Cerium relieves the inhibition of nitrogen metabolism of spinach caused by magnesium deficiency.

Abstract

Magnesium is one of the essential elements for plant growth and cerium is a beneficial element for plant growth. However, the effects of the fact that cerium improves the nitrogen metabolism of plants under magnesium deficiency is poorly understood. The main aim of the study was to determine the role of cerium in the amelioration of magnesium-deficiency effects in spinach plants. Spinach plants were cultivated in Hoagland's solution. They were subjected to magnesium deficiency and to cerium chloride administered in the magnesium-present media and magnesium-deficient media. Spinach plants grown in the magnesium-present media and magnesium-deficient media were measured for key enzyme activities involved in nitrogen metabolism such as nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, glutamate dehydrogenase, glutamate synthase, urease, glutamic–pyruvic transaminase, and glutamic–oxaloace protease transaminase. As the nitrogen metabolism in spinach was significantly inhibited by magnesium deficiency, it caused a significant reduction of spinach plant weight, leaf turning chlorosis. However, cerium treatment grown in magnesium-deficiency media significantly promoted the activities of the key enzymes as well as the contents of the free amino acids, chlorophyll, soluble protein, and spinach growth. It implied that Ce3+ could partly substitute for magnesium to facilitate the transformation from inorganic nitrogen to organic nitrogen, leading to the improvement of spinach growth, although the metabolism needs to be investigated further.

• Authors: Sitao Yin, Yuguan Ze, Chao Liu, Na Li, Min Zhou, Yanmei Duan, Fashui Hong
• Journal: Biological trace element research (Biol Trace Elem Res) Vol. 132 Issue 1-3 Pg. 247-58 (Dec 2009) ISSN: 1559-0720 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 19418026 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Nitrates
• Cerium
• Glutamate Synthase
• Glutamate Dehydrogenase
• Nitrite Reductases
• Nitrate Reductase
• Aspartate Aminotransferases
• Alanine Transaminase
• Urease
• Nitrogen

Topics

• Alanine Transaminase (metabolism)
• Aspartate Aminotransferases (metabolism)
• Cerium (pharmacology)
• Enzyme Activation (drug effects)
• Glutamate Dehydrogenase (drug effects)
• Glutamate Synthase (metabolism)
• Magnesium Deficiency
• Nitrate Reductase (metabolism)
• Nitrates (metabolism)
• Nitrite Reductases (metabolism)
• Nitrogen (metabolism)
• Spinacia oleracea (drug effects, metabolism)
• Urease (metabolism)