Elevated pCO2 affects C and N metabolism in wild type and transgenic tobacco exhibiting altered C/N balance in metabolite analysis

Diurnal changes in starch, sugar and amino acid concentrations in source leaves, sink leaves and roots of tobacco plants were determined. In addition to wild type tobacco, transformed plants deficient in root nitrate reductase and exhibiting decreased rates of growth were employed. Further, the growth rates of tobacco plants were modulated by exposure to elevated pCO(2). From the diurnal alterations in metabolite concentrations, the daily turnover of starch and amino N was estimated in order to: (i) elucidate whether turnover rates can be related to growth rates, and (ii) identify individual amino compounds with the potential to indicate nitrogen fluxes and the C/N status of plants. Elevated pCO(2) increased growth rates and daily turnover of starch in both wild type and transformed plants, indicating enhanced rates of photosynthesis. In wild type plants, elevated pCO(2) increased the turnover of amino N, notably glutamine and alanine, in mature source leaves, indicating enhanced nitrate reduction. By contrast, amino N turnover in source leaves of transformed plants was not affected by elevated pCO(2), although nitrate reduction was presumably enhanced. Apparently, export of amino N was increased from the source leaves of transformed plants. This assumption was supported by a significantly increased turnover of amino N in young sink leaves compared to mature source leaves, indicating a preference for acropetal amino N allocation and import into the young leaves of the transformed plants. Further, elevated PC02 increased the allocation of leaf-derived amino N to the roots of transformed plants. This led to increased levels of amino compounds during the entire day, notably glutamate, but did not affect root growth of the transformed plants. The suitability of individual amino compounds as markers for major N fluxes, such as nitrate reduction, photorespiration, and amino N export and import is discussed.