Inhibition of glycollate metabolism by amino-oxyacetate: Effects on pigment formation in higher plants

In greening leaf segments amino-oxyacetate inhibited both chlorophyll and carotenoid formation by ca 60 % at 0.5 mM inhibitor concentration. In greening tissue serine: glyoxylate aminotransferase was the only enzyme of the glycollate pathway whose activity was markedly decreased after inhibitor treatment. The inhibition of pigment formation in barley and maize could be alleviated by glyoxylate, pyruvate and acetaldehyde; in the latter case there is probably a preferential reaction with inhibitor which displaces it from combination with enzymic pyridoxal 5′-phosphate.