A role for differential Rubisco activase isoform expression in C4 bioenergy grasses at high temperature

Rubisco activase (Rca) facilitates the release of sugar‐phosphate inhibitors at Rubisco catalytic sites during CO₂ fixation. Most plant species express two Rca isoforms, the larger Rca‐α and the shorter Rca‐β, either by alternative splicing from a single gene or expression from separate genes. The mechanism of Rubisco activation by Rca isoforms has been intensively studied in C₃ plants. However, the functional role of Rca in C₄ plants where Rubisco and Rca are located in a much higher [CO₂] compartment is less clear. In this study, we selected four C₄ bioenergy grasses and the model C₄ grass setaria (Setaria viridis) to investigate the role of Rca in C₄ photosynthesis. All five C₄ grass species contained two Rca genes, one encoding Rca‐α and the other Rca‐β, which were positioned closely together in the genomes. A variety of abiotic stress‐related motifs were identified in the Rca‐α promoter of each grass, and while the Rca‐β gene was constantly highly expressed at ambient temperature, Rca‐α isoforms were expressed only at high temperature but never surpassed 30% of Rca‐β content. The pattern of Rca‐α induction on transition to high temperature and reduction on return to ambient temperature was the same in all five C₄ grasses. In sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), and setaria, the induction rate of Rca‐α was similar to the recovery rate of photosynthesis and Rubisco activation at high temperature. This association between Rca‐α isoform expression and maintenance of Rubisco activation at high temperature suggests that Rca‐α has a functional thermo‐protective role in carbon fixation in C₄ grasses by sustaining Rubisco activation at high temperature.     

An isoleucine residue acts as a thermal and regulatory switch in wheat Rubisco activase

The regulation of Rubisco, the gatekeeper of carbon fixation into the biosphere, by its molecular chaperone Rubisco activase (Rca) is essential for photosynthesis and plant growth. Using energy from ATP hydrolysis, Rca promotes the release of inhibitors and restores catalytic competence to Rubisco‐active sites. Rca is sensitive to moderate heat stress, however, and becomes progressively inhibited as the temperature increases above the optimum for photosynthesis. Here, we identify a single amino acid substitution (M159I) that fundamentally alters the thermal and regulatory properties of Rca in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Using site‐directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that the M159I substitution extends the temperature optimum of the most abundant Rca isoform by 5°C in vitro, while maintaining the efficiency of Rubisco activation by Rca. The results suggest that this single amino acid substitution acts as a thermal and regulatory switch in wheat Rca that can be exploited to improve the climate resilience and efficiency of carbon assimilation of this cereal crop as temperatures become warmer and more volatile.     

Protein Oligomerization Monitored by Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy: Self-Assembly of Rubisco Activase

A methodology is presented to characterize complex protein assembly pathways by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We have derived the total autocorrelation function describing the behavior of mixtures of labeled and unlabeled protein under equilibrium conditions. Our modeling approach allows us to quantitatively consider the relevance of any proposed intermediate form, and K_d values can be estimated even when several oligomeric species coexist. We have tested this method on the AAA+ ATPase Rubisco activase (Rca). Rca self-association regulates the CO₂ fixing activity of the enzyme Rubisco, directly affecting biomass accumulation in higher plants. However, the elucidation of its assembly pathway has remained challenging, precluding a detailed mechanistic investigation. Here, we present the first, to our knowledge, thermodynamic characterization of oligomeric states of cotton β-Rca complexed with Mg·ADP. We find that the monomer is the dominating species below 0.5 micromolar. The most plausible model supports dissociation constants of ～4, 1, and 1 micromolar for the monomer-dimer, dimer-tetramer, and tetramer-hexamer equilibria, in line with the coexistence of four different oligomeric forms under typical assay conditions. Large aggregates become dominant above 40 micromolar, with continued assembly at even higher concentrations. We propose that under some conditions, ADP-bound Rca self-associates by forming spiral arrangements that grow along the helical axis. Other models such as the stacking of closed hexameric rings are also discussed.     

Arabidopsis plants expressing only the redox‐regulated Rca‐α isoform have constrained photosynthesis and plant growth

Rubisco activase (Rca) facilitates the release of sugar‐phosphate inhibitors from the active sites of Rubisco and thereby plays a central role in initiating and sustaining Rubisco activation. In Arabidopsis, alternative splicing of a single Rca gene results in two Rca isoforms, Rca‐α and Rca‐β. Redox modulation of Rca‐α regulates the function of Rca‐α and Rca‐β acting together to control Rubisco activation. Although Arabidopsis Rca‐α alone less effectively activates Rubisco in vitro, it is not known how CO₂ assimilation and plant growth are impacted. Here, we show that two independent transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing Rca‐α in the absence of Rca‐β (‘Rca‐α only’ lines) grew more slowly in various light conditions, especially under low light or fluctuating light intensity, and in a short day photoperiod compared to wildtype. Photosynthetic induction was slower in the Rca‐α only lines, and they maintained a lower rate of CO₂ assimilation during both photoperiod types. Our findings suggest Rca oligomers composed of Rca‐α only are less effective in initiating and sustaining the activation of Rubisco than when Rca‐β is also present. Currently there are no examples of any plant species that naturally express Rca‐α only but numerous examples of species expressing Rca‐β only. That Rca‐α exists in most plant species, including many C3 and C4 food and bioenergy crops, implies its presence is adaptive under some circumstances.     

Rubisco activase requires residues in the large subunit N terminus to remodel inhibited plant Rubisco

The photosynthetic CO₂ fixing enzyme ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) forms dead-end inhibited complexes while binding multiple sugar phosphates, including its substrate ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate. Rubisco can be rescued from this inhibited form by molecular chaperones belonging to the ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA+ proteins) termed Rubisco activases (Rcas). The mechanism of green-type Rca found in higher plants has proved elusive, in part because until recently higher-plant Rubiscos could not be expressed recombinantly. Identifying the interaction sites between Rubisco and Rca is critical to formulate mechanistic hypotheses. Toward that end here we purify and characterize a suite of 33 Arabidopsis Rubisco mutants for their ability to be activated by Rca. Mutation of 17 surface-exposed large subunit residues did not yield variants that were perturbed in their interaction with Rca. In contrast, we find that Rca activity is highly sensitive to truncations and mutations in the conserved N terminus of the Rubisco large subunit. Large subunits lacking residues 1–4 are functional Rubiscos but cannot be activated. Both T5A and T7A substitutions result in functional carboxylases that are poorly activated by Rca, indicating the side chains of these residues form a critical interaction with the chaperone. Many other AAA+ proteins function by threading macromolecules through a central pore of a disc-shaped hexamer. Our results are consistent with a model in which Rca transiently threads the Rubisco large subunit N terminus through the axial pore of the AAA+ hexamer.     

Structure and functional annotation of hypothetical proteins having putative Rubisco activase function from Vitis vinifera

Rubisco is a very large, complex and one of the most abundant proteins in the world and comprises up to 50% of all soluble protein in plants. The activity of Rubisco, the enzyme that catalyzes CO₂ assimilation in photosynthesis, is regulated by Rubisco activase (Rca). In the present study, we searched for hypothetical protein of Vitis vinifera which has putative Rubisco activase function. The Arabidopsis and tobacco Rubisco activase protein sequences were used as seed sequences to search against Vitis vinifera in UniprotKB database. The selected hypothetical proteins of Vitis vinifera were subjected to sequence, structural and functional annotation. Subcellular localization predictions suggested it to be cytoplasmic protein. Homology modelling was used to define the three-dimensional (3D) structure of selected hypothetical proteins of Vitis vinifera. Template search revealed that all the hypothetical proteins share more than 80% sequence identity with structure of green-type Rubisco activase from tobacco, indicating proteins are evolutionary conserved. The homology modelling was generated using SWISS-MODEL. Several quality assessment and validation parameters computed indicated that homology models are reliable. Further, functional annotation through PFAM, CATH, SUPERFAMILY, CDART suggested that selected hypothetical proteins of Vitis vinifera contain ATPase family associated with various cellular activities (AAA) and belong to the AAA+ super family of ring-shaped P-loop containing nucleoside triphosphate hydrolases. This study will lead to research in the optimization of the functionality of Rubisco which has large implication in the improvement of plant productivity and resource use efficiency.     

Structure and dynamics of the force-generating domain of myosin probed by multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance

Spin-labeling and multifrequency EPR spectroscopy were used to probe the dynamic local structure of skeletal myosin in the region of force generation. Subfragment 1 (S1) of rabbit skeletal myosin was labeled with an iodoacetamide spin label at C707 (SH1). X-and W-band EPR spectra were recorded for the apo state and in the presence of ADP and nucleotide analogs. EPR spectra were analyzed in terms of spin-label rotational motion within myosin by fitting them with simulated spectra. Two models were considered: rapid-limit oscillation (spectrum-dependent on the orientational distribution only) and slow restricted motion (spectrum-dependent on the rotational correlation time and the orientational distribution). The global analysis of spectra obtained at two microwave frequencies (9.4 GHz and 94 GHz) produced clear support for the second model and enabled detailed determination of rates and amplitudes of rotational motion and resolution of multiple conformational states. The apo biochemical state is well-described by a single structural state of myosin (M) with very restricted slow motion of the spin label. The ADP-bound biochemical state of myosin also reveals a single structural state (M*, shown previously to be the same as the post-powerstroke ATP-bound state), with less restricted slow motion of the spin label. In contrast, the extra resolution available at 94 GHz reveals that the EPR spectrum of the S1.ADP.V_i-bound biochemical state of myosin, which presumably mimics the S1.ADP.P_i state, is resolved clearly into three spectral components (structural states). One state is indistinguishable from that of the ADP-bound state (M*) and is characterized by moderate restriction and slow motion, with a mole fraction of 16%. The remaining 84% (M**) contains two additional components and is characterized by fast rotation about the x axis of the spin label. After analyzing EPR spectra, myosin ATPase activity, and available structural information for myosin II, we conclude that post-powerstroke and pre-powerstroke structural states (M* and M**) coexist in the S1.ADP.V_i biochemical state. We propose that the pre-powerstroke state M** is characterized by two structural states that could reflect flexibility between the converter and N-terminal domains of myosin.     

Thermodynamically stable aggregation-resistant antibody domains through directed evolution

Protein aggregates are usually formed by interactions between unfolded or partially unfolded species, and often occur when a protein is denatured by, for example, heat or low pH. In earlier work, we used a Darwinian selection strategy to create human antibody variable domains that resisted heat aggregation. The repertoires of domains were displayed on filamentous phage and denatured (at 80 °C in pH 7.4), and folded domains were selected by binding to a generic ligand after cooling. This process appeared to select for domains with denatured states that resisted aggregation, but the domains only had low free energies of folding (ΔG_N-D^o = 15-20 kJ/mol at 25 °C in pH 7.4). Here, using the same phage repertoire, we have extended the method to the selection of domains resistant to acid aggregation. In this case, however, the thermodynamic stabilities of selected domains were higher than those selected by thermal denaturation (under both neutral and acidic conditions; ΔG_N-D^o = 26-47 kJ/mol at 25 °C in pH 7.4, or ΔG_N-D^o = 27-34 kJ/mol in pH 3.2). Furthermore, we identified a key determinant (Arg28) that increased the aggregation resistance of the denatured states of the domains at low pH without compromising their thermodynamic stabilities. Thus, the selection process yielded domains that combined thermodynamic stability and aggregation-resistant unfolded states. We suggest that changes to these properties are controlled by the extent to which the folding equilibrium is displaced during the process of selection.     

KIF14 Binds Tightly to Microtubules and Adopts a Rigor-Like Conformation

The mitotic kinesin motor protein KIF14 is essential for cytokinesis during cell division and has been implicated in cerebral development and a variety of human cancers. Here we show that the mouse KIF14 motor domain binds tightly to microtubules and does not display typical nucleotide-dependent changes in this affinity. It also has robust ATPase activity but very slow motility. A crystal structure of the ADP-bound form of the KIF14 motor domain reveals a dramatically opened ATP-binding pocket, as if ready to exchange its bound ADP for Mg·ATP. In this state, the central β-sheet is twisted ~ 10° beyond the maximal amount observed in other kinesins. This configuration has only been seen in the nucleotide-free states of myosins—known as the “rigor-like” state. Fitting of this atomic model to electron density maps from cryo-electron microscopy indicates a distinct binding configuration of the motor domain to microtubules. We postulate that these properties of KIF14 are well suited for stabilizing midbody microtubules during cytokinesis.     

Mechanism of Mss116 ATPase reveals functional diversity of DEAD-Box proteins

Mss116 is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DEAD-box RNA helicase protein that is essential for efficient in vivo splicing of all group I and group II introns and for activation of mRNA translation. Catalysis of intron splicing by Mss116 is coupled to its ATPase activity. Knowledge of the kinetic pathway(s) and biochemical intermediates populated during RNA-stimulated Mss116 ATPase is fundamental for defining how Mss116 ATP utilization is linked to in vivo function. We therefore measured the rate and equilibrium constants underlying Mss116 ATP utilization and nucleotide-linked RNA binding. RNA accelerates the Mss116 steady-state ATPase ∼ 7-fold by promoting rate-limiting ATP hydrolysis such that inorganic phosphate (P_i) release becomes (partially) rate-limiting. RNA binding displays strong thermodynamic coupling to the chemical states of the Mss116-bound nucleotide such that Mss116 with bound ADP-P_i binds RNA more strongly than Mss116 with bound ADP or in the absence of nucleotide. The predominant biochemical intermediate populated during in vivo steady-state cycling is the strong RNA-binding Mss116-ADP-P_i state. Strong RNA binding allows Mss116 to fulfill its biological role in the stabilization of group II intron folding intermediates. ATPase cycling allows for transient population of the weak RNA-binding ADP state of Mss116 and linked dissociation from RNA, which is required for the final stages of intron folding. In cases where Mss116 functions as a helicase, the data collectively favor a model in which ATP hydrolysis promotes a weak-to-strong RNA binding transition that disrupts stable RNA duplexes. The subsequent strong-to-weak RNA binding transition associated with P_i release dissociates Mss116-RNA complexes, regenerating free Mss116.     

ATP-triggered ADP release from the asymmetric chaperonin GroEL/GroES/ADP7 is not the rate-limiting step of the GroEL/GroES reaction cycle

The GroEL/GroES protein folding chamber is formed and dissociated by ATP binding and hydrolysis. ATP hydrolysis in the GroES-bound (cis) ring gates entry of ATP into the opposite unoccupied trans ring, which allosterically ejects cis ligands. While earlier studies suggested that hydrolysis of cis ATP is the rate-limiting step of the cycle (t_½ ∼ 10 s), a recent study suggested that ADP release from the cis ring may be rate-limiting (t_½ ∼ 15-20 s). Here we have measured ADP release using a coupled enzyme assay and observed a t_½ for release of ?4-5 s, indicating that this is not the rate-limiting step of the reaction cycle.     

Rubisco activase – Rubisco's catalytic chaperone

The current status of research on the structure, regulation, mechanism and importance of Rubisco activase is reviewed. The activase is now recognized to be a member of the AAA⁺ family, whose members participate in macromolecular complexes that perform diverse chaperone-like functions. The conserved nucleotide-binding domain of AAA⁺ family members appears to have a common fold that when applied to the activase is generally consistent with previous site-directed mutagenesis studies of the activase. Regulation of the activase in species containing both isoforms can occur via redox changes in the carboxy-terminus of the larger isoform, mediated by thioredoxin-f, which alters the response of activase to the ratio of ADP to ATP in the stroma. Studies of Rubisco activation in transgenic Arabidopsis plants demonstrated that light modulation is dependent on redox regulation of the larger isoform, providing a model for the regulation in other species. Further insights into the mechanism of the activase have emerged from an analysis of the crystal structures of Rubisco conformational variants and the identification of Rubisco residues that confer specificity in its interaction with the activase. The physiological importance of the activase is reinforced by recent studies indicating that it plays a vital role in the response of photosynthesis to temperature. Rubisco activase is one of a new type of chaperone, which in this case functions to promote and maintain the catalytic activity of Rubisco.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

NMR study of nucleotide-induced changes in the nucleotide binding domain of Thermus thermophilus Hsp70 chaperone DnaK: implications for the allosteric mechanism

We present an NMR investigation of the nucleotide-dependent conformational properties of a 44-kDa nucleotide binding domain (NBD) of an Hsp70 protein. Conformational changes driven by ATP binding and hydrolysis in the N-terminal NBD are believed to allosterically regulate substrate affinity in the C-terminal substrate binding domain. Several crystal structures of Hsc70 NBDs in different nucleotide states have, however, not shown significant structural differences. We have previously reported the NMR assignments of the backbone resonances of the NBD of the bacterial Hsp70 homologue Thermus thermophilus DnaK in the ADP-bound state. In this study we show, by assigning the NBD with the ATP/transition state analogue, ADP.AlFx, bound, that it closely mimics the ATP-bound state. Chemical shift difference mapping of the two nucleotide states identified differences in a cluster of residues at the interface between subdomains 1A and 1B. Further analysis of the spectra revealed that the ATP state exhibited a single conformation, whereas the ADP state was in slow conformational exchange between a form similar to the ATP state and another state unique to the ADP-bound form. A model is proposed of the allosteric mechanism based on the nucleotide state altering the balance of a dynamic equilibrium between the open and closed states. The observed chemical shift perturbations were concentrated in an area close to a previously described J-domain binding channel, confirming the importance of that region in the allosteric mechanism.     

Small Oligomers of Ribulose-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase (Rubisco) Activase Are Required for Biological Activity

Ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activase uses the energy from ATP hydrolysis to remove tight binding inhibitors from Rubisco, thus playing a key role in regulating photosynthesis in plants. Although several structures have recently added much needed structural information for different Rubisco activase enzymes, the arrangement of these subunits in solution remains unclear. In this study, we use a variety of techniques to show that Rubisco activase forms a wide range of structures in solution, ranging from monomers to much higher order species, and that the distribution of these species is highly dependent on protein concentration. The data support a model in which Rubisco activase forms an open spiraling structure rather than a closed hexameric structure. At protein concentrations of 1 μm, corresponding to the maximal activity of the enzyme, Rubisco activase has an oligomeric state of 2–4 subunits. We propose a model in which Rubisco activase requires at least 1 neighboring subunit for hydrolysis of ATP.     

Acetate supplementation increases brain phosphocreatine and reduces AMP levels with no effect on mitochondrial biogenesis

Acetate supplementation in rats increases plasma acetate and brain acetyl-CoA levels. Although acetate is used as a marker to study glial energy metabolism, the effect that acetate supplementation has on normal brain energy stores has not been quantified. To determine the effect(s) that an increase in acetyl-CoA levels has on brain energy metabolism, we measured brain nucleotide, phosphagen and glycogen levels, and quantified cardiolipin content and mitochondrial number in rats subjected to acetate supplementation. Acetate supplementation was induced with glyceryl triacetate (GTA) by oral gavage (6 g/kg body weight). Rats used for biochemical analysis were euthanized using head-focused microwave irradiation at 2, and 4 h following treatment to immediately stop metabolism. We found that acetate did not alter brain ATP, ADP, NAD, GTP levels, or the energy charge ratio [ECR, (ATP + ½ ADP)/(ATP + ADP + AMP)] when compared to controls. However, after 4 h of treatment brain phosphocreatine levels were significantly elevated with a concomitant reduction in AMP levels with no change in glycogen levels. In parallel studies where rats were treated with GTA for 28 days, we found that acetate did not alter brain glycogen and mitochondrial biogenesis as determined by measuring brain cardiolipin content, the fatty acid composition of cardiolipin and using quantitative ultra-structural analysis to determine mitochondrial density/unit area of cytoplasm in hippocampal CA3 neurons. Collectively, these data suggest that an increase in brain acetyl-CoA levels by acetate supplementation does increase brain energy stores however it has no effect on brain glycogen and neuronal mitochondrial biogenesis.     

Downhill versus Barrier-Limited Folding of BBL 1: Energetic and Structural Perturbation Effects upon Protonation of a Histidine of Unusually Low pKa

A dispersion of melting temperatures at pH 5.3 for individual residues of the BBL protein domain has been adduced as evidence for barrier-free downhill folding. Other members of the peripheral subunit domain family fold cooperatively at pH 7. To search for possible causes of anomalies in BBL's denaturation behavior, we measured the pH titration of individual residues by heteronuclear NMR. At 298 K, the pK_a of His142 was close to that of free histidine at 6.47 ± 0.04, while that of the more buried His166 was highly perturbed at 5.39 ± 0.02. Protonation of His166 is thus energetically unfavorable and destabilizes the protein by ∼ 1.5 kcal/mol. Changes in C^α secondary shifts at pH 5.3 showed a decrease in helicity of the C-terminus of helix 2, where His166 is located, which was accompanied by a measured decrease of 1.1 ± 0.2 kcal/mol in stability from pH 7 to 5.3. Protonation of His166 perturbs, therefore, the structure of BBL. Only ∼ 1% of the structurally perturbed state will be present at the biologically relevant pH 7.6. Experiments at pH 5.3 report on a near-equal mixture of the two different native states. Further, at this pH, small changes of pH and pK_a induced by changes in temperature will have near-maximal effects on pH-dependent conformational equilibria and on propagation of experimental error. Accordingly, conventional barrier-limited folding predicts some dispersion of measured thermal unfolding curves of individual residues at pH 5.3.     

Alterations in Photosystem II electron transport as revealed by thermoluminescence of Cu-poisoned chloroplasts

The Rubisco activase amino acid sequences of spinach and tobacco are 79% identical, yet the tobacco protein does not facilitate the activation of the uncarbamylated, ribulose bisphosphate bound form of spinach ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.1.39) and vice versa. In contrast, combinations of the spinach Rubisco activase with Rubisco from non-Solanaceae species and combinations of tobacco Rubisco activase with Rubisco from other Solanaceae species are almost as effective as the analogous combination. To examine the basis of the preference of an activase protein for either Solanaceae or non-Solanaceae Rubisco, several recombinant chimeric proteins were obtained by combining regions from the cDNAs of spinach and tobacco activase and expression in Escherichia coli. The chimeric proteins were analyzed for ATP hydrolysis and ability to activate spinach and tobacco Rubisco. Comparisons of Rubisco preference with composition of the various activase chimeras indicate that the major determinants of Rubisco preference seem to be localized in the carboxyl-terminal region.     

Involvement of nitrogen and cytokinins in photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO2 of spring wheat

Acclimation of photosynthetic capacity to elevated CO₂ involves a decrease of the leaf Rubisco content. In the present study, it was hypothesized that nitrogen uptake and partitioning within the leaf and among different aboveground organs affects the down-regulation of Rubisco. Given the interdependence of nitrogen and cytokinin signals at the whole plant level, it is also proposed that cytokinins affect the nitrogen economy of plants under elevated CO₂, and therefore the acclimatory responses. Spring wheat received varying levels of nitrogen and cytokinin in field chambers with ambient (370 μmol mol⁻¹) or elevated (700 μmol mol⁻¹) atmospheric CO₂. Gas exchange, Rubisco, soluble protein and nitrogen contents were determined in the top three leaves in the canopy, together with total nitrogen contents per shoot. Growth in elevated CO₂ induced decreases in photosynthetic capacity only when nitrogen supply was low. However, the leaf contents of Rubisco, soluble protein and total nitrogen on an area basis declined in elevated CO₂ regardless of nitrogen supply. Total nitrogen in the shoot was no lower in elevated than ambient CO₂, but the fraction of this nitrogen located in flag and penultimate leaves was lower in elevated CO₂. Decreased Rubisco: chlorophyll ratios accompanied losses of leaf Rubisco with CO₂ enrichment. Cytokinin applications increased nitrogen content in all leaves and nitrogen allocation to senescing leaves, but decreased Rubisco contents in flag leaves at anthesis and in all leaves 20 days later, together with the amount of Rubisco relative to soluble protein in all leaves at both growth stages. The results suggest that down regulation of Rubisco in leaves at elevated CO₂ is linked with decreased allocation of nitrogen to the younger leaves and that cytokinins cause a fractional decrease of Rubisco and therefore do not alleviate acclimation to elevated CO₂.     

Characterization of the regulatory function of the 46-kDa isoform of Rubisco activase from Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis Rubisco activase was recently shown to be regulated by redox changes in the larger (46-kDa) isoform specifically mediated by thioredoxin-f [Zhang and Portis (1999) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96: 9438–9443]. Reduction greatly increases the activity of the 46-kDa isoform and the native protein at physiological ATP/ADP ratios. In this study we conducted additional experiments to characterize the regulation of Rubisco activase by thioredoxin-f. The K_m for both ATP hydrolysis and Rubisco activation by the 46-kDa isoform was lowered by 4 to 5-fold after reduction, but the maximum activity was increased by only 10%. Only 0.35 μM thioredoxin-f was required for a half-maximal activity change after a 10 min preincubation and activation with 1 μM was complete after 10 min. Equal amounts of 46-kDa and 43-kDa isoforms were required for a complete inhibition of the Rubisco activation activity after a reduction-oxidation cycle and assay at an ATP/ADP ratio of 3:1, whereas activity was only inhibited by 50% at a 2:1 ratio (43-/46-kDa) of the isoforms. This requirement is consistent with the fact that Arabidopsis normally contains about a 1:1 ratio of the two isoforms at both the mRNA and protein levels. Redox titrations indicated a midpoint potential of −344 mV for the 46-kDa isoform as compared to −342 mV for spinach fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase at pH 7.9, consistent with previous reports indicating that these proteins are co-regulated by light intensity in a similar manner. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.