Changes in Properties of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase with Induction of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) in the C4 Plant Portulaca Oleracea

Photosynthetica - Aiming at understanding the odd case of CAM expression by a C4 plant, some properties of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31, orthophosphate: oxaloacetate...     

Changes in Properties of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase with Induction of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) in the C4 Plant Portulaca Oleracea

Aiming at understanding the odd case of CAM expression by a C₄ plant, some properties of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31, orthophosphate: oxaloacetate carboxylyase, phosphorylating) were comparatively studied in leaves of CAM-expressing and non-expressing Portulaca oleracea L. plants. CAM expression was induced by growing plants under an 8-h photoperiod and under water-stress. CAM induction in leaves of these plants (designated as CAM) is indicated by the nocturnal acidification and by the clear diurnal oscillation pattern and amplitude of acidity, malic acid, and PEPC activity characteristic of CAM plants. Treatment of the other plant group (designated as C₄) by growth under a 16-h photoperiod and well-watered conditions did not induce expression of the tested criteria of CAM in plants. In these C₄ plants, the mentioned CAM criteria were undetectable. PEPC from CAM and C₄ Portulaca responded differently to any of the studied assay conditions or effectors. For example, extent and timing of sensitivity of PEPC to pH change, inhibition by malate, activation by glucose-6-phosphate or inorganic phosphate, and the enzyme affinity to the substrate PEP were reversed with induction of CAM from the C₄-P. oleracea. These contrasting responses indicate distinct kinetic and regulatory properties of PEPC of the two modes. Thus by shifting to CAM in the C₄ Portulaca a new PEPC isoform may be synthesised to meet CAM requirements. Simultaneous occurrence of both C₄ and CAM is suggested in P. oleracea when challenged with growth under stress. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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.     

Phosphate Activates the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from the C4 Plant Amaranthus viridis L.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from Amaranthus viridis leaves was activated by inorganic orthophosphate in a concentration- and pH-dependent manner. Maximal activation at pH 7.0 was achieved at phosphate concentrations above 20 mM, and a positive cooperativity was observed for the binding of the anion at this pH. At pH 8.0 the maximum of activity was achieved at 10 mM phosphate; higher concentrations reduced the activation. K_M for phosphoenolpyruvate-Mg at pH 7.0 was lowered by phosphate in all concentrations tested up to 30 mM. While at pH 8.0 the K_M values were lower than that of the control up to 10 mM phosphate; higher anion concentrations raised the minimum value of K_M at this pH. V_MAX increased at pH 7.0, and remained unchanged at pH 8.0. A K_A value of 0.41 mM was calculated for phosphate at the alkaline pH. The phosphate analogue arsenate also behaved as an activating agent, while other anions (e.g. nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, tetraborate) were ineffective. The phosphate-activated enzyme was shown to be insensitive to glucose-6-phosphate, but was inhibited by l -malate to the same extent as the control.     

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.     

Phosphate and Sulfate Activate the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from the C4 Plant Cynodon dactylon L.

The effect of phosphate, sulfate and other inorganic ions on the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) from the C₄ plant Cynodon dactylon were investigated for the first time, as well as their interaction with Clc-6-P, AMP and ma-late. Activation of PEPC by phosphate and sulfate ions was demonstrated and it was not dependent on the accompanying cations, something that was not clarified for PEPCs from other plant sources. No activation of this enzyme was observed by nitrate. PEPC activation was found to be competitive with glucoses-phosphate (Clc-6-P) and AMP stimulation and less sensitive to malate inhibition. This work showed that PEPC from C₄plants could exhibit similar activation properties with the enzyme from CAM plants and different activation properties in plants of the same type, rendering the study of this enzyme from different plant sources necessary.     

Molecular Cloning of a Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase cDNA from Tropical Epiphytic CAM Orchid

A full-length cDNA encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) was isolated from tropical epiphytic CAM orchid Mokara Yellow. The cDNA designated as Mpepc1 is 3 450 bp in length with an open reading frame of 2 862 bp encoding 954 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of Mpepc1 shows 83 % identity with pepc2 of sorghum, 82 % with pepc1 and pepc2 of maize and 81 % with pepc of Arabidopsis thaliana. RT-PCR analysis showed that Mpepc1 was expressed in mature leaves, immature leaves, and aerial roots of M. Yellow. No expression was detected in the flower.     

Effects of the Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Inhibitor 3,3-Dichloro-2-(Dihydroxyphosphinoylmethyl)propenoate on Photosynthesis: C(4) Selectivity and Studies on C(4) Photosynthesis

The effect of 3,3-dichloro-2-(dihydroxyphosphinoylmethyl)-propenoate (DCDP), an analog of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), on PEP carboxylase activity in crude leaf extracts and on photosynthesis of excised leaves was examined. DCDP is an effective inhibitor of PEP carboxylase from Zea mays or Panicum miliaceum; 50% inhibition was obtained at 70 or 350 micromolar, respectively, in the presence of 1 millimolar PEP and 1 millimolar HCO₃⁻. When fed to leaf sections via the transpiration stream, DCDP at 1 millimolar strongly inhibited photosynthesis in C₄ species (79-98% inhibition for a range of seven C₄ species), but only moderately in C₃ species (12-46% for four C₃ species), suggesting different mechanisms of inhibition for each photosynthetic type. The response of P. miliaceum (C₄) net photosynthesis to intercellular pCO₂ showed that carboxylation efficiency, as well as the CO₂ saturated rate, are lowered in the presence of DCDP and supported the view that carboxylation efficiency in C₄ species is directly related to PEP carboxylase activity. A fivefold increase in intercellular pCO₂ over that occurring in P. miliaceum under normal photosynthesis conditions only increased net photosynthesis rate in the presence of 1 millimolar DCDP from zero to about 5% of the maximal uninhibited rate. Therefore, it seems unlikely that direct fixation of atmospheric CO₂ by the bundle sheath cells makes any significant contribution to photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation in C₄ species. The results support the concept that C₄-selective herbicides may be developed based on inhibitors of C₄ pathway reactions.     

Cold Inactivation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Pyruvate Orthophosphate Dikinase from the C4 Perennial Plant Atriplex halimus

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) cold inactivation was studied in leaf extracts from Atriplex halimus L. Both enzyme activities gradually reduced as the temperature and the total soluble protein decreased. Mg²⁺ at a concentration of 10 mM stabilized PEPC and PPDK activities against cold inactivation. At low Mg²⁺ concentration (4 mM), PEPC was strongly protected by phosphoenolpyruvate, glucose-6-phosphate, and, partially, byL-malate, while PPDK was protected by PEP, but not by its substrate, pyruvate. High concentrations of compatible solutes (glycerol, betaine, proline, sorbitol and trehalose) proved to be good protectants for both enzyme activities against cold inactivation. When illuminated leaves were exposed to low temperature, PPDK was partially inactivated, while the activity of PEPC was not altered.     

Structure,Regulation and Biosynthesis of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from C4 Plants

This review attempts to summarize the large body of information on the structure, regulation and biosynthesis of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in C₄ plants which has accumulated particularly since the appearance of the last review in 1987. Among the major discoveries are the involvement of protein phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cascade in the light activation of the enzyme, extraction and characteristics of PEPC-protein serine kinase, dynamic changes in oligomeric state of the enzyme in response to pH or temperature, isolation of multiple cDNAs encoding different forms of PEPC and cloning and expression of maize/sorghum PEPC in transgenic tobacco or transformed E. coli cells. Further experiments using advanced techniques of biochemistry and molecular biology would help in understanding the molecular mechanism of reaction, regulation of enzyme activity, gene expression and evolutionary pattern of C₄ PEPC.     

Detecting Photoactivation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase in C(4) Plants : An Effect of pH

Photoactivation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in C₄ plants is detected more efficiently when activity is assayed at suboptimum pH (e.g. 7.2); the magnitude of the light effect is often larger at low phosphoenolpyruvate concentration.

Darkness and low assay pH induce an allosteric behavior (positive cooperativity with phosphoenolpyruvate) which is relieved in light or by higher pH; thus, normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics are exhibited only when the enzyme is extracted during the day and assayed at pH 8.2.

Light activation, pH, and substrate level appear to be components of a regulatory device suppressing the activity in darkness and enhancing it under light.

     

Effects of Phosphorylation on Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase from the C4 Plant Guinea Grass

In the C4 plant Guinea grass (Panicum maximum), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) is phosphorylated in darkened leaves and dephosphorylated in illuminated leaves. To determine whether the properties of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated PEPCK were different, PEPCK was purified to homogeneity from both illuminated and darkened leaves. The final step of the purification procedure, gel filtration chromatography, further separated phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms. In the presence of a high ratio of ATP to ADP, the non-phosphorylated enzyme had a higher affinity for its substrates, oxaloacetate and phosphoenolpyruvate. The activity of the non-phosphorylated form was up to 6-fold higher when measured at low substrate concentrations. Comparison of proteoloytically cleaved PEPCK from Guinea grass, which lacked its N-terminal extension, from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which does not possess an N-terminal extension, and from the C4 plant Urochloa panicoides, which possesses an N-terminal extension but is not subject to phosphorylation, revealed similar properties to the non-phosphorylated full-length form from Guinea grass. Assay of PEPCK activity in crude extracts of Guinea grass leaves, showed a large difference between illuminated and darkened leaves when measured in a selective assay (a low concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate and a high ratio of ATP to ADP), but there was no difference under assay conditions used to estimate maximum activity. Immunoblots of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels showed no difference in the abundance of PEPCK protein in illuminated and darkened leaves. There were no light/dark differences in activity detected in maize (Zea mays) leaves, in which PEPCK is not subject to phosphorylation.     

干旱胁迫下表观遗传机制对转C4型PEPC基因水稻种子萌发的影响

为探究干旱胁迫下表观遗传机制对高表达玉米(Zea mays) C₄型PEPC转基因水稻(Oryza sativa)种子萌发的影响, 以转C₄型PEPC水稻(PC)和野生型水稻Kitaake (WT)为试材, 采用10% (m/v)聚乙二醇6000 (PEG6000)模拟干旱条件, 通过单独和联合施用PEG6000、DNA甲基化抑制剂5-氮杂胞苷(5azaC)和可变剪接抑制剂大环内酯类(PB)进行种子发芽实验, 测定种子活力、萌发过程中可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量、α-淀粉酶活性以及PEPC、糖信号相关基因和部分剪接因子基因的表达。结果表明, 0.25 µmol·L^-1PB处理对2种供试水稻在干旱条件下种子萌发均表现出显著抑制作用, 使干旱条件下种子萌发过程中可溶性总糖、蔗糖、葡萄糖和果糖含量以及可溶性蛋白含量均有所下降, PB也抑制糖信号-蔗糖非发酵1 (SNF1)相关蛋白激酶(SnRKs)家族和剪接因子丝氨酸/精氨酸富集蛋白家族(SR proteins)相关基因的表达以及α-淀粉酶的活性, 但对PC的抑制作用小于WT。5 µmol·L^-15azaC处理对干旱条件下种子萌发的效果与可变剪接抑制剂相反。5 µmol·L ^-1 5azaC联合PEG6000干旱处理部分减缓了干旱对水稻种子发芽率的抑制作用, 使供试材料发芽率升高, 表明DNA甲基化和可变剪接机制参与了水稻芽期干旱耐性, 其中对PC的作用更大。     

Effects of Epigenetic Mechanisms on C4 Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Transgenic Rice (Oryza sativa) Seed Germination Under Drought Stress

为探究干旱胁迫下表观遗传机制对高表达玉米(Zea mays) C₄型PEPC转基因水稻(Oryza sativa)种子萌发的影响, 以转C₄型PEPC水稻(PC)和野生型水稻Kitaake (WT)为试材, 采用10% (m/v)聚乙二醇6000 (PEG6000)模拟干旱条件, 通过单独和联合施用PEG6000、DNA甲基化抑制剂5-氮杂胞苷(5azaC)和可变剪接抑制剂大环内酯类(PB)进行种子发芽实验, 测定种子活力、萌发过程中可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量、α-淀粉酶活性以及PEPC、糖信号相关基因和部分剪接因子基因的表达。结果表明, 0.25 μmol·L^-1PB处理对2种供试水稻在干旱条件下种子萌发均表现出显著抑制作用, 使干旱条件下种子萌发过程中可溶性总糖、蔗糖、葡萄糖和果糖含量以及可溶性蛋白含量均有所下降, PB也抑制糖信号-蔗糖非发酵1 (SNF1)相关蛋白激酶(SnRKs)家族和剪接因子丝氨酸/精氨酸富集蛋白家族(SR proteins)相关基因的表达以及α-淀粉酶的活性, 但对PC的抑制作用小于WT。5 μmol·L^-15azaC处理对干旱条件下种子萌发的效果与可变剪接抑制剂相反。5 μmol·L ^-1 5azaC联合PEG6000干旱处理部分减缓了干旱对水稻种子发芽率的抑制作用, 使供试材料发芽率升高, 表明DNA甲基化和可变剪接机制参与了水稻芽期干旱耐性, 其中对PC的作用更大。     

Photoregulation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase in Salsola soda L. and Other C(4) Plants

Photoactivation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was found to occur in several, though not all, C₄ species examined; Salsola soda L. was used for a detailed study of this effect of light.

Activity differences between light and darkness are maximized when glycerol (25% v/v) is included in the extraction medium and in the absence of mercaptoethanol. In plants grown in the growth chamber, the night-form of the enzyme, in addition to low activity, shows a positive cooperativity (with phosphoenolpyruvate), which is gradually abolished by light of increasing intensities. This allosteric behavior is absent in plants adapted to a high light environment. Activation and deactivation, under light and darkness respectively, are quite fast, suggesting post-translational regulation. The photoactivation appears to depend on photosynthetic electron flow, since it is saturated at high photon fluxes (around 1000 microeinsteins per square meter per second) and inhibited by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea.

     

Cooperative Effects of Light and Temperature on the Activity of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase from Amaranthus paniculatus L

The phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Amaranthus paniculatus shows in vitro optimum affinity (S_0.5) to phosphoenolpyruvate at a relatively high temperature (about 35°C); even in the presence of activators, it functions efficiently only above 25 to 27°C. At lower temperatures, a steep increase of activity with temperature is observed, due to the high activation energy for the catalyzed reaction. The same behavior in vivo could amplify the photoactivation of the enzyme to a large extent, since the night/day transition is soon followed by a considerable rise in leaf temperature.     

Modulation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Phosphorylation in Leaves of Amaranthus hypochondriacus,a NAD-ME Type of C4 Plant

PEP carboxylase (PEPC) in leaves of C₄ plants is activated by phosphorylation of enzyme by a PEPC-protein kinase (PEPC-PK). We reevaluated the pattern of PEPC phosphorylation in leaf extracts of Amaranthus hypochondriacus. It was dependent on Ca²⁺, the optimum concentration of which for stimulation was 10 mM. The extent of stimulation was inhibited by 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA), a Ca²⁺ chelator. The inhibition by BAPTA was relieved by the addition of Ca²⁺ but not by the addition of Mg²⁺. The stimulation by Ca²⁺ of PEPC phosphorylation was marginally enhanced by calmodulin (CaM), but not by diacylglycerol (DAG). Phosphorylation was strongly restricted by Ca²⁺ or Ca²⁺-CaM-dependent protein kinase inhibitors. Thus phosphorylation of PEPC is Ca²⁺-dependent in leaves of A. hypochondriacus and a calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) may modulate PEPC-PK and subsequently the phosphorylation status of PEPC.     

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase is controlled by a similar signaling cascade in CAM and C(4) plants

In Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is subject to day-night regulatory phosphorylation of a conserved serine residue in the plant enzyme's N-terminal domain. The dark increase in PEPC-kinase (PEPC-k) activity is under control of a circadian oscillator, via the enhanced expression of the corresponding gene (1). The signaling cascade leading to PEPC-k up-regulation was investigated in leaves and mesophyll cell protoplasts of the facultative, salt-inducible CAM species, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum. Mesophyll cell protoplasts had the same PEPC-k activity as leaves from which they were prepared (i.e., high at night, low during the day). However, unlike C(4) protoplasts (2), CAM protoplasts did not show marked PEPC-k up-regulation when isolated during the day and treated with a weak base such as NH(4)Cl. Investigations using various pharmacological reagents established the operation, in the darkened CAM leaf, of a PEPC-k cascade including the following components: a phosphoinositide-dependent phospholipase C (PI-PLC), inositol 1,4,5 P (IP(3))-gated tonoplast calcium channels, and a putative Ca(2+)/calmodulin protein kinase. These results suggest that a similar signaling machinery is involved in both C(4) (2, 3) and CAM plants to regulate PEPC-k activity, the phosphorylation state of PEPC, and, thus, carbon flux through this enzyme during CAM photosynthesis.