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UPTAKE OF METHYLAMINE (AN AMMONIUM ANALOGUE) BY MACROCYSTIS PYRIFERA (PHAEOPHYTA) 1
Author(s) -
Wheeler Patricia A.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8817.1979.tb02954.x
Subject(s) - methylamine , ammonium , biology , biochemistry , botany , chemistry , organic chemistry
The ammonium analogue, methylamine, is taken up rapidly from dilute solution by Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. A. Agardh. 14 C‐methylamine was used to characterize the transport system, with respect to dependence on external concentration, temperature, pH and substrate specificity. The results suggest that methylamine enters the algal tissue via a specific mediated transport system. Uptake of methylamine showed no consistent relation to the N content of the plant tissue, but was highly dependent on the portion of plant sampled and severely affected by cutting the tissue. The strong inhibition of methylamine uptake by ammonium and lesser inhibition by other alkylamines suggests that the uptake system functions as an “ammonium permease”. Uptake of 14 C‐methylamine can be used as a highly sensitive measure of NH 4 + uptake activity and should be a useful tool for studying NH 4 + uptake in the laboratory and field.