Sandbox Reserved 640: Difference between revisions
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'''Function''' | '''Function''' | ||
In order to fix nitrogen, legume nodules require Leghemoglobin. In 1958, Bergersen and Appleby showed that only the ferrous form of Leghemoglobin binds to oxygen in the cytoplasm of the infected plant cells. (Ref 1). Therefore, the function of Leghemoglobin is to carry the oxygen for the bacterial respiration, as well as for nitrogen fixation. | |||
The enzyme needed for nitrogen fixation is nitrogenase. However, this enzyme is inactivated by oxygen, but at the same time, oxygen is needed for the bacteria to reduce nitrogen to ammonia. This ambiguity is explained by the function of Leghemoglobin, which transports oxygen at a low but stable concentration allowing for the symbiotic operation of nitrogenase activity and bacterial respiration. | |||
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