The influence of glutathione upon light-induced high-amplitude swelling and lipid peroxideformation of spinach chloroplasts

Light-induced high-amplitude swelling and lipid peroxide formationof isolated spinach chloroplasts were studied with regard tothe supposed analogy to lipid peroxide dependent disintegrationof mitochondria. Addition of glutathione to chloroplasts exposedto light results in excessive stimulation of swelling, whereasthe rate of lipid peroxide accumulation is significantly decreased.In the dark, glutathione does not show any substantial effect.Glutathione apparently serves as a donor substrate for the reductionof lipid peroxides in chloroplasts. The increased water uptakeof chloroplasts in the presence of glutathione cannot be conditionedby peroxidation of membrane lipids, as could be demonstratedfor mitochondria in similar experiments. Evidence is presentedthat a glutathione peroxidase activity is present in spinachhomogenate. The enzyme system, however, behaves quite differentlyfrom glutathione peroxidase of animal sources in respect tostability and pH dependency of the reaction rate (Received October 24, 1970; )