A Comparative Study on the Nitrogen Metabolism of Symbiotic Chlorella from Paramecium bursaria with Chlorella ellipsoidea

Paramecium bursaria와 공생하는 Chlorella와 Chlorella ellipsoidea의 질소대사에 관한 비교연구

The excretion of ammonia and glutamine synthetase activities were measured in aposymbiotic Paramecium and symbiotic Paramecium. The uptake of nitrate and ammonia, and specific enzyme activities of nitrate reductase, glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase were investigated in symbiotic Chlorella from Paramecium bursaria and Chlorella ellipsoidea. The ammonia concentration in the culture media of aposymbiotic Paramecium was increased according to the growth of the Paramecium but it was not changed in symbiotic Paramecium. Nitrate, the major nitrogen source, was taken up at a rate of 0.635 nmol/ 106 Chlorella/hr in Chlorella ellipsoidea. Most of ammonia was assimilated to glutamine by glutamine synthetase, of which acitivty was 1,467 $\mu$mol/mg protein/min in Chlorella elliposidea. Contrary to Chlorella ellipsoidea, ammonia and glutamine transported from the Paramecium were the nitrogen source of symbiotic Chlorella and ammonia was taken up at a rate of 3.854 nmo./106 Chlorella/hr into synmbiotic Chlorella. Most of ammonia were assimilated to glutamate by glutamate dehydrogenase in symbiotic Chlorella. The glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH/NADH) activity was 0.851 $\mu$mol/mg protein/min.