Molybdenum Deficiency Research Articles

A study of the relationship between trace element Mo and gastric cancer.

AIM:To study the relationship between trace element Mo and gastric cancer.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Soil samples were collected according to its type in different areas of Jiangxi Province; available molybdenum content in soil was measured by catalytic polarography and rank correlation method was used to analyse correlation between the mean of soil available molybdenum and mortality rate of gastric cancer in each county and city in Jiangxi Province. Gastric cancer cases were selected from the authors' hospital, occiput hair was collected to measure its molybdenum content with an atomic absorption spectrograph and controls were selected from the same hospital for comparison. Gastric cancer cases were selected from three hospitals at the same time, blood samples were taken on an empty stomach and serum molybdenum contents were measured with the atomic absorption spectrograph, and controls were selected from the same hospitals. Blind method was used in the whole course (chemical analysts did not know the source and nature of samples).RESULTS: A negative correlation existed between soil available molybdenum content and mortality rate of gastric cancer (r = -0.285, P < 0.05); hair molybdenum contents of gastric cancer cases were lower than those of healthy controls (0.308&mgr;g/g plus minus 0.673&mgr;g/g and 0.707&mgr;g/g plus minus 0.561&mgr;g/g respectively, P < 0.01); serum molybdenum contents of patients were also lower than those of healthy controls (21.84&mgr;g/L plus minus 7.49&mgr;g/L and 25.38&mgr;g/L plus minus 8.58&mgr;g/L respectively,P< 0.05).CONCLUSION: Deficiency of molybdenum may be one of the risk factors in gastric cancer.

Effect of molybdenum, phosphorus, and lime application to acid soils on dry matter yield and molybdenum nutrition of lentil

Deficiency of molybdenum (Mo) in acid soils causes poor growth of pulses. An experiment was, therefore, conducted in greenhouse to study the effect of Mo, phosphorus (P), and lime application on the dry matter yield and plant Mo concentration of lentil (Lens esculenta L.) in two Mo‐deficient acid alluvial soils. The experiment was conducted using a factorial design with three levels of lime (no lime, half, and full lime requirement), three levels of P (0, 25, and 50 mg kg‐1), and two levels of Mo (0 and 1.0 mg kg‐1). Plants were grown for 60 days and at harvest their dry matter yield and Mo concentration were recorded. The three treatments significantly increased dry matter yield, Mo concentration and Mo uptake, the increase being most pronounced with Mo application followed by lime and P. Increases due to applied Mo were greater in presence than in absence of added P; while the reverse was true with the liming treatments. Liming and P application at their lower levels also interacted positively for better Mo nutrition of plants. Results thus indicated that the severity of Mo deficiency in the lentil plants may be reduced by lime and P application in Mo‐deficient acid alluvial soils.

Molybdenum cofactor of higher plants: biosynthesis and molecular biology.

The importance of molybdenum (Mo) for plants, animals and microorganisms has been known for a long time (reviewed by Coughlan 1980). In fact, the transition element Mo is essential for (nearly) all organisms and has been found in more than 20 distinct mostly bacterial enzymes catalyzing diverse redox reactions (reviewed by Hille 1996; Stiefel 1996). Molybdenum deficiencies in field-grown plants were first recorded more than 50 years ago (reviewed by Gupta 1997) and could be traced back to a lack of nitrate reductase (NR) activity (Hewitt 1983) which catalyzes the key step in inorganic nitrogen assimilation. Eukaryotic and also prokaryotic NRs contain Mo as catalytic metal in the active center (Hille 1996). In higher plants, further Mo-enzymes have been described: (i) xanthine dehydrogenase is involved in purine catabolism and has importance for certain legumes in which it is crucial for synthesizing allantoic acid as the transport form of nitrogen (reviewed by Nguyen 1986), and (ii) aldehyde oxidase(s) has recently been shown to catalyze the last step in the biosynthesis of the phytohormones indolyl acetic acid (Koshiba et al. 1996) and abscisic acid (Walker-Simmons et al. 1989; Taylor 1991), respectively. Hence a shortage of Mo in the soil or a mutational block of the cellular ability to use Mo leads to the loss of essential metabolic functions

Molybdenum in agriculture

List of contributors Preface 1. Introduction Umesh C. Gupta 2. Chemistry and mineralogy of molybdenum in soils Katta J. Reddy, Larry C. Munn and Liyuan Wang 3. Distribution and mobility of molybdenum in the terrestrial environment Kathleen S. Smith, Laurie S. Balistrieri, Steven M. Smith and R. C. Severson 4. Biochemical significance of molybdenum in crop plants P. C. Srivastava 5. Soil and plant factors affecting molybdenum uptake by plants Umesh C. Gupta 6. Analytical techniques for molybdenum determination in plants and soils Frieda Eivazi and John L. Sims 7. Testing for molybdenum availability in soils John L. Sims and Frieda Eivazi 8. Molybdenum availability in alkaline soils C. P. Sharma and C. Chatterjee 9. Deficient, sufficient and toxic concentrations of molybdenum in crops Umesh C. Gupta 10. Symptoms of molybdenum deficiency and toxicity in crops Umesh C. Gupta 11. Sources and methods for molybdenum fertilization of crops John J. Mortvedt 12. Yield responses to molybdenum by field and horticultural crops James F. Adams 13. Responses of forage legumes and grasses to molybdenum Chris Johansen, Peter C. Kerridge and Adib Sultana 14. Molybdenum and sulfur relationships in plants J. A. MacLeod, Umesh C. Gupta and Barrie Stanfield 15. Molybdenum in the tropics N. S. Pasricha,V. K. Nayyar, and R. Singh Index.

Differential effects of potassium and molybdenum deficiency and fertilization on nitrogen metabolism in Norway spruce (Picea abies)

AbstractA field study on mineral nutrition of 12 year old Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) was carried out on a Lower Triassic region in the Eifel mountains in a plantation where the juvenile trees exhibited marked visual differences on adjacent plots, thus indicating a patchy pattern concerning the fertility status of the soil. This was confirmed by geological, pedological and chemical analyses, including X‐ray diffraction analyses of the clay minerals and soil water as well as needle element analyses. A combined K and N deficiency was diagnosed for those trees, which exhibited growth retardation and small, rigid, and yellowish‐green needles. Chlorophyll and protein content and glutamine synthetase activity were reduced while triphenyltetrazoliumchloride (TTC) reduction was enhanced in the sick trees as compared to adjacent healthy looking trees of the same age and provenance. A diagnostic fertilization treatment with K and Mo, respectively, yielded the following results. One year after administration of Mo a marked increase in total N content of the needles was observed, due to an increase of the storage pools for soluble (nonprotein) nitrogen, namely the basic amino acids arginine, histidine and lysine and also of ornithine. Yet, no visual recovery of the trees was observed. On the other hand, K fertilization caused an improvement of all biochemical parameters, except protein content and soluble N storage pools. The relationships between Mo dependent nitrate reduction, potassium content and nitrogen metabolism are discussed.

Soluble calcium fertilizer effects on early growth and nutrition of burley tobacco

Abstract During production of burley tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), initial soil pH needs to be 6.6 in order to maintain pH at midseason in the range of 5.8 to 6.2 to control manganese (Mn) toxicity, molybdenum (Mo) deficiency, and to enhance overall nutrient availability in soil. A field experiment was conducted at Lexington, Kentucky, during 2 years to determine the effects of rate of soluble calcium (Ca) (as gypsum‐CaSO4) on early growth and chemical composition of burley tobacco. On Maury silt loam soil (Typic Paleudalf; pH 6.6), plant dry weight and concentrations of potassium (K), Ca, and magnesium (Mg) 40 days after transplanting increased with rate of Ca fertilization up to 380 kg Ca/ha. Further increases in Ca fertilization decreased dry weight and K but had no effect on plant Ca or Mg concentrations. Generally, the effect of Ca on growth and nutrient accumulation was greatest in the presence of supplemental irrigation, K fertilization, and use of a nitrate (NO3) source of N. Plant Ca concentrat...

Molybdenum absorption, excretion, and retention studied with stable isotopes in young men during depletion and repletion

A study of molybdenum absorption, excretion, and balance was conducted in four young men fed a low-molybdenum diet (22 micrograms/d) for 102 d followed by 18 d of the same diet supplemented to contain 467 micrograms/d. The study was conducted to determine the minimum dietary molybdenum requirement of healthy young men. Stable isotopes of molybdenum were used as tracers. 100Mo was fed four times during the study, 97Mo was infused twice, and 94Mo was used as an isotopic diluent to quantify the molybdenum isotopes and total molybdenum in complete urine and fecal collections and in the diets. The study demonstrated that subjects could not consistently attain balance with the low-molybdenum diet, but balance improved with time, and no signs of molybdenum deficiency were observed. Molybdenum was very efficiently absorbed at both intakes of dietary molybdenum and urinary excretion increased as dietary molybdenum increased. Molybdenum turnover was significantly slower when dietary molybdenum was low. We estimate from these results that the minimum dietary molybdenum requirement is approximately 25 micrograms/d or possibly less. This suggests that the lower end of the recommended range could be less than the current recommended amount of 75 micrograms/d.

Molybdenum deficiency in wheat results in lower dormancy levels via reduced ABA

AbstractWheat which was grown in acid-washed sand and irrigated with a molybdenum-free nutrient solution was treated with various concentrations of molybdenum (Mo) as a foliar spray at the flag leaf stage. At maturity, dormancy levels and abscisic acid (ABA) content of the seed were determined. Seed dormancy and ABA content increased with increasing rates of Mo application. In a field experiment, wheat (cv. SST 66) was treated with 100 ppm Mo by foliar application at the flag leaf stage. Embryos were tested for sensitivity to exogenously applied ABA. Embryos from Mo-treated plants showed enhanced sensitivity to ABA-induced inhibition of germination. The Mo application also resulted in significantly higher levels of endogenous ABA and Mo in the seeds. It is postulated that Mo deficiency leads to a lack of dormancy in wheat via reduced synthesis of ABA.

Diagnosis and prognosis of molybdenum deficiency in black gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) by plant analysis

Diagnosis and prognosis of molybdenum (Mo) deficiencies in black gram crops by plant analysis is difficult because Mo standards have not been set and tested in the field. Therefore, critical Mo concentrations, for the diagnosis of Mo deficiency at early flowering and for diagnosis and prognosis at pod filling in black gram, were determined in two glasshouse experiments by examining the relationship of Mo concentrations in young leaves and nodules to shoot nitrogen content or seed dry matter in plants treated with seven levels of Mo supply on a Mo-deficient sandy loam. In severely Mo-deficient plants, shoot dry matter (DM) and shoot nitrogen (N) content were depressed. Molybdenum concentrations in plant parts increased with increasing Mo supply and were closely related to shoot N content. shoot DM, and seed DM. Critical Mo concentrations for diagnosis of hi0 deficiency were obtained from the relationship between N content and &amp;lo concentrations in leaves and nodules. and for prognosis of Mo deficiency were obtained from the relationship between seed yield and Mo concentrations in plant parts. Critical Mo concentrations were much higher in nodules than in leaves, and among young leaf blades, they increased with decreasing leaf age. For diagnosis of Mo deficiency, blades of the leaf immediately older than the youngest fully expanded leaf (YFEL+lb) and nodules are recommended plant parts. Their respective critical concentrations were 22 and 9600 ng Mo/g DM at flowering, and 22 and 3378 ng Mo/g DM at initial pod set. Molybdenum concentrations in the YFEL+lb and nodules at podding were also related to seed production at maturity. Recommended critical h10 concentrations in the YFELflb and nodules at initial pod set for the prognosis of IbIo deficiency for seed DM were 18 and 3000 ng Mo/g DM respectively.

Molybdenum: an essential trace element.

Molybdenum is found in most foods, with legumes, dairy products, and meats being the richest sources. This metal is considered essential because it is part of a complex called molybdenum cofactor that is required for the three mammalian enzymes xanthine oxidase (XO), aldehyde oxidase (AO), and sulfite oxidase (SO). XO participates in the metabolism of purines, AO catalyzes the conversion of aldehydes to acids, and SO is involved in the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids. Molybdenum deficiency is not found in free-living humans, but deficiency is reported in a patient receiving prolonged total parenteral nutrition with clinical signs characterized by tachycardia, headache, mental disturbances, and coma. The biochemical abnormalities in this acquired molybdenum deficiency include very low levels of uric acid in serum and urine (low XO activity) and low inorganic sulfate levels in urine (low SO activity). Inborn errors of isolated deficiencies of XO, SO, and molybdenum cofactor are described. Although XO deficiency is relatively benign, patients with isolated deficiencies of SO or molybdenum cofactor exhibit mental retardation, neurologic problems, and ocular lens dislocation. These abnormalities seem to be caused by the toxicity of sulfite and/or inadequate amounts of inorganic sulfate available for the formation of sulfated compounds present in the brain. XO and AO may also participate in the inactivation of some toxic substances, inasmuch as studies suggest that molybdenum deficiency is a factor in the higher incidence of esophageal cancer in populations consuming food grown in molybdenum-poor soil.

Lipid content and fatty acid composition in N2-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena doliolum as affected by molybdenum deficiency

Anabaena doliolum grown under molybdenum deficiency produced less biomass (on a dry wt basis) and the cells had lower protein content but higher carbohydrate content than Mo-grown material. Molybdenum deficiency led to a slight decrease in chlorophyll a, a 1.5-fold increase in carotenoids and a 1.4-fold increase in total lipid but there was no difference in the lipid profiles of Mo-enriched and Mo-deficient cells. Molybdenum deficiency caused increases in the cell contents of digalactosyl diacylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol and decreases in monogalactosyl diacylglycerol and sulphoquinovosyl diacylglycerol lipids. The concentration of unsaturated C18 fatty acids was lower in the Mo-deficient cells.

Geochemical and biogeochemical features of areas of haematuria in cattle in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains of Romania

Haematuria-inducing areas in the northern and central parts of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains are characterised by the mesozoic-crystalline, neogene eruptive and transcarpathian flysch zones. The rocks have high concentrations of some metals and radioactive elements, some of them bearing polymetallic sulphides. The soils are strongly or moderately acid and oligomesobasic. They have a deficiency of soluble phosphorus and molybdenum, but up to 4.9 times the background content of metallic elements in non-affected zones. The waters have a pH around 7, a low content of salts (0.09-0.62 g L(-1)), but metal levels in excess of 10 times that of the background level. Pasture vegetation has a low nutritional value, and includes up to 12% of poisonous plant species. It is characterised by low total concentrations of P, Mo, N and K, and high total concentrations of metallic trace elements, including high values of Zn and excessive values of Fe, Mn, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cd and Al. Besides clinical symptoms specific to haematuria, sick animals have abnormal blood and urinary compositions and specific morphopathological features. High concentrations of metallic elements were detected in renal calculi. The correlation of the geochemical and biogeochemical features of the haematuria-inducing areas, together with the results of the epizootological, clinical, paraclinical and morphopathological research emphasises that chronic cattle haematuria is a disease with numerous causes, but is primarily a biogeochemical problem in the area studied, making it an 'ecosystem disease'.

The effect of molybdenum on seed dormancy in wheat

Molybdenum deficiency was induced in wheat growing in sand culture under controlled environmental conditions. Half the plants were treated with foliar applications of molybdenum at the six and flag leaf stages. Molybdenum-treated plants produced seed which was significantly more dormant that that harvested from the molybdenum-deficient plants. Molybdenum treatment also resulted in a higher nitrate and protein content of the seed. These findings, seen in the light of the proven success of molybdenum in preventing pre-harvest sprouting in maize, would seem to indicate that molybdenum has the potential to restrict pre-harvest sprouting losses in wheat growing in soils deficient in molybdenum.

Foliar-applied Molybdenum for Preventing or Correcting Molybdenum Deficiency of Poinsettia

`Annette Hegg Brilliant Diamond' poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Kl.) was grown in an unlimed growth medium consisting of equal volumes of sphagnum peat and perlite and received a fertilizer solution supplying all micronutrients except Mo. Plants were untreated or foliage was sprayed with solutions of 1, 10, or 100 mg Mo/liter 5, 8, or 11 weeks after pinching. Untreated plants developed foliar symptoms of Mo deficiency (marginal and interveinal chlorosis, marginal necrosis, and downward curling), and leaf tissue contained Mo below the critical level of 0.5 μg·g-1 and NO3-N &gt; 1.0%. Treatment at 5 or 8 weeks largely prevented deficiency symptoms, increased tissue Mo, and reduced tissue NO3-N. Molybdenum deficiency symptoms were in the early stages of development on the day of treatment when plants were sprayed at 11 weeks. Molybdenum sprays at this time increased tissue Mo and reduced tissue NO3-N but did not eliminate the symptoms. However, when the experiment was completed 15 weeks after pinching, the number of leaves showing symptoms was about one-half that of untreated plants. Increasing the concentration of Mo in the spray solution increased the concentration of Mo in the leaves but had no effect on NO3-N.

FALL BROCCOLI PRODUCTION USING MICRONUTRIENTS IN A SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM

Arkansas soils can range in pH from the low 4's to 7 depending on the location and liming history. Deficiency of zinc, boron and molybdenum coupled with the soil acidity complex of manganese toxicity had been previously identified as a severe limiting factor in production of quality brassica crops on our farmer cooperator's land. Building on the results reported here in 1991, the fall 1991 broccoli study focused on the effect of including/not including micronutrients in the watering solution during the greenhouse growth phase coupled with/without micronutrients in the transplant water. Additional treatments looked at the contribution of individual micronutrients to the final yield. The final yields of the boron, zinc and magnesium treatments were found to contribute approximately 75-80% of the final yield of a full range micronutrient solution. Research supported by a LISA grant.

Subterranean clover pasture responses to lime application on the acid soils of southern New South Wales

The effects of soil amendment with shallow (0-10 cm) incorporated lime or dolomite were examined at 3 sites with acid soils over 6 years. Measurement was made of soil pH and exchangeable cations, and of subterranean clover dry matter production, seed set, and concentrations of calcium, magnesium, manganese, nitrogen and phosphorus. Application of lime or dolomite increased the production of dry matter, but not by the alleviation of molybdenum deficiency. Response in yield ranged from nil to 47%, with most responses in the range 20-35%. Such responses persisted for 5-6 seasons following lime or dolomite application. Differences in soil pH associated with liming were maintained for the 6 years of measurement, so that the benefits in pasture production from soil amendment are likely to accrue beyond the time span of this study. The analyses of plant dry matter indicated that manganese toxicity may have been a factor in the response to lime at 1 harvest, and that higher nitrogen concentration was associated with liming at another. Generally, the plant analyses did not indicate a clear mechanism for the plant responses to lime, although the soil analyses indicated the presence of exchangeable aluminium in the unamended plots at all 3 sites. The plant responses demonstrated that acidity constrained the yield of subterranean clover grown on these soils.

Alternative NAD+-dependent formate dehydrogenases in the facultative methylotroph Mycobacterium vaccae 10

Mycobacterium vaccae 10 growing in methanol medium synthesizes two inducible alternative NAD(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenases (FDH). In the presence of molybdenum, the dominating form of the enzyme is FDHI with Mr 440 kDa and Km 0.32 mM for sodium formate. FDHI reduced ferricyanide as well as NAD+, and it was reversibly inactivated by formate. NAD+ stabilized FDHI against this inactivation. Under conditions of artificial molybdenum deficiency (tungsten in the medium), the second enzyme (FDHII) appeared with Mr about 93 kDa and Km 8.3 mM for sodium formate, and no FDHI activity was detected. FDHII did not reduce ferricyanide and was not inactivated by formate. The activity of FDHI was restored in tungsten-grown cells by pulse addition of molybdenum under conditions of blocked protein synthesis, suggesting the pre-existence of inactive apo-FDHI.

Alternative NAD+-dependent formate dehydrogenases in the facultative methylotrophMycobacterium vaccae10

Mycobacterium vaccae 10 growing in methanol medium synthesizes two inducible alternative NAD+-dependent formate dehydrogenases (FDH). In the presence of molybdenum, the dominating form of the enzyme is FDHI with Mr 440 kDa and Km 0.32 mM for sodium formate. FDHI reduced ferricyanide as well as NAD+, and it was reversibly inactivated by formate. NAD+ stabilized FDHI against this inactivation. Under conditions of artificial molybdenum deficiency (tungsten in the medium), the second enzyme (FDHII) appeared with Mr about 93 kDa and Km 8.3 mM for sodium formate, and no FDHI activity was detected. FDHII did not reduce ferricyanide and was not inactivated by formate. The activity of FDHI was restored in tungsten-grown cells by pulse addition of molybdenum under conditions of blocked protein synthesis, suggesting the pre-existence of inactive apo-FDHI.

Influence of trace-element deficiencies on plantation forestry in New Zealand

Bush sickness in animals (only much later recognised as cobalt deficiency) led to large areas of the volcanic plateau in the North Island being planted in pine forests. Some forests in this district have since suffered from dieback and malformation; in a few, but in by no means the majority of cases, Boron deficiency has been responsible. Boron deficiency is much more widespread in forests in the South Island, particularly in low-rainfall areas. In relatively restricted areas in the northern part of the North Island, copper and zinc deficiencies have affected tree growth in plantations and one nursery. In one sand-dune forest, molybdenum deficiency severely restricted lupin growth. Once corrected, the lupins were able to play their essential role of N fixation. High soil pH's found associated with limestone cause manganese and iron deficiencies. Under nursery conditions, acidification with high applications of sulphur have proved very effective, but in plantations this would be uneconomic.

Copper-molybdenum interaction in maize

Maize (Zea mays l.) cv. Ganga 2 was grown in refined sand at deficient (0.0001 µm), normal (0.2 µM), and excess (200µM) levels of molybdenum each at three levels of copper, deficient (0.01 µM), normal (1 µM), and excess (50 µM). The molybdenum deficiency effects at normal copper—reduction in dry weight, leaf molybdenum, chlorophyll, protein nitrogen, nitrate reductase activity, and increase in peroxidase—were accentuated by excess copper. The changes in maize induced by the deficiency of copper at normal molybdenum level, decrease of dry weight, of content of chlorophyll, leaf copper, and protein nitrogen, and of activities of cytochrome oxidase and nitrate reductase became more pronounced when molybdenum was also deficient. The depression in the dry weight, protein nitrogen content, and acid phosphatase activity and stimulation of the activities of catalase, peroxidase, and ribonuclease were more pronounced under the combined toxic effect of both copper and molybdenum than under the single toxic effect of either copper or molybdenum. Interaction was observed between normal Cu-deficient Mo and excess Cu-deficient Mo levels; deficient Cu-normal Mo and deficient Cu-deficient Mo levels; excess Cu-excess Mo and excess Cu-normal Mo levels and between excess Cu-excess Mo and normal Cu-excess Mo levels.