Metabolism of dl-Ornithine-2-¹⁴C in Normal and Potassium-deficient Barley

Abstract

WHILE it has been known for many years that potassium is concerned in some way with the protein metabolism of plants, knowledge of the part played by this element is fragmentary. Richards and Coleman^1,2 have shown that putreseine is accumulated characteristically in potassium-deficient barley and that certain well-known deficiency symptoms are a direct consequence of the presence of this amine. The accumulation of putrescine in association with potassium starvation points to a specific function of this element in the nitrogen metabolism of barley. The present communication directs attention to the fact that ornithine-2-¹⁴C is readily metabolized by barley and white clover, resulting in the formation of some structurally related amino-acids, and that in potassium-deficient barley, an additional substance, a decarboxylation product, putrescine, results. Further, some effects of the metabolism of radioactive citrulline and arginine are given.