Inorganic Carbon Uptake by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The rates of CO₂-dependent O₂ evolution by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, grown with either air levels of CO₂ or air with 5% CO₂, were measured at varying external pH. Over a pH range of 4.5 to 8.5, the external concentration of CO₂ required for half-maximal rates of photosynthesis was constant, averaging 25 micromolar for cells grown with 5% CO₂. This is consistent with the hypothesis that these cells take up CO₂ but not HCO₃⁻ from the medium and that their CO₂ requirement for photosynthesis reflects the K_m(CO₂) of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase. Over a pH range of 4.5 to 9.5, cells grown with air required an external CO₂ concentration of only 0.4 to 3 micromolar for half-maximal rates of photosynthesis, consistent with a mechanism to accumulate external inorganic carbon in these cells. Air-grown cells can utilize external inorganic carbon efficiently even at pH 4.5 where the HCO₃⁻ concentration is very low (40 nanomolar). However, at high external pH, where HCO₃⁻ predominates, these cells cannot accumulate inorganic carbon as efficiently and require higher concentrations of NaHCO₃ to maintain their photosynthetic activity. These results imply that, at the plasma membrane, CO₂ is the permeant inorganic carbon species in air-grown cells as well as in cells grown on 5% CO₂. If active HCO₃⁻ accumulation is a step in CO₂ concentration by air-grown Chlamydomonas, it probably takes place in internal compartments of the cell and not at the plasmalemma.     

Evidence for Na-Independent HCO(3) Uptake by the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis

At low levels of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and alkaline pH the rate of photosynthesis by air-grown cells of Synechococcus leopoliensis (UTEX 625) was enhanced 7- to 10-fold by 20 millimolar Na⁺. The rate of photosynthesis greatly exceeded the CO₂ supply rate and indicated that HCO₃⁻ was taken up by a Na⁺-dependent mechanism. In contrast, photosynthesis by Synechococcus grown in standing culture proceeded rapidly in the absence of Na⁺ and exceeded the CO₂ supply rate by 8 to 45 times. The apparent photosynthetic affinity (K_½) for DIC was high (6-40 micromolar) and was not markedly affected by Na⁺ concentration, whereas with air-grown cells K_½ (DIC) decreased by more than an order of magnitude in the presence of Na⁺. Lithium, which inhibited Na⁺-dependent HCO₃⁻ uptake in air-grown cells, had little effect on Na⁺-independent HCO₃⁻ uptake by standing culture cells. A component of total HCO₃⁻ uptake in standing culture cells was also Na⁺-dependent with a K_½ (Na⁺) of 4.8 millimolar and was inhibited by lithium. Analysis of ¹⁴C-fixation during isotopic disequilibrium indicated that standing culture cells also possessed a Na⁺-independent CO₂ transport system. The conversion from Na⁺-independent to Na⁺-dependent HCO₃⁻ uptake was readily accomplished by transferring cells grown in standing to growth in cultures bubbled with air. These results demonstrated that the conditions experienced during growth influenced the mode by which Ssynechococcus acquired HCO₃⁻ for subsequent photosynthetic fixation.     

Carbon Oxysulfide Inhibition of the CO(2)-Concentrating Process of Unicellular Green Algae

Carbonyl sulfide (COS), a substrate for carbonic anhydrase, inhibited alkalization of the medium, O₂ evolution, dissolved inorganic carbon accumulation, and photosynthetic CO₂ fixation at pH 7 or higher by five species of unicellular green algae that had been air-adapted for forming a CO₂-concentrating process. This COS inhibition can be attributed to inhibition of external HCO₃⁻ conversion to CO₂ and OH⁻ by the carbonic anhydrase component of an active CO₂ pump. At a low pH of 5 to 6, COS stimulated O₂ evolution during photosynthesis by algae with low CO₂ in the media without alkalization of the media. This is attributed to some COS hydrolysis by carbonic anhydrase to CO₂. Although COS had less effect on HCO₃⁻ accumulation at pH 9 by a HCO₃⁻ pump in Scenedesmus, COS reduced O₂ evolution probably by inhibiting internal carbonic anhydrases. Because COS is hydrolyzed to CO₂ and H₂S, its inhibition of the CO₂ pump activity and photosynthesis is not accurate, when measured by O₂ evolution, by NaH¹⁴CO₃ accumulation, or by ¹⁴CO₂ fixation.     

Inorganic Carbon Source for Photosynthesis in the Seagrass Thalassia hemprichii (Ehrenb.) Aschers

Photosynthetic carbon uptake of the tropical seagrass Thalassia hemprichii (Ehrenb.) Aschers was studied by several methods. Photosynthesis in buffered seawater in media in the range of pH 6 to pH 9 showed an exponentially increasing rate with decreasing pH, thus indicating that free CO₂ was a photosynthetic substrate. However, these experiments were unable to determine whether photosynthesis at alkaline pH also contained some component due to HCO₃⁻ uptake. This aspect was further investigated by studying photosynthetic rates in a number of media of varying pH (7.8-8.61) and total inorganic carbon (0.75-13.17 millimolar). In these media, photosynthetic rate was correlated with free CO₂ concentration and was independent of the HCO₃⁻ concentration in the medium. Short time-course experiments were conducted during equilibration of free CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ after injection of ¹⁴C labeled solution at acid or alkaline pH. High initial photosynthetic rates were observed when acidic solutions (largely free CO₂) were used but not with alkaline solutions. The concentration of free CO₂ was found to be a limiting factor for photosynthesis in this plant.     

The Role of External Carbonic Anhydrase in Inorganic Carbon Acquisition by Chlamydomonas reinhardii at Alkaline pH

The role of external carbonic anhydrase in inorganic carbon acquisition and photosynthesis by Chlamydomonas reinhardii at alkaline pH (8.0) was studied. Acetazolamide (50 micromolar) completely inhibited external carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity as determined from isotopic disequilibrium experiments. Under these conditions, photosynthetic rates at low dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) were far greater than could be maintained by CO₂ supplied from the spontaneous dehydration of HCO₃⁻ thereby showing that C. reinhardii has the ability to utilize exogenous HCO₃⁻. Acetazolamide increased the concentration of DIC required to half-saturate photosynthesis from 38 to 80 micromolar, while it did not affect the maximum photosynthetic rate. External CA activity was also removed from the cell-wall-less mutant (CW-15) by washing. This had no effect on the photosynthetic kinetics of the algae while the addition of acetazolamide to washed cells (CW-15) increased the K_½^DIC from 38 to 80 micromolar. Acetazolamide also caused a buildup of the inorganic carbon pool upon NaHCO₃ addition, indicating that this compound partially inhibited internal CA activity. The effects of acetazolamide on the photosynthetic kinetics of C. reinhardii are likely due to the inhibition of internal rather than a consequence of the inhibition of external CA. Further analysis of the isotopic disequilibrium experiments at saturating concentration of DIC provided evidence consistent with active CO₂ transport by C. reinhardii. The observation that C. reinhardii has the ability to take up both CO₂ and bicarbonate throws into question the role of external CA in the accumulation of DIC in this alga.     

Utilization of Inorganic Carbon by Ulva lactuca

Thalli discs of the marine macroalga Ulva lactuca were given inorganic carbon in the form of HCO₃⁻, and the progression of photosynthetic O₂ evolution was followed and compared with predicted O₂ evolution as based on calculated external formation of CO₂ (extracellular carbonic anhydrase was not present in this species) and its carboxylation (according to the K_m(CO₂) of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase), at two different pHs, assuming a photosynthetic quotient of 1. The K_m(inorganic carbon) was some 2.5 times lower at pH 5.6 than at the natural seawater pH of 8.2, whereas V_max was similar under the two conditions, indicating that the unnaturally low pH per se had no adverse effect on U. lactuca's photosynthetic performance. These results, therefore, could be evaluated with regard to differential CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ utilization. The photosynthetic performance observed at the lower pH largely followed that predicted, with a slight discrepancy probably reflecting a minor diffusion barrier to CO₂ uptake. At pH 8.2, however, dehydration rates were too slow to supply CO₂ for the measured photosynthetic response. Given the absence of external carbonic anhydrase activity, this finding supports the view that HCO₃⁻ transport provides higher than external concentrations of CO₂ at the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase site. Uptake of HCO₃⁻ by U. lactuca was further indicated by the effects of potential inhibitors at pH 8.2. The alleged band 3 membrane anion exchange protein inhibitor 4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′disulphonate reduced photosynthetic rates only when HCO₃⁻ (but not CO₂) could be the extracellular inorganic carbon form taken up. A similar, but less drastic, HCO₃⁻-competitive inhibition of photosynthesis was obtained with Kl and KNO₃. It is suggested that, under ambient conditions, HCO₃⁻ is transported into cells at defined sites either via facilitated diffusion or active uptake, and that such transport is the basis for elevated internal [CO₂] at the site of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase carboxylation.     

Oxygen-18 Exchange as a Measure of Accessibility of CO(2) and HCO(3) to Carbonic Anhydrase in Chlorella vulgaris (UTEX 263)

We have measured the exchange of ¹⁸O between CO₂ and H₂O in stirred suspensions of Chlorella vulgaris (UTEX 263) using a membrane inlet to a mass spectrometer. The depletion of ¹⁸O from CO₂ in the fluid outside the cells provides a method to study CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ kinetics in suspensions of algae that contain carbonic anhydrase since ¹⁸O loss to H₂O is catalyzed inside the cells but not in the external fluid. Low-CO₂ cells of Chlorella vulgaris (grown with air) were added to a solution containing ¹⁸O enriched CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ with 2 to 15 millimolar total inorganic carbon. The observed depletion of ¹⁸O from CO₂ was biphasic and the resulting ¹⁸C content of CO₂ was much less than the ¹⁸O content of HCO₃⁻ in the external solution. Analysis of the slopes showed that the Fick's law rate constant for entry of HCO₃⁻ into the cell was experimentally indistinguishable from zero (bicarbonate impermeable) with an upper limit of 3 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ due to our experimental errors. The Fick's law rate constant for entry of CO₂ to the sites of intracellular carbonic anhydrase was large, 0.013 per second, but not as great as calculated for no membrane barrier to CO₂ flux (6 per second). The experimental value may be explained by a nonhomogeneous distribution of carbonic anhydrase in the cell (such as membrane-bound enzyme) or by a membrane barrier to CO₂ entry into the cell or both. The CO₂ hydration activity inside the cells was 160 times the uncatalyzed CO₂ hydration rate.     

Na-Independent HCO(3) Transport and Accumulation in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus UTEX 625

The active transport and intracellular accumulation of HCO₃⁻ by air-grown cells of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus UTEX 625 (PCC 6301) was strongly promoted by 25 millimolar Na⁺.Na⁺-dependent HCO₃⁻ accumulation also resulted in a characteristic enhancement in the rate of photosynthetic O₂ evolution and CO₂ fixation. However, when Synechococcus was grown in standing culture, high rates of HCO₃⁻ transport and photosynthesis were observed in the absence of added Na⁺. The internal HCO₃⁻ pool reached levels up to 50 millimolar, and an accumulation ratio as high as 970 was observed. Sodium enhanced HCO₃⁻ transport and accumulation in standing culture cells by about 25 to 30% compared with the five- to eightfold enhancement observed with air-grown cells. The ability of standing culture cells to utilize HCO₃⁻ from the medium in the absence of Na⁺ was lost within 16 hours after transfer to air-grown culture and was reacquired during subsequent growth in standing culture. Studies using a mass spectrometer indicated that standing culture cells were also capable of active CO₂ transport involving a high-affinity transport system which was reversibly inhibited by H₂S, as in the case for air-grown cells. The data are interpreted to indicate that Synechococcus possesses a constitutive CO₂ transport system, whereas Na⁺-dependent and Na⁺-independent HCO₃⁻ transport are inducible, depending upon the conditions of growth. Intracellular accumulation of HCO₃⁻ was always accompanied by a quenching of chlorophyll a fluorescence which was independent of CO₂ fixation. The extent of fluorescence quenching was highly dependent upon the size of the internal pool of HCO₃⁻ + CO₂. The pattern of fluorescence quenching observed in response to added HCO₃⁻ and Na⁺ in air-grown and standing culture cells was highly characteristic for Na⁺-dependent and Na⁺-independent HCO₃⁻ accumulation. It was concluded that measurements of fluorescence quenching provide an indirect means for following HCO₃⁻ transport and the dynamics of intracellular HCO₃⁻ accumulation and dissipation.     

Inorganic Carbon Uptake during Photosynthesis : II. Uptake by Isolated Asparagus Mesophyll Cells during Isotopic Disequilibrium

The species of inorganic carbon (CO₂ or HCO₃⁻) taken up a source of substrate for photosynthetic fixation by isolated Asparagus sprengeri mesophyll cells is investigated. Discrimination between CO₂ or HCO₃⁻ transport, during steady state photosynthesis, is achieved by monitoring the changes (by ¹⁴C fixation) which occur in the specific activity of the intracellular pool of inorganic carbon when the inorganic carbon present in the suspending medium is in a state of isotopic disequilibrium. Quantitative comparisons between theoretical (CO₂ or HCO₃⁻ transport) and experimental time-courses of ¹⁴C incorporation, over the pH range of 5.2 to 7.5, indicate that the specific activity of extracellular CO₂, rather than HCO₃⁻, is the appropriate predictor of the intracellular specific activity. It is concluded, therefore, that CO₂ is the major source of exogenous inorganic carbon taken up by Asparagus cells. However, at high pH (8.5), a component of net DIC uptake may be attributable to HCO₃⁻ transport, as the incorporation of ¹⁴C during isotopic disequilibrium exceeds the maximum possible incorporation predicted on the basis of CO₂ uptake alone. The contribution of HCO₃⁻ to net inorganic carbon uptake (pH 8.5) is variable, ranging from 5 to 16%, but is independent of the extracellular HCO₃⁻ concentration. The evidence for direct HCO₃⁻ transport is subject to alternative explanations and must, therefore, be regarded as equivocal. Nonlinear regression analysis of the rate of ¹⁴C incorporation as a function of time indicates the presence of a small extracellular resistance to the diffusion of CO₂, which is partially alleviated by a high extracellular concentration of HCO₃⁻.     

Photorespiration and Internal CO(2) Accumulation in Chara corallina as Inferred from the Influence of DIC and O(2) on Photosynthesis

An O₂ electrode system with a specially designed chamber for `whorl' cell complexes of Chara corallina was used to study the combined effects of inorganic carbon and O₂ concentrations on photosynthetic O₂ evolution. At pH = 5.5 and 20% O₂, cells grown in HCO₃⁻ medium (low CO₂, pH ≥ 9.0) exhibited a higher affinity for external CO₂ (K_½(CO₂) = 40 ± 6 micromolar) than the cells grown for at least 24 hours in high-CO₂ medium (pH = 6.5), (K_½(CO₂) = 94 ± 16 micromolar). With O₂ ≤ 2% in contrast, both types of cells showed a high apparent affinity (K_½(CO₂) = 50 − 52 micromolar). A Warburg effect was detectable only in the low affinity cells previously cultivated in high-CO₂ medium (pH = 6.5). The high-pH, HCO₃⁻-grown cells, when exposed to low pH (5.5) conditions, exhibited a response indicating an ability to fix CO₂ which exceeded the CO₂ externally supplied, and the reverse situation has been observed in high-CO₂-grown cells. At pH 8.2, the apparent photosynthetic affinity for external HCO₃⁻ (K_½[HCO₃⁻]) was 0.6 ± 0.2 millimolar, at 20% O₂. But under low O₂ concentrations (≤2%), surprisingly, an inhibition of net O₂ evolution was elicited, which was maximal at low HCO₃⁻ concentrations. These results indicate that: (a) photorespiration occurs in this alga and can be revealed by cultivation in high-CO₂ medium, (b) Chara cells are able to accumulate CO₂ internally by means of a process apparently independent of the plasmalemma HCO₃⁻ transport system, (c) molecular oxygen appears to be required for photosynthetic utilization of exogenous HCO₃⁻: pseudocyclic electron flow, sustained by O₂ photoreduction, may produce the additional ATP needed for the HCO₃⁻ transport.     

Selective and Reversible Inhibition of Active CO(2) Transport by Hydrogen Sulfide in a Cyanobacterium

The active transport of CO₂ in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus UTEX 625 was inhibited by H₂S. Treatment of the cells with up to 150 micromolar H₂S + HS⁻ at pH 8.0 had little effect on Na⁺-dependent HCO₃⁻ transport or photosynthetic O₂ evolution, but CO₂ transport was inhibited by more than 90%. CO₂ transport was restored when H₂S was removed by flushing with N₂. At constant total H₂S + HS⁻ concentrations, inhibition of CO₂ transport increased as the ratio of H₂S to HS⁻ increased, suggesting a direct role for H₂S in the inhibitory process. Hydrogen sulfide does not appear to serve as a substrate for transport. In the presence of H₂S and Na⁺ -dependent HCO₃⁻ transport, the extracellular CO₂ concentration rose considerably above its equilibrium level, but was maintained far below its equilibrium level in the absence of H₂S. The inhibition of CO₂ transport, therefore, revealed an ongoing leakage from the cells of CO₂ which was derived from the intracellular dehydration of HCO₃⁻ which itself had been recently transported into the cells. Normally, leaked CO₂ is efficiently transported back into the cell by the CO₂ transport system, thus maintaining the extracellular CO₂ concentration near zero. It is suggested that CO₂ transport not only serves as a primary means of inorganic carbon acquisition for photosynthesis but also serves as a means of recovering CO₂ lost from the cell. A schematic model describing the relationship between the CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ transport systems is presented.     

Photosynthesis and inorganic carbon transport in isolated asparagus mesophyll cells

The possibility of HCO₃⁻ transport into isolated leaf mesophyll cells of Asparagus sprengeri Regel has been investigated. Measurement of the inorganic carbon pool in these cells over an external pH range 6.2 to 8.0, using the silicone-fluid filtration technique, indicated that the pool was larger than predicted by passive ¹⁴CO₂ distribution, suggesting that HCO₃⁻ as well as CO₂ crosses the plasmalemma. Intracellular pH values, calculated from the distribution of ¹⁴CO₂ between the cells and the medium, were found to be higher (except at pH 8.0) than those previously determined by 5,5-dimethyl[2-¹⁴C]oxazolidine-2,4-dione distribution. It is suggested that the inorganic carbon accumulated above predicted concentrations may be bound to proteins and membranes and thus may not represent inorganic carbon actively accumulated by the cells, inasmuch as in a closed system at constant CO₂ concentration, the photosynthetic rates at pH 7.0 and 8.0 were 5 to 8 times lower than the maximum rate which could be supported by CO₂ arising from the spontaneous dehydration of HCO₃⁻. Furthermore, CO₂ compensation points of the cells in liquid media at 21% O₂ at pH 7.0 and 8.0, and the K_½ CO₂ (CO₂ concentration supporting the half maximal rate of O₂ evolution) at 2% O₂ at pH 7.0 and 8.0 are not consistent with HCO₃⁻ transport. These results indicate that the principal inorganic carbon species crossing the plasmalemma in these cells is CO₂.     

Simultaneous Transport of CO(2) and HCO(3) by the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus UTEX 625

A mass spectrometer was used to simultaneously follow the time course of photosynthetic O₂ evolution and CO₂ depletion of the medium by cells of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis UTEX 625. Analysis of the data indicated that both CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ were simultaneously and continuously transported by the cells as a source of substrate for photosynthesis. Initiation of HCO₃⁻ transport by Na⁺ addition had no effect on ongoing CO₂ transport. This result is interpreted to indicate that the CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ transport systems are separate and distinctly different transport systems. Measurement of CO₂-dependent photosynthesis indicated that CO₂ uptake involved active transport and that diffusion played only a minor role in CO₂ acquisition in cyanobacteria.     

Na-Stimulation of Photosynthesis in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus UTEX 625 Grown on High Levels of Inorganic Carbon

Photosynthesis of washed cells of Synechococcus UTEX 625 grown on 5% CO₂ was markedly stimulated (647 ± 50%) at pH 8.0 by the addition of low concentrations of NaCl (concentration required for half-maximal response, K_½, = 18 micromolar). Studies with KCl and Na₂SO₄ showed that the stimulation was due to Na⁺. Photosynthesis at pH 6.1 was only slightly stimulated by Na⁺. The response of photosynthesis at pH 8.0 to [Na⁺] was strongly sigmoidal for dissolved inorganic carbon ([DIC] ≤ 500 micromolar). Cells grown with high total [DIC], but air-levels of CO₂, at pH 9.6 showed the same response to low [Na⁺]. The absence of Na⁺ could be partially, but not completely overcome, by higher [DIC]. Various methods for examining CO₂ or HCO₃⁻ use (K_½^CO₂ determination; isotopic disequilibrium; and consideration of HCO₃⁻ dehydration rate) were consistent with CO₂ use by the cells, but HCO₃⁻ use could not be ruled out. Isotopic disequilibrium studies showed that CO₂ use was stimulated by Na⁺. Cells grown on 5% CO₂ accumulated DIC against a concentration gradient by a process (or processes) dependent on Na⁺. No evidence for uptake of Na⁺ concomitant with DIC uptake could be found. The lack of O₂ evolution during the initial and most rapid period of DIC accumulation suggested that the required energy was obtained from cyclic photophosphorylation.     

Photosynthetic HCO(3) Utilization and OH Excretion in Aquatic Angiosperms: LIGHT-INDUCED pH CHANGES AT THE LEAF SURFACE

The utilization of HCO₃⁻ as carbon source for photosynthesis by aquatic angiosperms results in the production of 1 mole OH⁻ for each mole CO₂ assimilated. The OH⁻ ions are subsequently released to the medium. In several Potamogeton and Elodea species, the site of the HCO₃⁻ influx and OH⁻ efflux are spatially separated. Described here are light- and dark-induced pH changes at the lower and upper epidermis of the leaves of Potamogeton lucens, Elodea densa, and Elodea canadensis.     

Continuous Measurements of the Free Dissolved CO(2) Concentration during Photosynthesis of Marine Plants: Evidence for HCO(3) Use in Chondrus crispus

An experimental system consisting of a gas exchange column linked to an assimilation chamber has been developed to record continuously the free dissolved CO₂ concentration in seawater containing marine plants. From experiments performed on the red macroalga Chondrus crispus (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales), this measurement is in agreement with the free CO₂ concentration calculated from the resistance to CO₂ exchanges in a biphasic system (gas and liquid) as earlier reported. The response time of this apparatus is short enough to detect, in conditions of constant pH, a photosynthesis-caused gradient between free CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ pools which half-equilibrates in 25 seconds. Abolished by carbonic anhydrase, the magnitude of this gradient increases with decreasing time of seawater transit from the chamber to the column apparatus. But its maximum magnitude (0.35 micromolar CO₂) is negligible compared to the difference between air and free CO₂ (11.4 micromolar CO₂). This illustrates the extent of the physical limiting-step occurring at the air-water interface when inorganic carbon consumption in seawater is balanced by dissolving gaseous CO₂. The direction of this small free CO₂/HCO₃⁻ gradient indicates that HCO₃⁻ is consumed during photosynthesis.     

Preferential Photosynthetic Uptake of Exogenous HCO(3) in the Marine Macroalga Chondrus crispus

The rate of HCO₃⁻ uptake by the red macroalga Chondrus crispus has been investigated. Unbalanced concentrations of free CO₂ and HCO₃⁻, generated by the photosynthetic activity, were detected in steady state conditions by using an exchange column apparatus linked to an assimilation chamber. Observing the variations of this gradient as influenced by the time of seawater transit from the assimilation chamber towards the column allowed an experimental determination of: (a) the actual gradient created by the photosynthetic activity, (b) the rate constant of the chemical conversion of free CO₂ to HCO₃⁻. With a value of 0.115 per second at pH 8.92, this rate constant was in good agreement with a previous estimation. By using a simple model, we show that the photosynthetic rate of HCO₃⁻ consumption can be estimated by the product of the actual gradient and the rate constant. In the conditions of the experiments reported here, this rate represented more than 90% of the whole photosynthetic flux.     

Intracellular pH Regulation in Cultured Astrocytes from Rat Hippocampus : II. Electrogenic Na/HCO3 Cotransport

In the preceding paper (Bevensee, M.O., R.A. Weed, and W.F. Boron. 1997. J. Gen. Physiol. 110: 453–465.), we showed that a Na⁺-driven influx of HCO₃ ⁻ causes the increase in intracellular pH (pH_i) observed when astrocytes cultured from rat hippocampus are exposed to 5% CO₂/17 mM HCO₃ ⁻. In the present study, we used the pH-sensitive fluorescent indicator 2′,7′-biscarboxyethyl-5,6-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) and the perforated patch-clamp technique to determine whether this transporter is a Na⁺-driven Cl-HCO₃ exchanger, an electrogenic Na/HCO₃ cotransporter, or an electroneutral Na/HCO₃ cotransporter. To determine if the transporter is a Na⁺-driven Cl-HCO₃ exchanger, we depleted the cells of intracellular Cl⁻ by incubating them in a Cl⁻-free solution for an average of ∼11 min. We verified the depletion with the Cl⁻-sensitive dye N-(6-methoxyquinolyl)acetoethyl ester (MQAE). In Cl⁻-depleted cells, the pH_i still increases after one or more exposures to CO₂/HCO₃ ⁻. Furthermore, the pH_i decrease elicited by external Na⁺ removal does not require external Cl⁻. Therefore, the transporter cannot be a Na⁺-driven Cl-HCO₃ exchanger. To determine if the transporter is an electrogenic Na/ HCO₃ cotransporter, we measured pH_i and plasma membrane voltage (V_m) while removing external Na⁺, in the presence/absence of CO₂/HCO₃ ⁻ and in the presence/absence of 400 μM 4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulphonic acid (DIDS). The CO₂/HCO₃ ⁻ solutions contained 20% CO₂ and 68 mM HCO₃ ⁻, pH 7.3, to maximize the HCO₃ ⁻ flux. In pH_i experiments, removing external Na⁺ in the presence of CO₂/HCO₃ ⁻ elicited an equivalent HCO₃ ⁻ efflux of 281 μM s⁻¹. The HCO₃ ⁻ influx elicited by returning external Na⁺ was inhibited 63% by DIDS, so that the predicted DIDS-sensitive V_m change was 3.3 mV. Indeed, we found that removing external Na⁺ elicited a DIDS-sensitive depolarization that was 2.6 mV larger in the presence than in the absence of CO₂/ HCO₃ ⁻. Thus, the Na/HCO₃ cotransporter is electrogenic. Because a cotransporter with a Na⁺:HCO₃ ⁻ stoichiometry of 1:3 or higher would predict a net HCO₃ ⁻ efflux, rather than the required influx, we conclude that rat hippocampal astrocytes have an electrogenic Na/HCO₃ cotransporter with a stoichiometry of 1:2.     

Characterization of the na-requirement in cyanobacterial photosynthesis

The Na⁺ requirement for photosynthesis and its relationship to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration and Li⁺ concentration was examined in air-grown cells of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus leopoliensis UTEX 625 at pH 8. Analysis of the rate of photosynthesis (O₂ evolution) as a function of Na⁺ concentration, at fixed DIC concentration, revealed two distinct regions to the response curve, for which half-saturation values for Na⁺ (K_½[Na⁺]) were calculated. The value of both the low and the high K_½(Na⁺) was dependent upon extracellular DIC concentration. The low K_½(Na⁺) decreased from 1000 micromolar at 5 micromolar DIC to 200 micromolar at 140 micromolar DIC whereas over the same DIC concentration range the high K_½(Na⁺) decreased from 10 millimolar to 1 millimolar. The most significant increases in photosynthesis occurred in the 1 to 20 millimolar range. A fraction of total photosynthesis, however, was independent of added Na⁺ and this fraction increased with increased DIC concentration. A number of factors were identified as contributing to the complexity of interaction between Na⁺ and DIC concentration in the photosynthesis of Synechococcus. First, as revealed by transport studies and mass spectrometry, both CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ transport contributed to the intracellular supply of DIC and hence to photosynthesis. Second, both the CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ transport systems required Na⁺, directly or indirectly, for full activity. However, micromolar levels of Na⁺ were required for CO₂ transport while millimolar levels were required for HCO₃⁻ transport. These levels corresponded to those found for the low and high K_½(Na⁺) for photosynthesis. Third, the contribution of each transport system to intracellular DIC was dependent on extracellular DIC concentration, where the contribution from CO₂ transport increased with increased DIC concentration relative to HCO₃⁻ transport. This change was reflected in a decrease in the Na⁺ concentration required for maximum photosynthesis, in accord with the lower Na⁺-requirement for CO₂ transport. Lithium competitively inhibited Na⁺-stimulated photosynthesis by blocking the cells' ability to form an intracellular DIC pool through Na⁺-dependent HCO₃⁻ transport. Lithium had little effect on CO₂ transport and only a small effect on the size of the pool it generated. Thus, CO₂ transport did not require a functional HCO₃⁻ transport system for full activity. Based on these observations and the differential requirement for Na⁺ in the CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ transport system, it was proposed that CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ were transported across the membrane by different transport systems.     

Salicylhydroxamic Acid (SHAM) Inhibition of the Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Concentrating Process in Unicellular Green Algae

Rates of photosynthetic O₂ evolution, for measuring K_0.5(CO₂ + HCO₃⁻) at pH 7, upon addition of 50 micromolar HCO₃⁻ to air-adapted Chlamydomonas, Dunaliella, or Scenedesmus cells, were inhibited up to 90% by the addition of 1.5 to 4.0 millimolar salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) to the aqueous medium. The apparent K₁(SHAM) for Chlamydomonas cells was about 2.5 millimolar, but due to low solubility in water effective concentrations would be lower. Salicylhydroxamic acid did not inhibit oxygen evolution or accumulation of bicarbonate by Scenedesmus cells between pH 8 to 11 or by isolated intact chloroplasts from Dunaliella. Thus, salicylhydroxamic acid appears to inhibit CO₂ uptake, whereas previous results indicate that vanadate inhibits bicarbonate uptake. These conclusions were confirmed by three test procedures with three air-adapted algae at pH 7. Salicylhydroxamic acid inhibited the cellular accumulation of dissolved inorganic carbon, the rate of photosynthetic O₂ evolution dependent on low levels of dissolved inorganic carbon (50 micromolar Na-HCO₃), and the rate of ¹⁴CO₂ fixation with 100 micromolar [¹⁴C] HCO₃⁻. Salicylhydroxamic acid inhibition of O₂ evolution and ¹⁴CO₂-fixation was reversed by higher levels of NaHCO₃. Thus, salicylhydroxamic acid inhibition was apparently not affecting steps of photosynthesis other than CO₂ accumulation. Although salicylhydroxamic acid is an inhibitor of alternative respiration in algae, it is not known whether the two processes are related.