Effects of temperature on the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and on the control of CO2 fixation in Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi

The phosphorylation state and the malate sensitivity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase, EC 4.1.1.31) in Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi Hamet et Perrier are altered by changes in the ambient temperature. These effects, in turn alter the in-vivo activity of the enzyme. Low temperature (3 °C or less), stabilizes the phosphorylated form of the enzyme, while high temperature (30 °C) promotes its dephosphorylation. The catalytic activity of the phosphorylated and dephosphorylated forms of PEPCase increases with temperature, but the apparent K _i values for malate of both forms of the enzyme decrease. Results of experiments with detached leaves maintained in darkness in normal air indicate that the changes in malate sensitivity and phosphorylation state of PEPCase with temperature are of physiological significance. When the phosphorylated form of PEPCase is stabilized by reducing the temperature of leaves 9 h after transfer to constant darkness at 15 °C, a prolonged period of CO₂ fixation follows. When leaves are maintained in constant darkness at 15 °C until CO₂ output reaches a low steady-state level and the PEPCase is dephosphorylated, reducing the temperature to 3 °C results in a further period of CO₂ fixation even though the phosphorylation state of PEPCase does not change.Abbreviations CAM Crassulacean acid metabolism - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PEPCase phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase We thank the Agricultural and Food Research Council for financial support for this work.     

Persistent circadian rhythms in the phosphorylation state of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi leaves and in its sensitivity to inhibition by malate

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31; PEPCase) from Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi leaves has previously been shown to exist in two forms in vivo. During the night the enzyme is phosphorylated and relatively insensitive to feedback inhibition by malate whereas during the day the enzyme is dephosphorylated and more sensitive to inhibition by malate. These properties of PEPCase have now been investigated in leaves maintained under constant conditions of temperature and lighting. When leaves were maintained in continuous darkness and CO₂-free air at 15°C, PEPCase exhibited a persistent circadian rhythm of interconversion between the two forms. There was a good correlation between periods during which the leaves were fixing respiratory CO₂ and periods during which PEPCase was in the form normally observed at night. When leaves were maintained in continuous light and normal air at 15°C, starting at the end of a night or the end of a day, a circadian rhythm of net uptake of CO₂ was observed. Only when these constant conditions were applied at the end of a day was a circadian rhythm of interconversions between the two forms of PEPCase observed and the rhythms of enzyme interconversion and CO₂ uptake did not correlate in phase or period.Abbreviations CAM Crassulacean acid metabolism - FW fresh weight - PEPCase phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase - RuBPCase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

Mass-spectrometric evidence for the double-carboxylation pathway of malate synthesis by Crassulacean acid metabolism plants in light

Phyllodia of the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant Kalanchoë tubiflora were allowed to fix ¹³CO₂ in light and darkness during phase IV of the diurnal CAM cycle, and during prolongation of the regular light period. After ¹³CO₂ fixation in darkness, only singly labelled [¹³C]malate molecules were found. Fixation of ¹³CO₂ under illumination, however, produced singly labelled malate as well as malate molecules which carried label in two, three or four carbon atoms. When the irradiance during ¹³CO₂ fixation was increased, the proportion of singly labelled malate decreased in favour of plurally labelled malate. The irradiance, however, did not change either the ratio of labelled to unlabelled malate molecules found in the tissue after the ¹³CO₂ application, or the magnitude of malate accumulation during the treatment with label. The ability of the tissue to store malate and the labelling pattern changed throughout the duration of the prolonged light period. The results indicate that malate synthesis by CAM plants in light can proceed via a pathway containing two carboxylation steps, namely ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-carboxylase/oxygenase (EC 4.1.1.39) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) which operate in series and share common intermediates. It can be concluded that, in light, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase can also synthesize malate independently of the proceeding carboxylation step by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase.Abbreviations CAM Crassulacean acid metabolism - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PEPCase phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) - RuBPCase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (EC 4.1.1.39) - TMS trimethylsilyl     

Relative Contribution of Ribulose 1,5-Diphosphate Carboxylase and Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase to CO2 Fixation Activity in Roots of Dark-grown or Light-grown Lens culinaris Seedlings

The pathway of carbon assimilation in greening roots was compared to the pathway in leaves of Lens culinaris seedlings by means of labelling distribution analysis among the products of ¹⁴CO₂ fixation in vivo, and in vitro with ribulose 1,5-diphosphate as the substrate. In green leaves, CO₂ fixation via ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase predominated largely while, in green roots, this carboxylase activity and the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase contributed almost equally to the whole in vivo CO₂ fixation. A participation of the activities of both carboxylases according to the double carboxylation pathway in the synthesis of dicarboxylic acids (malate and aspartate) was demonstrated in vitro after 48 h of greening in roots but seemed to be absent in in vivo experiments.     

Influence of Nitrate and Ammonia on Photosynthetic Characteristics and Leaf Anatomy of Moricandia arvensis

The leaf anatomy and certain photosynthetic properties of nitrate- and ammonia-grown plants of Moricandia arvensis (L.) DC., a species previously reported to be a C₃-C₄ intermediate, were investigated. Nitrate-grown plants had a high level of malate in the leaves while ammonia-grown plants had low levels of malate. In young leaves of nitrate-grown plants, there was a diurnal fluctuation of malate content, increasing during the day and decreasing during the night. Titratable acidity remained low in leaves of both nitrate- and ammonia-grown plants.

In nitrate-grown plants, the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase was about 2-fold higher than in ammonia-grown plants, the latter having activity typical of C₃ species. Also, in nitrate-grown plants, the ratio of activities of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/PEP carboxylase was lower than in ammonia-grown plants. Nitrate reductase activities were higher in nitrate- than in ammonia-grown plants and the greatest activity was found in younger leaves.

With nitrate-grown plants, during a pulse-chase experiment the label in malate, as a percentage of the total labeled products, increased from about 7% after a 10-second pulse with ¹⁴CO₂ up to 17% during a 5-minute chase with ¹²CO₂. The pattern of ¹⁴C labeling in various metabolites suggests the primary carboxylation is through RuBP carboxylase with a secondary carboxylation through PEP carboxylase. In similar experiments, with ammonia-grown plants, the percentage label in malate was only 0% to 4% with no increase in malate labeling during the chase period. The CO₂ compensation point was lower in nitrate-grown than ammonia-grown plants.

There was no evidence of Kranz-like anatomy in either the nitrate or ammonia-grown plants. Mitochondria of bundle-sheath cells were strikingly positioned along the inner tangential wall. This might allow the chloroplasts of these cells to fix the mitochondrial photorespired CO₂ more effectively and contribute to the low CO₂ compensation point in the species. Chloroplasts of bundle-sheath cells and contiguous mesophyll cells were similar in size and structure in plants grown on different media, although chloroplast thylakoids and stromata of the ammonia-grown plants stained more intensely than those of nitrate-grown plants. In addition, irregular clusters of phytoferritin particles occurred in the chloroplasts of the ammonia-grown plants.

The results indicate that the substantial activity of PEP carboxylase, incorporation of CO₂ into malate, the high malate content, and in part the relatively low CO₂ compensation point in Moricandia arvensis may be accounted for by metabolism of nitrate rather than by a state of C₃-C₄ intermediacy.

     

In vitro enzyme activities and products of 14CO2 assimilation in flag leaf and ear parts of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Activities of key enzymes of Calvin cycle and C₄ metabolism, rate of ¹⁴CO₂ fixation in light and dark and the initial products of photosynthetic ¹⁴CO₂ fixation were determined in flag leaf and different ear parts of wheat viz. pericarp, awn and glumes. Compared to the activities of RuBP carboxylase and other Calvin cycle enzymes viz. NADP-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, NAD-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and ribulose-5-phosphate kinase, the levels of PEP carboxylase and other enzymes of C₄ metabolism viz. NADP-malate dehydrogenase, NAD-malate dehydrogenase, NADP-malic enzyme, NAD-malic enzyme, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase genase, NADP-malic enzyme, NAD-malic enzyme, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase, were generally greater in ear parts than in the flag leaf. In contrast to CO₂ fixation in light, the various ear parts incorporated CO₂ in darkness at much higher rates than flag leaf. In short term assimilation of ¹⁴CO₂ by illuminated ear parts, most of the ¹⁴C was in malate with less in 3-phosphoglyceric acid, whereas flag leaves incorporated most into 3-phosphoglyceric acid. It seems likely that ear parts have the capability of assimilating CO₂ by the C₄ pathway of photosynthesis and utilise PEP carboxylase for recapturing the respired CO₂.     

Period and phase control by temperature in the circadian rhythm of carbon dioxide fixation in illuminated leaves of Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi

The rhythm of CO₂ assimilation exhibited by leaves of Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi maintained in light and normal air occurs only at constant ambient temperatures between 10°C and 30°C. Over this range the period increases linearly with increasing temperature from the extremely low value of 15.7 h to 23.3 h, but shows a considerable degree of temperature compensation. Outside the range 10°C–30°C the rhythm is inhibited but re-starts on changing the temperature to 15°C. Prolonged exposure of leaves to high (40°C) and low (2°C) temperature inhibits the rhythm by driving the basic oscillator to fixed phase points in the cycle which differ by 180°, and which have been characterised in terms of the malate status of the leaf cells. At both temperatures loss of the circadian rhythm of CO₂ assimilation is due to the inhibition of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase) activity, but the inhibition is apparently achieved in different ways at 40°C and 2°C. High temperature appears to inhibit directly PEPCase activity, but not the activity of the enzymes responsible for the breakdown of malate, with the result that the leaf acquires a low malate status. In contrast, low temperature does not directly inhibit PEPCase activity, but does inhibit enzymes responsible for malate breakdown, so that the malate level in the leaf increases to a high value and PEPCase is eventually allosterically inhibited. The different malate status of leaves held at these two temperatures accounts for the phases of the rhythms being reversed on returning the leaves to 15°C. After exposure to high temperature, CO₂ fixation by PEPCase activity can begin immediately, whereas after exposure to low temperature, the large amount of malate accumulated in the leaves has to be decarboxylated before CO₂ fixation can begin.     

Control of the circadian rhythm of carbon dioxide assimilation in Bryophyllum leaves by exposure to darkness and high carbon dioxide concentrations

The circadian rhythm of CO₂ assimilation in detached leaves of Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi at 15° C in normal air and continuous illumination is inhibited both by exposure to darkness, and to an atmosphere enriched with 5% CO₂. During such exposures substantial fixation of CO₂ takes place, and the malate concentration in the cell sap increases from about 20 mM to a constant value of 40–50 mM after 16 h. On transferring the darkened leaves to light, and those exposed to 5% CO₂ to normal air, a circadian rhythm of CO₂ assimilation begins again. The phase of this rhythm is determined by the time the transfer is made since the first peak occurs about 24 h afterwards. This finding indicates that the circadian oscillator is driven to, and held at, an identical, fixed phase point in its cycle after 16 h exposure to darkness or to 5% CO₂, and it is from this phase point that oscillation begins after the inhibiting condition is removed. This fixed phase point is characterised by the leaves having acquired a high malate content. The rhythm therefore begins with a period of malate decarboxylation which lasts for about 8 h, during which time the malate content of the leaf cells must be reduced to a value that allows phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase to become active. Inhibition of the rhythm in darkness, and on exposure to 5% CO₂ in continuous illumination, appears to be due to the presence of a high concentration of CO₂ within the leaf inhibiting malic enzyme which leads to the accumulation of high concentrations of malate in the leaf cells. The malate then allosterically inhibits phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase upon which the rhythm depends. The results give support to the view that malate synthesis and breakdown form an integral part of the circadian oscillator in this tissue.Abbreviations B. Bryophyllum - PEPCase phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase     

Environmentally controlled changes of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylases in Mesembryanthemum

NaCl treated Mesembryanthemum crystallinum plants exhibit a Crassulacean acid metabolism. The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase, the enzyme responsible for CO₂ dark fixation, depends on leaf age showing maximum activity in mature leaves. Electrophoresis revealed that the young leaves possess only two protein bands with PEP carboxylase activity, while older leaves have 3 bands. The removal of NaCl from the soil resulted in the disappearance of the 3rd band obtained after electrophoresis and a decline in the total activity of the PEP carboxylase. The reintroduction of NaCl at the same concentration as before did not restore the activity of the PEP carboxylase nor did it restore the initial electrophoretic band pattern.     

Activity and quantity of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase-protein in two Crassulacean acid metabolism plants in relation to leaf age,nitrogen nutrition,and point in time during a day/night cycle

Activity of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase in leaf extracts of the constitutive Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. decreased with increasing leaf age, whereas the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase increased. Changes in enzyme activities were associated with changes in the amount of enzyme proteins as determined by immunochemical analysis, sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and SDS gel electrophoresis of leaf extracts. Young developing leaves of plants which received high amounts of NO ₃ ^- during growth contained about 30% of the total soluble protein in the form of RuBP carboxylase; this value declined to about 17% in mature leaves. The level of PEP carboxylase in young leaves of plants at high NO ₃ ^- was an estimated 1% of the total soluble protein and increased to approximately 10% in mature leaves, which showed maximum capacity for dark CO₂ fixation. The growth of plants at low levels of NO ₃ ^- decreased the content of soluble protein per unit leaf area as well as the extractable activity and the percentage contribution of both RUBP carboxylase and PEP carboxylase to total soluble leaf protein. There was no definite change in the ratio of RuBP carboxylase to PEP carboxylase activity with a varying supply of NO ₃ ^- during growth. It has been suggested (e.g., Planta 144, 143–151, 1978) that a rhythmic pattern of synthesis and degradation of PEP carboxylase protein is involved in the regulation of -carboxylation during a day/night cycle in CAM. No such changes in the quantity of PEP carboxylase protein were observed in the leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. or in the leaves of the inducible CAM plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.Abbreviations CAM Crassulacean acid metabolism - RuBP ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - G-6-P glucose-6-phosphate     

Properties of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in rapidly prepared,desalted leaf extracts of the Crassulacean acid metabolism plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.

Properties of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase, obtained from leaves of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. performing Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), were determined at frequent time points during a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle. Leaf extracts were rapidly desalted and PEP carboxylase activity as a function of PEP concentration, malate concentration, and pH was measured within 2 min after homogenization of the tissue. Maximum velocity of PEP carboxylase was similar in the light and dark at pH 7.5 and pH 8.0. However, PEP carboxylase had as much as a 12-fold lower K _m for PEP and as much as a 20-fold higher K _i for malate during the dark than during the light periods, the magnitude of these differences being dependent on the assay pH. Assuming that enzyme properties immediately after isolation reflect the approximate state of the enzyme in vivo, these differences in enzyme properties reduce the potential for CO₂ fixation via PEP carboxylase in the light. A small decrease in cytoplasmic pH in the light would greatly magnify the above differences in day/night properties of PEP carboxylase, because the sensitivity of PEP carboxylase to inhibition by malate increased with decreasing pH. Properties of PEP carboxylase were also studied in plants exposed to short-term perturbations of the normal 12-h light/12-h dark cycle (e.g., prolonged light period, prolonged dark period). Under all light/dark regimes, there was a close correlation between change in properties of PEP carboxylase and changes of the tissue from acidification to deacidification, and vice versa. Changes in properties of PEP carboxylase were not merely light/dark phenomena because they were also observed in plants exposed to continuous light or dark. the data indicate that, during CAM, PEP carboxylase exists in two stages which differ in their capacity for net malate synthesis. The physiologically-active state is distinguished by a low K _m for PEP and a high K _i for malate and favors malate synthesis. The physiologically-inactive state has a high K _m for PEP and a low K _i for malate and exists during periods of deacidification and other periods lacking synthesis of malic acid.Abbreviations CAM Crassulacean acid metabolism - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PEPC PEP carboxylase - RuBP ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate - RH relative humidity     

Effects of temperature and photosynthetic inhibitors on light activation of C4-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from leaves of the C₄ plant Setaria verticillata (L.) Beauv. is activated by light; day levels of activity are reached after 30 minutes of illumination. Photoactivation is prevented by inhibitors of photosynthetic electron flow or of photophosphorylation and by D,L-glyceraldehyde, which inhibits the reductive pentose phosphate pathway.Although the extractable activity in the dark is not affected by temperature the photoactivation is prevented when both illumination and extraction are done under low temperature (5 C). High temperature (30 C) during either illumination or extraction is needed for activation. Once the enzyme is photoactivated at 30 C, a transfer of the leaves to 5 C does not abolish the extra activity.The results suggest that both unimpaired electron flow and photophosphorylation are prerequisites for the activation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. Low temperature apparently suppresses either the transport to the cytoplasm of a photosynthetic intermediate or the activating reaction itself. The inclusion of phosphoenolpyruvate in the extraction medium increases the night activity.On the basis of the available information, it is suggested that phosphoenolpyruvate could be the activator in vivo. In that case, the activation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase would depend on internal CO₂ level and prior photoactivation of both pyruvate, orthophosphate, dikinase and NADP malate dehydrogenase.Abbreviations PEPCase phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PAR photosynthetically active radiation - CCCP carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone - DCMU 3-(3, 4-dichlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea - DSPD disalicylidenpropanediamine - MV methylviologen - ME malic enzyme - MDH malate dehydrogenase - PPDK pyruvate, Pi dikinase - CAM Crassulacean Acid Metabolism     

Equilibration of Label in Malate during Dark Fixation of CO(2) in Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi

In vitro studies of dark ¹⁴CO₂ fixation with isolated cell aggregates of Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi showed that malate synthesized after 20 sec is predominantly (85 to 92%) labeled at carbon 4, while after 20 min only 65 to 69% of the radioactivity was located in this position. The intramolecular labeling pattern of malate could not be changed by supplementing the cells with carboxylation reaction substrates such as ribulose diphosphate or phosphoenolpyruvate. The kinetic decline of label at carbon 4 of malate occurs independently of CO₂ fixation, since 4-¹⁴C-labeled aspartate fed to the cells gave rise to malate labeled 62% at carbon 4 after 20 min. Furthermore, the cells were capable of converting fed malate to fumarate. It is concluded that synthesis of malate during dark CO₂ fixation is accomplished by a single carboxylation step via phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and labeling patterns observed in malate are a consequence of the action of fumarase.     

Short-term nitrogen-induced modulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in tobacco and maize leaves

Untransformed maize and tobacco plants and tobacco plants constitutively expressing nitrate reductase were grown with sufficient NO(3)- to support maximal growth. Four days prior to treatment the tobacco plants were deprived of nitrogen. Excised maize leaves and tobacco leaf discs were fed with either 40 mM KNO(3) or 40 mM KCl (control) in the light. Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase (Case) activity was measured at 0.3 mM and 3 mM PEP. The light- induced increase in PEPCase V(max) was greater in maize than tobacco. Furthermore light decreased malate sensitivity in maize (which was N-replete) but not in N-deficient tobacco. NO(3)- treatment increased PEPCase V:(max) values in both species and decreased the sensitivity to inhibition by malate, but effects of NO(3)- were much more pronounced in tobacco than maize. PEPCase kinase activity was, however, greater in maize leaves NO(3)- than in the Cl(-)-treated controls, suggesting that it is responsive to leaf nitrogen supply. A correlation between foliar glutamine content and PEPCase activity was observed. It is concluded that PEPCase is sensitive to N metabolites which favour increased flow through the anapleurotic pathway in both C(3) and C(4) plants.     

Fixation of carbon dioxide by plant roots through phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

Summary Extracts of snap-bean roots are capable of fixing large amounts of CO₂ through carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate. Fixation was dependent upon a supply of PEP or substrate capable of being transformed to PEP. 3-PGA served as substrate, but when its conversion to PEP was blocked by fluoride, CO₂ fixation was eliminated. Acetate or pyruvate were not effective as substrates. The amount of CO₂ fixed was closely associated with production of inorganic phosphorus. From these characteristics and the unfavorable equilibria of the other known carboxylating reactions associated with the Krebs cycle, it is concluded that PEP carboxylase accounts for the major entrance of CO₂ into the Krebs cycle.Magnesium stimulated the reaction, while Ca inhibited it. Potassium additions to the assay mixture were found to have no direct effect on stimulation of CO₂ fixation. In the presence of NH₄, amino acids rather than malate were found to contain the majority of the added CO₂.Some implications of the importance of this enzyme system in metabolism of the root and on the soil-root relationship are discussed.Contribution from the Department of Soils, North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, North Carolina. Submitted as Paper No. 908 of the Journal Series.     

Changes in Sensitivity to Effectors of Maize Leaf Phosphoenolypyruvate Carboxylase during Light/Dark Transitions

Illumination of previously darkened maize (Zea mays L. cv Golden Cross Bantam T51) leaves had no effect on the concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase protein, but increased enzyme activity about 2-fold when assayed under suboptimal conditions (pH 7.0 and limiting PEP). In addition, sensitivity to effectors of PEP carboxylase activity was significantly altered; e.g. malate inhibition was reduced and glucose-6-phosphate activation was increased. Consequently, 10- to 20-fold differences in PEP carboxylase activity were observed during dark to light transitions when assayed in the presence of effectors. At pH 7.0 activity of purified PEP carboxylase was not proportional to enzyme concentrations. Below 0.7 microgram PEP carboxylase protein per milliliter, enzyme activity was disproportionately reduced. Including polyethylene glycol plus potassium chloride in the reaction mixture eliminated this discontinuity and substantially increased PEP carboxylase activity and reduced malate inhibition dramatically. Inclusion of polyethylene glycol in the assay mixture specifically increased the activity of PEP carboxylase extracted from dark leaves, and reduced malate inhibition of the enzyme from both light and dark leaves. Collectively, the results suggest that PEP carboxylase in maize leaves is subjected to some type of protein modification that affects both activity and effector sensitivity. We postulate that changes in quaternary structure (dissociation or altered subunit interactions) may be involved.     

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in Kalanchoë daigremontiana: Temperature response of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-carboxylase in relation to allosteric effectors

Net CO₂ dark fixation of Kalanchoë daigremontiana varies with night temperature. We found an optimum of fixation at about 15° C; with increasing night temperature fixation decreased. We studied the temperature dependence of the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-carboxylase, the key enzyme for CO₂ dark fixation. We varied the pH, the substrate concentration (PEP), and the L-malate and glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) concentration in the assay. Generally, lowering the pH and reducing the amount of substrate resulted in an increase in activation by G-6-P and in an increase in malate inhibition of the enzyme. Furthermore, malate inhibition and G-6-P activation increased with increasing temperature. Activity measurements between 10° C and 45°C at a given concentration of the effectors revealed that the temperature optimum and maximum activities at that optimum varied with the effector applied. Under the influence of 5 mol m^-3 L-malate the temperature optimum and maximum activity dropped drastically, especially when the substrate level was low (at 0.5 mol m^-3 PEP from 32° C to 20° C). G-6-P raised the temperature optimum and maximum activity when the substrate level was low. If both malate and G-6-P were present, intermediate values were measured. We suggest that changes in metabolite levels in K. daigremontiana leaves can alter the temperature features of PEP-carboxylase so that the observed in vivo CO₂ dark fixation can be explained on the basis of PEP-carboxylase activity.Abbreviations PEP-c phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase - CAM crassulacean acid metabolism - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - G-6-P glucose-6-phosphate     

Light regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in barley mesophyll protoplasts is modulated by protein synthesis and calcium, and not necessarily correlated with phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase activity

The regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase, EC. 4.1.1.31) and PEPCase kinase was investigated using barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mesophyll protoplasts. Incubation of protoplasts in the light resulted in a reduction in the sensitivity of PEPCase to the inhibitor L-malate; PEPCase from protoplasts incubated in the light for 1 h was inhibited 48±2% by 2mM malate, whereas the enzyme from protoplasts incubated for 1 h in the dark was inhibited by 67±2%. Light-induced reduction of sensitivity of PEPCase to malate was decreased by cycloheximide (CHM), indicating the involvement of protein synthesis. The PEPCase kinase in protoplasts increased with time after isolation in darkness, and increased still further following light treatment. The increase in kinase activity in the light was sensitive to CHM. When protoplasts were illuminated in the presence of EGTA and the calcium ionophore A23187 to reduce intracellular Ca²⁺, the reduction in the senstivity of PEPCase to malate was enhanced, though no more PEPCase kinase activity was detected than in protoplasts illuminated in the absence of EGTA and A23187. Incubation with 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) had no effect on the light-induced reduction of sensitivity of PEPCase to malate inhibition or on light-activation of PEPCase kinase. These results indicate that there is a constitutive PEPCase kinase activity in C₃ leaf tissue, that there is another kinase which is light-activated in a CHMsensitive way, that the sensitivity of PEPCase to its inhibitor may not always be correlated with apparent PEPCase kinase actvity, and that PEPCase and PEPCase kinase are regulated in a different manner in C₃ protoplasts than in C₄ protoplasts or leaf tissue.Abbreviations CAM Crassulacean acid metabolism - Chl chlorophyll - CHM cycloheximide - DCMU 3-(3,4-dichloro-phenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - PEPCase PEP carboxylase     

Change in the predominance from C 4 to C 3 pathway following anthesis in sorghum

Sorghum and Pennisetum species are known to have predominantly C₄ pathway. This pathway is associated with several other characteristics. These conclusions are based on studies confined largely to seedlings. A developmental study of PEP carboxylase and RuDP carboxylase in $\text{Sorghum bicolor}$ and $\text{Pennisetum typhoides}$ confirmed in seedlings the predominance of PEP carboxylase, high malate: 3-phorophoglycerate ratio and ‘Krantz’ anatomy. However, after flowering, RuDP carboxylase was predominant in the leaves of both Sorghum and Pennisetum. This observation was associated with higher 3-phosphoglycerate:malate ratio following ¹⁴CO₂ fixation. The anatomy of the leaf remained unchanged and so was the chlorophyll a:b ratio. This change in system coincided with a slight fall in mean daily temperature. But in wheat RuDP carboxylase remained the predominant enzyme in spite of the rising mean daily temperature. Therefore, the change from C₄ to C₃ appears to be related more to the developmental stages.     

Carbon Dioxide Fixation in Roots and Nodules of Alnus glutinosa: I. Role of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Carbamyl Phosphate Synthetase in Dark CO(2) Fixation, Citrulline Synthesis, and N(2) Fixation

Detached roots and nodules of the N₂-fixing species, Albus glutinosa (European black alder), actively assimilate CO₂. The maximum rates of dark CO₂ fixation observed for detached nodules and roots were 15 and 3 micromoles CO₂ fixed per gram dry weight per hour, respectively. The net incorporation of CO₂ in these tissues was catalyzed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase which produces organic acids, some of which are used in the synthesis of the amino acids, aspartate, glutamate, and citrulline and by carbamyl phosphate synthetase. The latter accounts for approximately 30 to 40% of the CO₂ fixed and provides carbamyl phosphate for the synthesis of citrulline. Results of labeling studies suggest that there are multiple pools of malate present in nodules. The major pool is apparently metabolically inactive and of unknown function while the smaller pool is rapidly utilized in the synthesis of amino acids. Dark CO₂ fixation and N₂ fixation in nodules decreased after treatment of nodulated plants with nitrate while the percentage of the total ¹⁴C incorporated into organic acids increased. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and carbamyl phosphate synthetase play key roles in the synthesis of amino acids including citrulline and in the metabolism of N₂-fixing nodules and roots of alder.