Metabolism of Glutamic Acid and N-Acetylglutamic Acid in Leaf Discs and Cell-free Extracts of Higher Plants

Abstract

Radioactive glutamic acid and N-acetylglutamic acid have been incubated with normal and wilted leaf discs and radioactivity recovered in uncombined proline. The discs which had been placed under moisture stress incorporated considerably more label in uncombined proline than did normal discs. In extracts of swiss chard leaves, both ¹⁴C-N-acetylglutamic acid and glutamic acid are metabolized to their corresponding semialdehyde as evidenced by a recovery of proline after appropriate treatment. There is also incorporation of label in N_a-acetylornithine from N-acetylglutamic acid. These reactions require ATP, Mg²⁺, and NADH or NADPH.