Respiratory Activity of Mitochondria from Legume Root Nodules

Abstract

THERE are no published investigations of the properties of mitochondria in legume root nodules, although the symbiotic bacterial components, which form the bulk of the structural elements of these nodules, have been investigated¹. The presence of mitochondria in tissue with an extremely low redox potential², however, demands investigation. These mitochondria appear to be the same size, shape and structure as normal plant cell mitochondria³, and may be involved in the maintenance of a low redox potential or the maintenance of the highly complex tissue of the infected root nodule itself, or both. But before speculating on the role of the mitochondria, their functional integrity must be established. We describe here the preparation and examination of mitochondria from legume root nodules exhibiting respiratory control.