The in-vivo response of the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase activation state and the pool sizes of photosynthetic metabolites to elevated CO2 inPhaseolus vulgaris L.

The short-term, in-vivo response to elevated CO₂ of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase, EC 4.1.1.39) activity, and the pool sizes of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, 3-phosphoglyceric acid, triose phosphates, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate in bean were studied. Increasing CO₂ from an ambient partial pressure of 360–1600 bar induced a substantial deactivation of RuBPCase at both saturating and subsaturating photon flux densities. Activation of RuBPCase declined for 30 min following the CO₂ increase. However, the rate of photosynthesis re-equilibrated within 6 min of the switch to high CO₂, indicating that RuBPCase activity did not limit photosynthesis at high CO₂. Following a return to low CO₂, RuBPCase activation increased to control levels within 10 min. The photosynthetic rate fell immediately after the return to low CO₂, and then increased in parallel with the increase in RuBPCase activation to the initial rate observed prior to the CO₂ increase. This indicated that RuBPCase activity limited photosynthesis while RuBPCase activation increased. Metabolite pools were temporarily affected during the first 10 min after either a CO₂ increase or decrease. However, they returned to their original level as the change in the activation state of RuBPCase neared completion. This result indicates that one role for changes in the activation state of RuBPCase is to regulate the pool sizes of photosynthetic intermediates.Abbreviations and symbols A net CO₂ assimilation rate - C_a ambient CO₂ partial pressure - C_i intercellular CO₂ partial pressure - CABP 2-carboxyarabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate - k_cat catalytic turnover rate per RuBPCase molecule - PFD photon flux density (400 to 700 nm on an area basis) - PGA 3-phosphoglyceric acid - P_i orthophosphate - RuBP ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate - RuBPCase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39)