Nitric Oxide Regulates Plants

From studies of the succulent Kalanchoe plant, scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service Autar Matoo and Renu Deswal of the Botany Department University of Delhi have discovered that nitric oxide is important in regulating processes involved in seed germination and cell development. The research published in the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal website also details the involvement of nitric oxide in many important processes such as photosynthesis, sugar metabolism, disease tolerance and stress tolerance in plants.

The scientists also found that nitric oxide, a sometime toxic product of nitrogen oxidation in soil can modify protein by a process called S-nitrosylation, a common regulatory reaction in plants and animals. Moreover, the chemical was also shown to inactivate the enzyme Rubisco, a major enzyme involved in carbon dioxide fixation and photosynthesis in plants.

For details,  see the article at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2008/080428.htm