The Two-Isozyme System of 3-Deoxy-d-arabino-Heptulosonate 7-Phosphate Synthase in Nicotiana silvestris and Other Higher Plants

Two isozymes of 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase, denoted DS-Mn and DS-Co, were identified following DEAE-cellulose chromatography of crude extracts prepared from suspension-cultured cells of Nicotiana silvestris. The strikingly different properties of the isozymes allowed the development of assays for the selective detection of either isozyme in samples containing a mixture of the two. The DS-Mn isozyme required the sulfhydryl reductant, dithiothreitol, for activity and was stimulated by manganese. Activation by dithiothreitol was slow relative to catalysis, accounting for a hysteretic progress curve that was observed when reactions were started with inactive enzyme. The DS-Co isozyme was inhibited by dithiothreitol and required a divalent cation for activity. At optimal cation concentrations of 10 millimolar (magnesium), 0.5 millimolar (cobalt), and 0.5 millimolar (manganese), relative activities obtained were 100, 85, and 20, respectively. The substrate saturation curves with respect to erythrose 4-phosphate differed markedly when the two isozymes were compared. As little as 0.5 millimolar erythrose 4-phosphate saturated DS-Mn, whereas a 10-fold higher concentration was needed for saturation of DS-Co. The pH optimum of DS-Mn was 8.0, while that of the DS-Co isozyme was 8.6. Leaves of both N. silvestris and spinach also exhibited the DS-Mn/DS-Co isozyme arrangement, and the subcellular location of DS-Mn was shown to be the chloroplast compartment. By application of the differential assays for DAHP synthase isozymes, various monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants yielded data indicating the general presence of the DS-Mn/DS-Co isozyme pair in higher plants.