Regulation of Nitrate Reductase Activity and Protein Levels in Higher Plants

该研究计划旨在增加对高等植物中硝酸还原酶活性调控的理解。本课题的具体目的是在分子水平上分析玉米叶片硝酸盐还原酶的黄素结构域。这种酶的重组形式在细菌中产生。这种分析的一个方面是产生一个带有适当基因插入的载体，这样酶的黄素和细胞色素结构域都将在细菌中表达，从而使酶的大量生产变得容易。植物最初是通过硝酸还原酶将土壤和水中的硝酸盐氮吸收到细胞物质中。这种酶形成的调控细节是不完整的，这个项目的目的是扩大我们对这个重要过程的理解。

The research planned is directed toward increasing understanding of regulation of nitrate reductase activity in higher plants. The specific objective of this project is to analyze, at the molecular level, the flavin domain of corn leaf nitrate reductase. The recombinant form of this enzyme is produced in a bacterium. An aspect of this analysis is to generate a vector with an appropriate gene insert so that both the flavin and cytochrome domains of the enzyme will be expressed in the bacterium, thus making possible easy production of large amounts of the enzyme. Plants assimilate the nitrate-nitrogen of soil and water into their cell materials initially be means of the enzyme nitrate-reductase. The details of the regulation of the formation of this enzyme are incomplete, and the aim of this project is to enlarge our understanding of this significant process.