The carboxylase activity of Rubisco and the photosynthetic performance in aquatic plants

Summary Activated carboxylase activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), as well as photosynthetic rates were measured for 42 species of freshwater and marine macrophytes. While the carboxylase activity varied greatly among the species investigated (0.2–12.5 mol CO₂ mg^–1 chlorophyll min^–1), the submersed freshwater plants showed significantly lower activities than emergent, floating leaved or secondary submersed forms. The variability in photosynthetic rates correlated with the carboxylase activity only for the marine macroalgae, and their photosynthesis to carboxylase activity ratios were close to 1. These plants also had a consistently high inorganic carbon transport capability, and it is suggested that ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity is an important internal factor regulating the photosynthetic capacity within this plant group where, apparently, the internal CO₂ concentration is high and photorespiration is suppressed. Among the freshwater forms, it appears that their much lower inorganic carbon transport ability, rather than their carboxylase activity, limits the photosynthetic process.     

Long-term kinetics of the light-dependent regulation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity in plants with and without 2-carboxyarabinitol 1-phosphate

The light-dependent modulation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activity was studied in two species: Phaseolus vulgaris L., which has high levels of the inhibitor of Rubisco activity, carboxyarabinitol 1-phosphate (CA1P), in the dark, and Chenopodium album L., which has little CA1P. In both species, the ratio of initial to fully-activated Rubisco activity declined by 40–50% within 60 min of a reduction in light from high a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD; >700 mol · m^–2 · s^–1) to a low PPFD (65 ± 15 mol · m^–2 · s^–1) or to darkness, indicating that decarbamylation of Rubisco is substantially involved in the initial regulatory response of Rubisco to a reduction in PPFD, even in species with potentially extensive CA1P inhibition. Total Rubisco activity was unaffected by PPFD in C. album, and prolonged exposure (2–6 h) to low light or darkness was accompanied by a slow decline in the activity ratio of this species. This indicates that the carbamylation state of Rubisco from C. album gradually declines for hours after the large initial drop in the first 60 min following light reduction. In P. vulgaris, the total activity of Rubisco declined by 10–30% within 1 h after a reduction in PPFD to below 100 mol · m^–2 · s^–1, indicating CA1P-binding contributes significantly to the reduction of Rubisco capacity during this period, but to a lesser extent than decarbamylation. With continued exposure of P. vulgaris leaves to very low PPFDs (< 30 mol · m^–2 · s^–1), the total activity of Rubisco declined steadily so that after 6–6.5 h of exposure to very low light or darkness, it was only 10–20% of the high-light value. These results indicate that while decarbamylation is more prominent in the initial regulatory response of Rubisco to a reduction in PPFD in P. vulgaris, binding of CA1P increases over time and after a few hours dominates the regulation of Rubisco activity in darkness and at very low PPFDs.Abbreviations CA1P 2-carboxyarabinitol 1-phosphate - CABP 2-carboxyarabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate - k_cat substrate-saturated turnover rate of fully carbamylated enzyme - PPFD photosynthetically active photon flux density (400–700 nm) - Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate     

The influence of temperature on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and the regulation of these enzymes in a mesophilic and a thermophilic cyanobacterium

The activities and kinetics of the enzymes G6PDH (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) and 6PGDH (6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase) from the mesophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6307 and the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6716 are studied in relation to temperature. In Synechococcus 6307 the apparent K _m's are for G6PDH: 80M (substrate) and 20M (NADP⁺); for 6PGDH: 90M (substrate) and 25M (NADP⁺). In Synechococcus 6716 the apparent K _m's are for G6PDH: 550M (substrate) and 30M (NADP⁺); for 6PGDH: 40M (substrate) and 10M (NADP⁺). None of the K _m's is influenced by the growth temperature and only the K _m's of G6PDH for G6P are influenced by the assay temperature in both organisms. The idea that, in general, thermophilic enzymes possess a lower affinity for their substrates and co-enzymes than mesophilic enzymes is challenged.Although ATP, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate, NADPH and pH can all influence the activities of G6PDH and 6PGDH to a certain extent (without any difference between the mesophilic and the thermophilic strain), they cannot be responsible for the total deactivation of the enzyme activities observed in the light, thus blocking the pentose phosphate pathway.Abbreviations G6PDH glucose-6-phosphate, dehydrogenase - 6PGDH 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase - G6P glucose-6-phosphate - 6PG 6-phosphogluconate - RUDP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate - Tricine N-Tris (hydroxymethyl)-methylglycine     

Rapid variations in the content of the RNA of the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase of mature tobacco leaves in response to localized changes in light quantity. Relationships between the activity and quantity of the enzyme

Mature green leaves from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants were submitted to contrasting light conditions; half of each leaf was shaded (changed from 60 to 25 mol photons· m^-2 ·s^-1=LL) and the other half was exposed to higher light (changed from 60 to 360 mol·m^-2· s^-1=HL) for 24 h. The activity and quantity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) were measured during the first 24 h in each leaf region and the variation was compared with that of small subunit (SSU)-and large subunit (LSU)-mRNA contents determined by a hybridot technique. Each leaf half responded separately to the actual light received. The activity of RuBPCase increased progressively in the HL zones and decreased in the LL zones. The RuBPCase-protein content was not significantly modified during the first 24 h but SSU-mRNA content responded very rapidly to the treatment. Within 2 h a significant difference in SSU mRNA appeared between LL and HL zones: at the end of the photoperiod the content in LL zones was approx. 25% of the initial value. The increase in the exposed zone, however, was not significant, indicating that there was a dissymmetry of the response to variation in incident white light. The LSU-mRNA contents from the same leaf extracts were totally unaffected by the light treatment. No day-night variations were noted in either SSU or LSU mRNAs in control plants.Abbreviation HL high-light irradiance - LL lower-ligh irradiance - LSU large subunit of RuBPCase - RuBPCase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase - SSU small subunit of RuBPCase     

A point mutation in the N-terminus of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase affects ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate binding

Mutagenesis in vitro of the gene encoding the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (EC 4.1.1.39) from Anacystis nidulans was used to generate novel enzymes. Two conserved residues, threonine 4 and lysine 11 in the N-terminus were changed. The substitution of threonine 4 with serine or valine had little effect on the kinetic parameters. The substitution of lysine 11 with leucine, which is non-polar, increased the K _m for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate from 82 to 190 M but its replacement with glutamine, which has polar properties, had no appreciable effect.Abbreviations Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate - LSU large sub-unit of Rubisco - SSU small subunit of Rubisco We thank Dr. S. Gutteridge (DuPont, Wilmington, USA) for structural information and for his comments on the results described. The technical assistance of Mr. A. Cowland and Mr. I. Major was invaluable.     

The specific activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase in relation to genotype in wheat

The specific activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase; EC 4.1.1.39) in crude extracts of leaves from euploid, amphiploid and alloplasmic lines of wheat fell into high or low categories (3.75 or 2.70 mol·mg^–1·min^–1, 30°C). For the alloplasmic lines, where the same hexaploid nuclear genome was substituted into different cytoplasms, the specific activity of RuBPCase was consistent with the type of cytoplasm (high for the B and S cytoplasms and low for the A and D cytoplasms). There was no evidence from the euploid and amphiploid lines that small subunits encoded in different nuclear genomes influenced the specific activity. High specific activity was conferred by possession of the chloroplast genome of the B-type cytoplasm which encodes the large subunit of RuBPCase. All lines with a cytoplasm derived from the Sitopsis section of wheat, with the exception of Aegilops longissima and A. speltoides 18940, had RuBPCase with high specific activity. In contrast with the euploid lines of A. longissima, the alloplasmic line containing A. longissima cytoplasm from a different source had RuBPCase with high specific activity. The difference in specific activity found here in-vitro was not apparent in-vivo when leaf gas exchange was measured.Abbreviation RuBP(Case) ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (carboxylase)     

The effect of divalent metal ions on the activity of Mg++ depleted ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate oxygenase

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase is deactivated by removal of Mg⁺⁺. The enzyme activities can be restored to a different extent by the addition of various divalent ions in the presence of CO₂. Incubation with Mg⁺⁺ and CO₂ restores both enzyme activities, whereas, the treatment of the enzyme with the transition metal ions (Mn⁺⁺, Co⁺⁺, and Ni⁺⁺) and CO₂ fully reactivates the oxygenase: however, the carboxylase activity remains low. In experiments where CO₂-free conditions were conscientiously maintained, no reactivation of RuBP oxygenase was observed, although Mn⁺⁺ ions were present. Other divalent cations such as Ca⁺⁺ and Zn⁺⁺, restore neither the carboxylase nor the oxygenase reaction. Furthermore, the addition of Mn⁺⁺ to the Mg⁺⁺ and CO₂ preactivated enzyme significantly inhibited carboxylase reactions, but increased the oxygenase reaction.Abbreviation RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate. The enyme unit for RuBP carboxylase is defined as mol CO₂ fixed·min^-1 and for the RuBP oxygenase as mol O₂ consumed · min^-1     

Characterization of the pyrenoid isolated from unicellular green algaChlamydomonas reinhardtii: Particulate form of RuBisCO protein

Summary The pyrenoid is a protein complex in the chloroplast stroma of eukaryotic algae. After the treatment with mercury chloride, pyrenoids were isolated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation from cell-wall less mutant cells, CW-15, as well as wild type cells, C-9, of unicellular green algaChlamydomonas reinhardtii. Pyrenoids were characterized as a fraction whose protein/chlorophyll ratio was very high, and also examined by Nomarski differential interference microscopy. Most of the components consisted of 55 kDa and 16 kDa polypeptides (11) which were immunologically identified as the large and small subunit of RuBisCO (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) protein, respectively. Some minor polypeptides were also detected. Substantial amount of RuBisCO protein is present as a particulate form in the pyrenoid in addition to the soluble form in algal chloroplast stroma.Abbreviations BPB bromophenol blue - DAB 3,3-diaminobenzidine - DTT dithiothreitol - ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - High-CO₂ cells cells grown under air enriched with 4% CO₂ - Low-CO₂ cells cells grown under ordinary air (containing 0.04% CO₂) - NP-40 nonionic detergent (Nonidet) P-40 - PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - PAP peroxidase-antiperoxidase conjugate - RuBisCO ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate - SDS sodium dodecylsulfate     

d-Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and polyhedral inclusion bodies in Nitrosomonas spec

Polydedral inclusion bodies were isolated from exponentially grown cells of Nitrosomonas spec. The bodies contained d-ribulose, 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase. The specific activity of the enzyme was 0.0122 mol CO₂ fixed per min per mg of protein.     

Activation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase by chloroplast metabolites in a reconstituted spinach chloroplast system

In a preparation of soluble components from isolated spinach (Spinecia oleracea L.) chloroplasts, the activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) is strongly increased by 6-phosphogluconate or by NADPH at pH 8.0. When the thylakoid system is added to these soluble components (reconstituted chloroplast system) plus ferredoxin, the carboxylase is even more strongly activated in the light. This light activation appears to be due to reduction of endogenous NADP⁺ by electrons from the light reactions transferred via ferredoxin, since NADPH alone can activate the purified enzyme in the dark while reduced ferredoxin does not. The regulatory properties of the enzyme in the reconstituted chloroplast system are compared with those of the isolated enzyme, and their possible physiologic significance is discussed.Abbreviations Fd ferredoxin - PPC pentose phosphate cycle - 6-PGluA 6-phosphogluconate - Rib-5-P ribose-5-phosphate - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate     

Cold-hardening results in increased activity of enzymes involved in carbon metabolism in leaves of winter rye (Secale cereale L.)

Light- and CO₂-saturated photosynthesis of nonhardened rye (Secale cereale L. cv. Musketeer) was reduced from 18.10 to 7.17 mol O₂·m^–2·s^–1 when leaves were transferred from 20 to 5°C for 30 min. Following cold-hardening at 5°C for ten weeks, photosynthesis recovered to 15.05 mol O₂·m^–2·s^–1,comparable to the nonhardened rate at 20°C. Recovery of photosynthesis was associated with increases in the total activity and activation of enzymes of the photosynthetic carbon-reduction cycle and of sucrose synthesis. The total hexose-phosphate pool increase by 30% and 120% for nonhardened and cold-hardened leaves respectively when measured at 5°C. The large increase in esterified phosphate in coldhardened leaves occurred without a limitation in inorganic phosphate supply. In contrast, the much smaller increase in esterified phosphate in nonhardened leaves was associated with an inhibition of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and sucrose-phosphate synthase activation. It is suggested that the large increases in hexose phosphates in cold-hardened leaves compensates for the higher substrate threshold concentrations needed for enzyme activation at low temperatures. High substrate concentrations could also compensate for the kinetic limitations imposed by product inhibition from the accumulation of sucrose at 5°C. Nonhardened leaves appear to be unable to compensate in this fashion due to an inadequate supply of inorganic phosphate.Abbreviations DHAP dihydroxyacetone phosphate - Fru6P fructose-6-phosphate - Fru 1,6BP fructose-1,6-bisphosphate - Fru1,6BPase fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase - Glc6P glucose-6-phosphate - PGA 3-phosphoglycerate - PPFD photosynthetic photon flux density - CH cold-hardened rye grown at 5°C - NH nonhardened rye grown at 24°C - Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate - SPS sucrose-phosphate synthase - UDPGlc uridine 5-diphosphoglucose This work was supported by operating grants from the Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council to G.Ö. and P.G.     

Comparison of Properties of the Proteolytic Degradation of Unassembled Nuclear-encoded Subunits of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase and of the Coupling Factor of Photophosphorylation CF1*

The proteolytic degradation of unassembled small subunit polypeptides of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and of the δ-subunit of the coupling factor of photophosphorylation CF₁ were analyzed and compared in vitro in the presence of stroma or membrane preparations from ribosome-deficient plastids isolated from 32°C-grown rye leaves (Secale cereale L.). Extracts obtained from 70S ribosome-deficient rye leaves after radioactive labeling were used as substrate source for the unassembled polypeptides. Soluble stroma as well as membrane preparations from isolated plastids contained proteolytic activities catalyzing the degradation of both the small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and CF₁-δ in vitro. Maximal in vitro degradation was observed at pH 2–3 for the unassembled small subunits, but at pH 6–7 for the purified holoprotein of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase, and at pH 6.0 for unassembled CF₁-δ. Degradation of unassembled small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase at pH 3.0 was stimulated by Cu²⁺ but not by Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ or ATP. At pH 3.0 the degradation of unassembled small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was not inhibited by various protease inhibitors but was even stimulated. At pH 7.0 its degradation was inhibited by HgCl₂ and diazoacetyl nor-leucine methyl ester + Cu-acetate. The degradation of CF₁-δ was markedly inhibited by phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride (PMSF) and to a lesser extent by 1,10-phenanthroline. According to present results different proteolytic systems appear to be involved in the degradation of unassembled small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase and of unassembled CF₁-δ.     

Rates of glycolate synthesis and metabolism during photosynthesis of Euglena and microalgae grown on low CO2

The rate of glycolate excretion in Euglena gracilis Z and some microalgae grown at the atmospheric level of CO₂ was determined using amino-oxyacetate (AOA). The extracellular O₂ concentration was kept at 240 M by bubbling the incubation medium with air. Glycolate, the main excretion product, was excreted by Euglena at 6 mol·h^-1·(mg chlorophyll (Chl))^-1. Excretion depended on the presence of AOA, and was saturated at 1 mM AOA. A substituted oxime formed from glyoxylate and AOA was also excreted. Bicarbonate added at 0.1 mM did not prevent the excretion of glycolate. The excretion of glycolate increased with higher O₂ concentrations in the medium, and was competitively inhibited by much higher concentrations of bicarbonate. Aminooxyacetate also caused excretion of glycolate from the green algae, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii grown on air, at the rates of 2–7 mol·h^-1·(mg Chl)^-1 in the presence of 0.2–0.6 mM dissolved inorganic carbon, but the cyanobacterium, Anacystis nidulans, grown in the same way did not excrete glycolate. The efficiency of the CO₂-concentrating mechanism to suppress glycolate formation is discussed on the basis of the magnitude of glycolate formation in these low-CO₂-grown cells.Abbreviations AOA aminooxyacetate - Chl chlorophyll - DIC dissolved inorganic carbon - HPLC high-pressure liquid chromatography - Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase This is the 16th paper in a series on the metabolism of glycolate in Euglena gracilis. The 15th paper is Yokota et al. (1985c)     

Treatment with Methyl Jasmonate Alleviates the Effects of Paraquat on Photosynthesis in Barley Plants

Twelve-day-old barley seedlings were supplied with 23 M methyl jasmonate (MeJA) or 10 M paraquat (Pq) via the transpiration stream and kept in the dark for 24 h. Then they were exposed to 100 mol m^–2 s^–1 PAR and samples were taken 1, 2, 3, and 6 h after irradiation. Treatment of seedlings with MeJA alone resulted in decreased content of chlorophyll (Chl), and net photosynthetic (P _N) and transpiration rates. Pq treatment led to a decrease in Chl content and to a very strong inhibition of P _N, the effects were manifested by 1 h of irradiation. Pq treatment did not affect the activity of ribulose-1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC, EC 4.1.1.39) but increased the activity of the photorespiratory enzymes phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGP, EC 3.1.3.18), glycolate oxidase (GO, EC 1.1.3.1), and catalase (EC 1.11.1.6). Pre-treatment of seedlings with MeJA before exposure to Pq fully blocked the inhibitory effect of Pq on photosynthesis and protected against subsequent Pq-induced oxidative damage.     

Acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana to the light environment: Changes in composition of the photosynthetic apparatus

Acclimation to changes in the light environment was investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. cv. Landsberg erecta. Plants grown under four light regimes showed differences in their development, morphology, photosynthetic performance and in the composition of the photosynthetic apparatus. Plants grown under high light showed higher maximum rates of oxygen evolution and lower levels of light-harvesting complexes than their low light-grown counterparts; plants transferred to low light showed rapid changes in maximum photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll-a/b ratio as they became acclimated to the new environment. In contrast, plants grown under lights of differing spectral quality showed significant differences in the ratio of photosystem II to photosystem I. These changes are consistent with a model in which photosynthetic metabolism provides signals which regulate the composition of the thylakoid membrane.Abbreviations Aac1 gene encoding actin - Chl chlorophyll - F far-red-enriched light (R:FR = 0.72) - FR far-red light - H high light (400 mol · m^–2 · s^–1) - L low light (100 ml · m^–2 · s^–1) - LHCII light-harvesting complex of PSII - Lhcb genes encoding the proteins of LHCII - R red light - Rbcs genes encoding the small subunit of Rubisco - Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase - W white light (R:FR = 1.40) This work was supported by Natural Environment Research Council Grant No. GR3/7571A. We would like to thank H. Smith (Botany Department, University of Leicester) and E. Murchie (University of Sheffield) for helpful discussions.     

The relationship between carbon-dioxide-limited photosynthetic rate and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-carboxylase content in two nuclear-cytoplasm substitution lines of wheat,and the coordination of ribulose-bisphosphate-carboxylation and electron-transport capacities

Photosynthesis in two cultivars of Triticum aestivum was compared with photosynthesis in two lines having the same nuclear genomes but with cytoplasms derived from T. boeoticum. The in-vitro specific activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase; EC 4.1.1.39) isolated from lines with T. boeoticum cytoplasm was only 71% of that of normal T. aestivum. By contrast, the RuBPCase activities calculated from the CO₂-assimilation rate at low partial pressures of CO₂, p(CO₂), were the same for all lines for a given RuBPCase content. This indicates that both types of RuBPCase have the same turnover numbers in-vivo of 27.5 mol CO₂·(mol enzyme)^–1·s^–1 (23°). The rate of CO₂ assimilation measured at normal p(CO₂), p _a =340 bar, and high irradiance could be quantitatively predicted from the amount of RuBPCase protein. The maximum rate of RuBP regeneration could also predict the rate of CO₂ assimilation at normal ambient conditions. Therefore, the maximum capacities for RuBP carboxylation and RuBP regeneration appear to be well-balanced for normal ambient conditions. As photosynthetic capacity declined with increasing leaf age, the capacities for RuBP carboxylation and RuBP regeneration declined in parallel.Abbreviations PAR photosynthetically active radiation - RuBP(Case) ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (carboxylase)     

Photoaffinity labeling of ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase with 8-azidoadenosine 5′-triphosphate

Photoaffinity labeling with [³²P] 8-azidoadenosine 5-triphosphate (8-N₃ATP) was used to identify putative binding sites on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. and N. rustica L.) leaf ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCase, EC 4.1.1.39). Incorporation of ³²P was observed in polypeptides corresponding to both RuBPCase subunits when desalted leaf and chloroplast extracts, and purified RuBPCase were irradiated with ultraviolet light in the presence of [³²P] 8-N₃ATP. ³²P-labeling was dependent upon ultraviolet irradiation and occurred with [³²P] 8-N₃ATP labeled in the -position, indicating covalent incorporation of the photoprobe. Both [³²P] 8-N₃ATP and [³²P] 8-N₃GTP were incorporated to a similar extent into the 53-kilodalton (kDa) large subunit (LSu), but incorporation of [³²P] 8-N₃GTP into the 14-kDa small subunit (SSu) of RuBPCase was <5% of that measured with [³²P] 8-N₃ATP. Distinct binding sites for 8-N₃ATP on the two subunits were indicated by different apparent K _D values, 3 and 18 M for the SSu and LSu, respectively, and differences in the response of photoaffinity labeling to Mg²⁺, anions and enzyme activation. Active-site-directed compounds, including the non-gaseous substrate ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, the reaction intermediate analog 2-carboxyarabinitol-1,5-bisphosphate and several phosphorylated effectors afforded protection to the LSu site against photoincorporation but provided almost no protection to the SSu. These results indicate that 8-N₃ATP binds to the active-site region of the LSu and a distinct site on the SSu of RuBPCase. Experiments conducted with intact pea (Pisum sativum L.) and tobacco chloroplasts showed that the SSu was not photolabeled with [³²P] 8-N₃ATP in organello or in undesalted chloroplast lysates but was photolabeled when lysates were ultrafiltered or desalted. These results indicate that 8-N₃ATP binds to a site on the SSu that has physiological significance.Abbreviations kDa kilodalton - LSu large subunit - 8-N₃ATP 8-azidoadenosine 5-triphosphate - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate - RuBPCase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase - SSu small subunit Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article No. 89-3-150The authors acknowledge the technical assistance of J.C. Anderson. This work was supported in part by National Institute of Health grant GM 35766 to B.E.H.     

Mutations in loop six of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase affect substrate specificity

Mutagenesis in vitro of the gene encoding the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (EC 4.1.1.39) from Anacystis nidulans Synechococcus PCC 6301) was used to generate novel enzymes in Escherichia coli. Residues in C-terminal loop 6 of the / barrel structure of the large subunit were changed. Replacement of valine 331 with alanine caused a 90% reduction in V _max but did not alter the enzyme's relative specificity towards either of its gaseous substrates, CO₂ and O₂. However replacement of alanine 340 with glutamate decreased the enzyme's specificity for CO₂ but had no significant effect on either the K _m for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate or CO₂ or on V _max. In contrast replacing a small cassette of residues 338-341 produced a small increase in the specificity factor.Abbreviations Rubisco ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate - CABP 2-carbox-yarabinitol-1,5-bisphosphate We thank Karen Moore for the statistical analysis of the specificity factors. We acknowledge helpful discussions with Jim Pitts and Richard Pickersgill. This work was aided by the invaluable technical assistance of Iain Major.     

Photosynthetic carbon metabolism during leaf ontogeny in Zea mays L.: Enzyme studies

The activities of several enzymes, including ribulose-1,5-diphosphate (RuDP) carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) were measured as a function of leaf age in Z. mays. Mature leaf tissue had a RuDP-carboxylase activity of 296.7 mol CO₂ g^-1 fresh weight h^-1 and a PEP-carboxylase activity of 660.6 mol CO₂ g^-1 fresh weight h^-1. In young corn leaves the activity of the two enzymes was 11 and 29%, respectively, of the mature leaves. In senescent leaf tissue, RuDP carboxylase activity declined more rapidly than that of any of the other enzymes assayed. On a relative basis the activities of NADP malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40), aspartate (EC 2.6.1.1) and alanine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.2), and NAD malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37) exceeded those of both PEP and RuDP carboxylase in young and senescent leaf tissue. Pulse-chase labeling experiments with mature and senescent leaf tissue show that the predominant C₄ acid differs between the two leaf ages. Labeling of alanine in senescent tissue never exceeded 4% of the total ¹⁴C remaining during the chase period, while in mature leaf tissue alanine accounted for 20% of the total after 60 s in ¹²CO₂. The activity of RuDP carboxylase during leaf ontogeny in Z. mays parallels the development of the activity of this enzyme in C₃ plants.Abbreviations RuDP ribulose-1,5-diphosphate - PEP phosphoenol pyruvate - PGA 3-phosphoglycerate