Oxygen uptake, acidification of medium and nitrate uptake induced by blue light in nitrate-starved Chlorella cells

Blue light-induced oxygen uptake of the colorless mutant of Chlorella kessleri (No. 9.80) was 30-40% higher in the presence of exogenous glycine than in its absence. None of the other amino acids tested had this effect. Moreover, mutant cells in which glutamine synthetase was inhibited by methionine sulphoximine, accumulated approximately 65% more ammonium ions under blue irradiation in the presence of exogenous glycine than in its absence. The protein kinase C inhibitors, staurosporine or K252a, reduced the enhancement of oxygen uptake by approximately 40%. The present results indicate that blue light-dependent deamination of endogenous glycine might be a prerequisite for enhanced oxygen uptake in Chlorella. This blue light-induced oxygen uptake was not influenced by the inhibitors of protein phosphatase, calyculin A or okadaic acid. On the contrary, calyculin A and okadaic acid had a marked effect on the acidification of the suspension medium and nitrate uptake induced by blue light in Chlorella cells. The different responses to the inhibitors of protein kinase and phosphatase suggest the presence of different pathways among the blue light signal transduction operating on oxygen uptake, acidification of the medium and nitrate uptake in Chlorella.