Toward a Better Knowledge of the Molecular Evolution of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase by Comparison of Partial cDNA Sequences

To get deeper insight into the evolution of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase we have identified PEPC fragments (about 1,100 bp) of another 12 plants species not yet investigated in this context. The selected plants include one Chlorophyta, two Bryophyta, four Pteridophyta, and five Spermatophyta species. The obtained phylogenetic trees on PEPC isoforms are the most complete ones up to now available. Independent of their manner of construction, the resulting dendrograms are very similar and fully consistent with the main topology as it is postulated for the evolution of the higher terrestrial plants. We found a distinct clustering of the PEPC sequences of the prokaryotes, the algae, and the spermatophytes. PEPC isoforms of the archegoniates are located in the phylogenetic trees between the algae and spermatophytes. Our results strengthen the view that the PEPC is a very useful molecular marker with which to visualize phylogenetic trends both on the metabolic and organismic levels. Received: 23 December 1996 / Accepted: 22 April 1997     

Role of Magnesium in the Binding of Substrate and Effectors to Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from a CAM Plant

The binding of phosphoenolpyruvate, malate, and glucose 6-phosphate to phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase purified from Crassula argentea Thunb. was measured using both the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of the enzyme and the extrinsic fluorescence of the complex of 8-anilino-1-napthalenesulfonate with the enzyme. It was found that the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate can bind in the absence of magnesium but is bound in greater quantities and more tightly when magnesium is present. Malate reduces the binding of phosphoenolpyruvate, while glucose 6-phosphate increases the binding of the substrate. Glucose 6-phosphate requires magnesium to bind to the enzyme, while malate does not. The general trends from the binding experiments using fluorescence methods were confirmed by activity determinations using assays performed in the absence of magnesium.     

马齿苋叶片PEP羧化酶的分子特性

马齿苋叶片PEPCase由四个相同的亚基组成,亚基分子量为83kD。远紫外CD光谱分析表明,此酶含有36.6％α—螺旋结构。马齿苋叶片PEPCase可被G6P激活,但不能被Gly、Ser激活。G6P可防止酶的尿素变性和枯草杆菌蛋白酶的作用。这种保护效应与G6P诱导的酶构象变化有关。 从酶对低温、高温及尿素的反应来看,马齿苋叶片PEPCase的稳定性高于高粱叶片PEP—Case,两者的免疫特性和电泳特性亦不同。     

磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶的分子结构研究进展

磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶(PEPC)广泛存在于高等植物、藻类及大多数细菌中,催化C4光合作用固定CO2的第一步反应。在过去的10年中关于PEPC分子的一级结构研究已取得显著的进展,最近,通过X-射线衍射分析阐明了大肠杆菌和玉米C4型PEPC分子的三维结构,就这些研究进展进行总结。     

The Effect of Adenine Nucleotides on Purified Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from the CAM Plant Crassula argentea

The effects of adenine nucleotides on phosphoenolypyruvate carboxylase were investigated using purified enzyme from the CAM plant, Crassula argentea. At 1 millimolar total concentration and with limiting phosphoenolpyruvate, AMP had a stimulatory effect, lowering the K_m for phosphoenolpyruvate, ADP caused less stimulation, and ATP decreased the activity by increasing the K_m for phosphoenolpyruvate. Activation by AMP was not additive to the stimulation by glucose 6-phosphate. Furthermore, AMP increased the K_a for glucose 6-phosphate. Inhibition by ATP was competitive with phosphoenolpyruvate. In support of the kinetic data, fluorescence binding studies indicated that ATP had a stronger effect than AMP on phosphoenolpyruvate binding, while AMP was more efficient in reducing glucose 6-phosphate binding. As free Mg²⁺ was held constant and saturating, these effects cannot be ascribed to Mg²⁺ chelation. Accordingly, the enzyme response to the adenylate energy charge was basically of the “R” type (involving enzymes of ATP regenerating sequences) according to D. E. Atkinson's (1968 Biochemistry 7: 4030-4034) concept of energy charge regulation. The effect of energy charge was abolished by 1 millimolar glucose 6-phosphate. Levels of glucose 6-phosphate and of other putative regulatory compounds of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase were determined in total leaf extracts during a day-night cycle. The level of glucose 6-phosphate rose at night and dropped sharply during the day. Such a decrease in glucose 6-phosphate concentration could permit an increased control of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by energy charge during the day.     

Enzymatic Properties of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Isoforms in the CAM Plant Kalanchoe daigremontiana

Three isoforms (Types 1, 2 and 3) of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)carboxylase in young leaves of the Crassulacean acid metabolism(CAM) plant Kalanchoe daigremontiana were separated by DEAE-cellulosecolumn chromatography and preparative polyacrylamide-agarosegel electrophoresis, and their enzymatic properties were characterized. All three isoforms had similar molecular weights of about 234,000.At pH 8.0 Type 1 showed a high affinity to PEP, (K_m=0.08 mM),whereas Type 3 showed a low affinity (K_m=1.0mM). K_m values forMgCl₂ were 0.26 HIM in Types 1 and 3 and 0.5 nut in Type 2.All three types exhibited the same pH optimum at 8.0, but Type1 showed relatively low activity below pH 6.0, whereas Type3 showed high activity. Type 3 was more acid stable than theother forms. In the presence of glucose-6-phosphate, the K_mvalues of Types 1, 2 and 3 for PEP lowered to 0.027, 0.037 and0.044 mu at pH 8.0, respectively. Inhibition of activity byorganic acids such as malate and pyruvate was pronounced inType 3. Type 2 exhibited properties intermediate to Types 1and 3 with regard to pH curve, affinity to PEP and its effectof various metabolites. The physiological significance of PEPcarboxylase isoforms in CAM plants is discussed on the basisof these findings. ¹Present address: Agricultural Chemicals Research Lab., SankyoCo., Ltd., Yasu-cho, Yasugun, Shiga 520-23, Japan. (Received November 30, 1983; Accepted March 24, 1984)     

Temperature Effects on Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from a CAM and a C(4) Plant : A Comparative Study

The effect of temperature in the range from 10 to 35°C on various characteristics of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from the leaves of a CAM plant, Crassula argentea and a C₄ plant Zea mays shows a number of different effects related to the environment in which these distinct types of metabolic specialization normally operate. The Arrhenius plot of V_max for the two enzyme forms shows that the CAM enzyme has a linear increase with temperature while the C₄ enzyme has an inflection at 27°C implying a conformational or aggregational change in the enzyme or a shift in reaction mechanism to one requiring a lower activation energy. The Arrhenius plot of K_m for the two enzymes reveals the startling fact that at temperatures above 20°C an increasing temperature causes an increase in K_mPEP for the CAM enzyme while the C₄ enzyme displays a decreased K_m as the temperature increases. The inhibitory effect of 5 millimolar malate also shows opposite trends for the two enzymes. For the CAM enzyme the percent inhibition by malate increases from essentially none at 15°C to 70% at 35°C. For the C₄ enzyme the percent inhibition drops from about 60% at 20°C to 2% at 30°C. Similar opposite behavior of the two enzymes is found with the K_i for malate. Pretreatment at high temperatures for periods up to 2 hours was found to result in differences similar to those described above if the treated enzyme were subsequently assayed at 25°C.     

Malate-Induced Hysteresis of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Crassula argentea

The hysteretic behavior of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase from Crassula argentea has been investigated. Incubation of the purified enzyme with the inhibitor malate prior to starting the reaction by the addition of PEP resulted in a kinetic lag of several minutes duration. The length of the lag was inversely proportional to the enzyme concentration, suggesting subunit association-dissociation as the hysteretic mechanism, rather than a mechanism based on a slow conformational change in the enzyme. Dynamic laser light scattering measurements also support this conclusion, showing that the diffusion coefficient of malate-incubated enzyme slowly decreased after the reaction was started by the addition of PEP. Lags were observed only at pH values of 7.5 or lower. Maximum lags were observed after 10 min of preincubation with malate. Fumarate and succinate, which like malate caused mixed inhibition, also caused lags. In contrast, no lag was induced by malate in the presence of PEP or by the competitive inhibitor phosphoglycolate. The activators glucose 6-phosphate and malonate decreased the malate-induced lag.     

Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Heterotrophically Cultured Catharanthus roseus Cells

Maximum activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC4.1.1.31) was detected at the stationary phase of growth ofCatharanthus roseus cells in a heterotrophic culture. The activityof PEPC, after partial purification by fractionation with ammoniumsulphate and chromatography on Q-Sepharose, was greatly influencedby pH. The K_m of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) was 23 µM atpH 8·0 and 45 µM at pH 7·4. Malate, aspartate,citrate, ATP, pyrophosphate and Pi acted as inhibitors of PEPC,but the extent of inhibition varied in each case with the pHof the reaction mixture. By contrast, glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-1,6-bisphosphateand acetyl-CoA, known as stimulators of the activity of PEPCfrom other sources, had little or no effect on the activityof the partially purified PEPC. The possible role and mechanismof regulation of PEPC in C. roseus cells are discussed.Copyright1994, 1999 Academic Press Catharanthus roseus, Apocynaceae, Madagascar periwinkle, suspension culture, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, enzyme kinetics, glycolysis     

Structure and Regulation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Sorghum Leaves

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (ortho-phosphate: oxaloacetate carboxylase, EC 4.11.31, PEPCase), an enzyme widely occurringin bacteria, algae and plants, is an importantcarboxylating enzyme serving a variety of func-tions ranging from photosynthetic carbon dioxidefixation to nitrogen assimilation (Latzko andKelly 1983, O'Leary 1982). It is a key regula-tory enzyme in both C_4 and CAM photosyn-thesis. In C_4 plants, PEPCase is localized inthe mesophyll-cell cytoplasm and catalyzesthe conversion of PEP and bicarbonate to     

海水小球藻磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化酶基因(Chpepc2)克隆和生物信息学分析

为了进一步了解藻类PEPC酶的特征,对海水小球藻pepc2基因进行了克隆并通过生物信息学方法分析了海水小球藻PE PCase2的结构和功能特征。结果表明,海水小球藻pepc2基因与莱茵衣藻pepc2基因相似度为90%,且其对应的氨基酸序列的特征与莱茵衣藻PE PCase2特征相同,可见该基因编码的是海水小球藻细菌型PEPC酶。海水小球藻PEPCase2二级结构主要包括α螺旋、β转角、无规则卷曲和伸展链,其三级结构外部为α螺旋结构,中心为平行β桶结构。海水小球藻PEPCase2具有多种重要的生理功能,主要与多种重要的物质合成有关。     

Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and CarbonEconomy of Apple Seedlings

Seeds of apple cv. Golden Delicious were germinated and cultivatedin the greenhouse until the third leaf emerged. Respirationofgerminating seeds or photosynthesis of the first leaves wasmeasured by infra-red gas analysis and porometry, respectively.To study the role of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC),the dominant carboxylase in the carbon economy, its CO₂ refixationpotentialwas related to the amount of CO₂ lost in respiration. With arange of 0.2 (dry seeds) to 18 (cotyledons) µmol CO₂ h^–1g^–1 PEPC activity resembled or exceeded the amount ofC0₂ lost in respiration before the third leaf developed. Itis concludedthat PEPC largely contributes to economize the carbonmetabolism of apple seedlings before they become photosyntheticallycompetent. Key words: Apple (Malus pumila Mill.) seedling, carbon economy, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, photosynthesis, respiration     

Involvement of Ubiquitin in Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Degradation

Western immunoblot analysis of protein extracts prepared from epidermal peels, whole leaves, and mesophyll protoplasts with ubiquitin and PEPCase antibodies indicated ubiquitinated PEPCase bands and degradation products only in crude extracts which have been obtained in the presence of the proteolysis inhibitors leupeptin and hemin. After ammonium sulfate precipitation and further purification, PEPCase forms were stable and not ubiquitinated. It is assumed, that only a certain part of PEPCase is degraded via the ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis.     

Purification and Characterization of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Developing Seeds of Brassica

Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) was purified to apparent homogeneity with about 29% recovery from developing seeds of Brassica using ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, and gel filtration through Sepharose CL-6S. The purified enzyme with mol wt of about 400 kD exhibited maximum activity at pH 8.0. The enzyme had an absolute requirement for a divalent cation which was satisfied by Mg²⁺. The enzyme showed typical hyperbolic kinetics with PEP and HCO^?3 with Km of 0.125 and 0.104 mM, respectively. Glu-6-P could activate the enzyme, whereas other phosphate esters such as fru-1, 6-P₂, L-glycerophosphate and 3-PGA did not have any effect on the enzyme activity. Noneof the amino acids at 5 mM concentration had any significant effect on the enzyme activity. Nucleotide monophosphates and diphosphates did not inhibit the enzyme significantly, whereas ATP inhibited the enzyme activity. Oxaloacetate and malate inhibited the enzyme non-competitively with respect to PEP with Ki values of 0.127 and 1.25 mM, respectively. The enzyme activity in vivo seems to be regulated ’Tlainly by availability of its substrate and activation by glu-6-P, both of which are supplied through glycolysis.     

Fluorescence Study of Chemical Modification of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Crassula argentea

The chemical modification of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase purified from Crassula argentea leaves was studied using the fluorescence of the extrinsic probe 8-anilino-1-naphalenesulfonate. The effects of ligands on kinetic parameters of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity, and its response to pH and metal cations, were associated with the binding of the ligands to the enzyme as measured by fluorescence. Binding of the ligands phosphoenolpyruvate, malate, and glucose-6-phosphate revealed by fluorescence measurements corresponds to competitive phenomena observed in kinetic studies. The fluorescence measurements also suggest the involvement of specific amino acids in the binding of a given ligand. Arginyl residues modified by 2,3-butanedione appear to be directly involved in the binding of phosphoenolpyruvate and malate to the active and the inhibition sites, respectively. A histidyl residue was involved in the binding of malate, accounting for the lack of inhibition by malate in kinetic studies of the enzyme treated with diethylpyrocarbonate. Although activity was lost, there was no decrease in the ability of the treated enzyme to bind phosphoenolpyruvate, suggesting that additional histidyl residues are essential for activity although not directly involved in the binding of phosphoenolpyruvate. The lysine reagent trinitrobenzenesulfonate caused a loss of activity and a reduction in malate inhibition and glucose-6-phosphate activation, but these modifications were not related to changes in the ability of the enzyme to bind any of the three ligands. This suggests that lysine residues were not directly involved in the binding of these ligands.     

Purification of NADP-Malic Enzyme and Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Sugar Cane Leaves

A procedure is described for the purification of phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31 [EC] ) and NADP-dependent malic enzyme (EC1.1.1.40 [EC] ) from sugar cane leaves. Each enzyme was purified tohomogeneity as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamidegel electro-phoresis, with about 30% yield. Phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxylase was purified 54-fold. A molecular weight of 400,000and a homotetrameric structure were determined for the nativeenzyme. The purified carboxylase had a specific activity of20.0 {diaeresis}mol (mg protein)_–1 min_–1, and wasactivated by glucose-6-phosphate and inhibited by L-malate.K_m values at pH 8.0 for phosphoenolpyruvate and bicarbonatewere 0.25 and O.l0 mM, respectively. NADP-malic enzyme, 356-foldpurified, exhibited a specific activity of 71.2 {diaeresis}mol(mg protein)_–1 min_–1 and was characterized as ahomotetramer with native molecular weight of 250,000. Purifiedmalic enzyme showed an absolute specificity for NADP⁺ and requireda divalent metal ion for activity. K_m values of 0.33 and 0.008mM for L-malate and NADP⁺, respectively, were determined. Thisenzyme was inhibited by several organic acids, including ketoand amino acids; while succinate and citrate increased the enzymeactivity when assayed with 10{diaeresis}M L-malate. The effectsshown by amino acids and by citrate were dependent on pH, beinghigher at pH 8.0 than at pH 7.0. (Received October 26, 1988; Accepted February 3, 1989)     

Activating Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase in Combination for Improvement of Succinate Production

Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylation is an important step in the production of succinate by Escherichia coli. Two enzymes, PEP carboxylase (PPC) and PEP carboxykinase (PCK), are responsible for PEP carboxylation. PPC has high substrate affinity and catalytic velocity but wastes the high energy of PEP. PCK has low substrate affinity and catalytic velocity but can conserve the high energy of PEP for ATP formation. In this work, the expression of both the ppc and pck genes was modulated, with multiple regulatory parts of different strengths, in order to investigate the relationship between PPC or PCK activity and succinate production. There was a positive correlation between PCK activity and succinate production. In contrast, there was a positive correlation between PPC activity and succinate production only when PPC activity was within a certain range; excessive PPC activity decreased the rates of both cell growth and succinate formation. These two enzymes were also activated in combination in order to recruit the advantages of each for the improvement of succinate production. It was demonstrated that PPC and PCK had a synergistic effect in improving succinate production.