Accumulation and Interconversion of Amino Acids in Rice Roots under Anoxia

In excised rice roots, anaerobic degradation of proteins gave rise to an increase of free-amino acids. Anoxic accumulation of alanine, γ-aminobutyric acid and proline was the consequence of the interconversion of glutamate, aspartate and amides. The shift in the composition of the amino acid pool appears to be caused by changes in keto acid levels. The role of reactions involved in amino acid interconversion and the physiological significance of these interconversions are considered and discussed.