Isolation and characterization of light- and dithiothreitol-modulatable glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from pea chloroplasts

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (D-glucose-6-phosphate: NADP oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.49) has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from pea chloroplasts. The enzyme, which has a Stokes radius of 52 Å, is a tetramer made up of four 56000 Da monomers. The pH optimum is around 8.2. The enzyme is absolutely specific for NADP. The apparent K_m(NADP) is 2.4 ± 0.1 μM. NADPH inhibition of the enzyme is competitive with respect to NADP (mean K_i, 18 ± 5 μM) and is mixed (K_p >K_m, V_max >V_p) with respect to glucose 6-phosphate (mean crossover point, 0.5 ± 0.1 mM). The apparent K_m(glucose 6-phosphate) is 0.37 ± 0.01 mM. The purified enzyme is inactivated in the light in the presence of dilute stroma and washed thylakoids, and by dithiothreitol. Enzyme which has been partially inactivated by treatment with dithiothreitol can be further inactivated in the light in the presence of dilute stroma and washed thylakoids and reactivated in the dark, but only to the extent of the reverse of light inactivation. Dithiothreitol-inactivated enzyme is not reactivated further by addition of crude stroma or oxidized thioredoxin. Dithiothreitol-dependent inactivation of the enzyme follows pseudo-first-order kinetics and shows rate saturation. The enzyme which has been partially inactivated by treatment with dithiothreitol does not differ from the untreated control with respect to thermal and tryptic inactivation. However, enzyme which has been partially light inactivated shows different thermal and tryptic inactivation patterns as compared to the dark control. These observations suggest that the changes in the enzyme brought about by light modulation are not necessarily identical with those brought about by dithiothreitol inactivation.     

Changes in composition and function of thylakoid membranes as a result of photosynthetic adaptation of chloroplasts from pea plants grown under different light conditions

The hypothesis that chloroplasts having different light-saturated rates of photosynthesis will have different proportions of the intrinsic thylakoid complexes engaged in light-harvesting and electron transport (Anderson, J.M. (1982) Mol. Cell. Biochem. 46, 161–172) has been tested. Peas were grown in light regimes which varied in light intensity, quality and time of irradiance, and ranged from sunlight through red to blue-enriched light of very low radiation. The electron-transport capacity at saturating light of Photosystem I and Photosystem II of chloroplasts isolated from light-adapted peas was 2-fold and 5–6-fold lower, respectively, in the lowest radiation compared to sunlight. There was a marked increase in the amount of total chlorophyll associated with the main chlorophyll $\text{a}\text{b-}\text{proteins}$ (LHCP¹, LHCP² and LHCP³) and a 2-fold decrease in the core reaction centre complex of Photosystem II (CP a) as the radiation decreased; the $\text{LHCP}{}^{\mathrm{1–3}}\text{CP}$ a ratio changed from 3.5 to 9.0. The amount of chlorophyll associated with Photosystem I varied from 34% in sunlight to 27% in the lowest radiation, but the antenna size of Photosystem I was not markedly different; there was a 2-fold decrease in the amount of cytochrome f on a chlorophyll basis, which partly accounted for the decreased electron-transport capacity of Photosystem I. Since the increases or decreases in the levels of each of the components correlated with decreasing radiation, it is clear that the light-adaptation of both light-harvesting and electron-transport components is indeed closely co-ordinated.     

Release of Sucrose from Vicia faba L. Leaf Discs

The release of sucrose from leaf discs of Vicia faba L. to a bathing medium was studied for evidence of a relationship between this release and mesophyll export of photosynthate in vivo. Sucrose was released specifically over hexoses and represented over 85% of total photosynthate released. The sucrose appeared to be derived from the mesophyll tissue directly and release did not require concurrent photosynthesis. The data indicated two separate channels for sucrose release. The first was sensitive to inhibition by 1 millimolar p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonic acid and the second was promoted by lowering the Ca²⁺ concentration below 0.1 millimolar. Flow through both channels was about equal when tissue that had been actively photosynthesizing for several hours was used. The rate of release was not dependent on the extracellular pH, but was inhibited by 10 micromolar carbonylcyanide p-trifluromethoxyphenylhydrazone. Lowering the Ca²⁺ concentration below 0.1 millimolar or raising the K⁺ concentration above 100 millimolar stimulated sucrose release. The stimulation by high K⁺ was not reversed by adding Ca²⁺. The data supported the postulate that Ca²⁺ removal or K⁺ addition changed the permeability of the mesophyll plasma membrane to sucrose.     

Oxygen evolution by a reconstituted spinach chloroplast system in the presence ofl-glutamine and 2-oxoglutarate

Intact chloroplasts prepared from summer-grown spinach plants supported (aspartate plus 2-oxoglutarate)-dependent O₂ evolution but not (glutamine plus 2-oxoglutarate)-dependent O₂ evolution. The former activity, which was sensitive to amino oxyacetate, was attributed to transaminase activity and reduction of the resulting oxalo-acetate to malate using H₂O as eventual electron donor. A reconstituted chloroplast system which included chloroplast stroma, thylakoid membranes, ferredoxin and NADP(H) supported O₂ evolution in the presence ofl-glutamine and 2-oxoglutarate at rates of 15–22 μmol mg^-1 chlorophyll h^-1 although lower rates were obtained with material from winter-grown plants. Activity was not observed in the absence of ferredoxin and omission of NADP(H) decreased activity by 40%. The reaction was associated with the production of 0.49 mol O₂ mol^-1 2-oxoglutarate consumed and up to 0.46 mol O₂ mol^-1 glutamine supplied. The reaction, which was inhibited by azaserine but not by methionine sulphoximine or amino oxyacetate, was attributed to light-coupled glutamate synthase (EC 1.4.1.13) with H₂O serving as eventual electron donor. Activity was not affected significantly byl-malate. The reconstituted system also supported O₂ evolution in the presence of nitrite, oxaloacetate, (aspartate plus 2-oxoglutarate) and oxidised glutathione.     

Depletion of intracellular potassium arrests coated pit formation and receptor-mediated endocytosis in fibroblasts

Depletion of intracellular potassium (K+) caused a marked reduction in the rate of endocytosis of receptor-bound low density lipoprotein (LDL) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in human fibroblasts. K+ could be depleted slowly by a 3-hr incubation of cells in isotonic K+-free buffer. Rapid K+ depletion was induced by incubation of cells for 5 min with hypotonic medium, followed by transfer to isotonic K+-free buffer. Within 30 min of this treatment, cellular K+ levels fell by more than 60%. When the K+ level fell below a threshold of 40% of normal, the number of coated pits declined by 80% and the rate of endocytosis of 125I-LDL decreased by 70 to 95% despite normal to increased receptor binding. Similar results were obtained with 125I-epidermal growth factor. Addition of KCl to the culture medium up to 2 hr after K+ depletion restored cellular K+ levels and returned endocytosis of 125I-LDL promptly to normal. RbCl was as effective as KCl, but CsCl, LiCl, and (CH3)4NCl had no effect. Restoration by KCl was blocked by ouabain, indicating that uptake via the Na+/K+ ATPase was required. These data demonstrate that depletion of intracellular K+ reversibly arrests coated pit formation and receptor-mediated endocytosis in human fibroblasts.     

Antigens on human plasma cells identified by monoclonal antibodies

Two monoclonal antibodies that define distinct plasma cell-associated antigens, termed PCA-1 and PCA-2, were developed against human plasma cell leukemia cells. These antigens are strongly expressed on human myelomas, plasma cell leukemia, and plasmacytoma tumor cells, but are not detected on other lymphoid malignancies of B, T, null, or myeloid origin. PCA-1 and PCA-2 are not expressed on either normal T or B lymphocytes, but are weakly expressed on granulocytes and monocytes. When pokeweed mitogen is used to induce human B lymphocyte differentiation, PCA-1 is expressed when other B cell determinants are lost and plasmacytoid morphology, intracytoplasmic immunoglobulins, and surface T10 staining characteristic of plasma cells appear. In contrast, PCA-2 cannot be induced and may therefore appear later in the B cell differentiation scheme. These antigens may be of utility for the study and regulation of normal and abnormal plasma cell growth, traffic, and tissue distribution and may aid in understanding heterogeneity within plasma cell dyscrasias.     

Differential activation of the mouse beta-globin promoter by enhancers.

A series of plasmids was constructed to study the effect of two enhancers, the simian virus 40 72-base-pair repeat and the Harvey sarcoma virus 73-base-pair repeat, on the mouse beta maj-globin promoter. These plasmids contain the mouse beta maj-globin promoter linked to the Escherichia coli galK gene, thus allowing galactokinase enzyme activity to be used as a measure of promoter function. In CV-1 (primate) cells, it was found that an enhancer is required for optimal promoter activity and that the simian virus 40 (primate) enhancer increases galactokinase fourfold more than the Harvey sarcoma virus (mouse) enhancer. In L (mouse) cells, however, the Harvey sarcoma virus enhancer is 1.3-fold stronger than the simian virus 40 enhancer. These data support the hypothesis that enhancer activity can be species specific. Furthermore, when both enhancers are present on the same plasmid, their effect is additive on the beta-globin promoter whether the plasmid is in CV-1 cells or L cells.     

Glucose metabolism of embryos and endosperms from deteriorating barley and wheat seeds

Changes in glucose utilization into CO₂ and ethanol-insoluble material were followed in whole seeds, embryos, and endosperms of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) which had reached different levels of deterioration through accelerated aging treatments. Excised embryos from deteriorated wheat seeds had reduced respiration and glucose utilization into ethanol-insoluble material but not into CO₂. These treatments had no effect on respiration of excised endosperms, although they reduced utilization of glucose into ethanol-insoluble material and CO₂. Changes in metabolic activity of whole seeds in response to deterioration treatments are difficult to interpret because they represent the sum of the changes that take place in the embryos and endosperms. Changes in respiration and glucose utilization in these two tissues neither proceed at the same rate nor go in the same direction during deterioration.     

PERMEABILITY OF THE OVARIAN FOLLICLE OF AEDES AEGYPTI MOSQUITOES

The passage of tracers of various molecular weights into resting and vitellogenic ovarian follicles of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes was studied ultrastructurally. The outermost layer of the follicular sheath (the basement lamina) is a coarse mechanical filter. It is freely permeable to particles with molecular weights ranging from 12,000 to 500,000 (i.e. cytochrome c, peroxidase, hemoglobin, catalase, ferritin, immunoglobulin (IgG)-peroxidase, iron dextran and Thorotrast) that have dimensions less than 110 A. Molecules as large as carbon (300–500 A) are totally excluded. Whereas proteins and polysaccharide tracers permeate the basement lamina with apparent ease, certain inert particles (e.g. Thorotrast, Fellows-Testager Div., Fellows Mfg. Co., Inc., Detroit, Mich.) penetrate more slowly. With respect to the tracers tested, resting follicles are as permeable as vitellogenic follicles. The follicle epithelium of resting or vitellogenic follicles is penetrated by narrow intercellular channels. Our observations suggest that these spaces are lined with mucopolysaccharide material. After permeating the basement lamina, exogenous tracers fill these channels, while the bulk of material accumulates in the perioocytic space. Within 3 hr after imbibing blood, the pinocytotic mechanism of the oocyte is greatly augmented. Pinocytosis is not selective with regard to material in the perioocytic space, since double tracer studies show that exogenous compounds are not separated, but are incorporated into the same pinocytotic vesicle. During later stages of vitellogenesis, 36–48 hr after the blood-meal, the pinocytotic mechanism of the oocyte is diminished. Simultaneously, the intercellular channels become occluded by desmosomes, and the vitelline membrane plaques separate the oocyte and follicle epithelium.