Revisión actualizada del papel de los oligoelementos en plantas superiores. II. Cinc

Abstract

Despite the indisputably essential role of zinc in the bilogical processes of photosynthetic autotrophs, its participation as prosthetic group of several enzymes like: Alcohol dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase and carbonic anhidrase; its role as activator of others: dehydrogenases, aldolases, isomerases, transphosphorylases and RNA and DNA polymerases; and also the zinc-induced negative effects over hydrocarbon metabolism and protein synthesis; the functional role of zinc in the processes above mentioned is still unknown. The aim of this work has been to carry out a deep review over the more recent related knowledge. Besides, at the view of recent results obtained by several authors relating the zinc-deficiency-induced effects to light intensity received by the plant (Zhang y Wu, 1989) and its catalytic role in the kinase system acting in the phosphorylation of photosystem 2 proteins (Markwell et al. 1983, Baber, 1986); a work hypothesis is proposed: zinc plays a key role in the processes of photoinhibition and energy distribution into the photosynthetic apparatus.