Ureide biogenesis and the enzymes of ammonia assimilation and ureide biosynthesis in nitrogen fixing pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) nodules.

ABSTRACT

Allantoic acid production from IMP, XMP, inosine, xanthosine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid and allantoin was investigated by incubating each of these substrates with Cajanus cajan cytosol and bacteroid fractions separately in the presence and absence of NAD+ and allopurinol. Allantoic acid synthesis by bacteroid fraction could only be observed with uric acid and allantoin as substrates. Addition of NAD+ or allopurinol to the reaction mixtures had no effect. However, with cytosol fraction, allantoic acid was produced by each of these substrates, with maximum rate with allantoin. With NAD+ or with allopurinol, allantoic acid was produced only with uric acid and allantoin as substrates. NADH production with cytosol fraction could again be observed with all the substrates. Except with uric acid and allantoin, allopurinol completely inhibited NADH formation. Regardless of the presence or absence of allopurinol, none of the substrates exhibited significant activity with bacteroid fraction. Based on the activities of glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, glutamate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, asparagine synthetase, nucleotidase, nucleosidase, xanthine dehydrogenase, uricase and allantoinase and their intracellular localisation in various nodule fractions, a probable pathway for the biogenesis of ureides in pigeonpea nodules has been proposed.