) seedlings have been examined. There appears to be a positive correlation between the increase in ability to synthesize proteins at 4 degrees C and the increase in freezing resistance (survival at -10 degrees C). Results obtained with three different approaches using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis pattern visualized by (a) staining, (b) immunoblotting and autoradiography, and (c) fluorography of in vivo labeled proteins, show that at least eight polypeptides are newly synthesized during cold acclimation. Results of analysis of in vitro translation products of mRNA from nonacclimated and acclimated seedlings show the appearance of new translatable mRNAs. It is concluded that changes in gene expression occur during cold acclimation, most probably at the transcriptional level.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1988

Effect of Cold Acclimation on Bulk Tissue Electrical Impedance: II. Measurements with Alfalfa and Birdsfoot Trefoil at Nonfreezing Temperatures.

Stem and electrode electric impedance at 14 frequencies were monitored during cold acclimation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). Cold acclimation significantly increased high frequency (e.g. 1.11 megahertz) resistance and reactance but not low frequency (49 hertz) resistance and reactance of both species. High frequency resistance of living stems was equivalent to the average resistance at all frequencies of dead stems and the resistance of dead stems (y) was related to stem water content (x):y = 9.28 - 4.11x + 0.47x(2), R = 0.92. The low-high frequency (49 hertz/1.11 megahertz) resistance ratio decreased during cold acclimation. A time constant believed to be a function of membrane resistance and capacitance was not affected by cold acclimation.

Journal Article↗