Effects of zinc deficiency on the nitrogen metabolism of meristematic tissues of rice plants with reference to protein synthesis

Abstract

Zinc deficiency remarkably depressed the zinc concentrations in the meristematic tissues of rice plants. When the zinc concentration was decreased to a level of less than 100 ppm, disorders of the nitrogen metabolism appeared. Zinc deficiency severely depressed the production of proteins in meristematic tissues and brought about the accumulation of free amino acids and ami des (above all, asparagine, glutamine, and alanine). Two-dimensional separation patterns of proteins obtained by O’Parrell’s technique suggested that the composition of the proteins remained almost unchanged although their amount was remarkably reduced. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.