Fat metabolism in higher plants. LIV. A procaryotic type acetyl CoA carboxylase in spinach chloroplasts

Overexpression of pea α-carboxyltransferase in Arabidopsis and camelina increases fatty acid synthesis leading to improved seed oil content

Heteromeric acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (htACCase) catalyzes the committed step of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in most plant plastids. Plant htACCase is comprised of four subunits: α‐ and β‐carboxyltransferase (α‐ and β‐CT), biotin carboxylase, and biotin carboxyl carrier protein. Based on in vivo absolute quantification of htACCase subunits, α‐CT is 3‐ to 10‐fold less abundant than its partner subunit β‐CT in developing Arabidopsis seeds [Wilson and Thelen, J. Proteome Res., 2018, 17 (5)]. To test the hypothesis that low expression of α‐CT limits htACCase activity and flux through fatty acid synthesis in planta, we overexpressed Pisum sativum α‐CT, either with or without its C‐terminal non‐catalytic domain, in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Camelina sativa. First‐generation Arabidopsis seed of 35S::Ps α‐CT (n = 25) and 35S::Ps α‐CTΔ406‐875 (n = 47) were on average 14% higher in oil content (% dry weight) than wild type co‐cultivated in a growth chamber. First‐generation camelina seed showed an average 8% increase compared to co‐cultivated wild type. Biochemical analyses confirmed the accumulation of Ps α‐CT and Ps α‐CTΔ406‐875 protein and higher htACCase activity in overexpression lines during early seed development. Overexpressed Ps α‐CT co‐migrated with native At β‐CT during anion exchange chromatography, indicating co‐association. By successfully increasing seed oil content upon heterologous overexpression of α‐CT, we demonstrate how absolute quantitation of in vivo protein complex stoichiometry can be used to guide rational metabolic engineering.

Comprehensive guide to acetyl-carboxylases in algae

Lipids from microalgae have become an important commodity in the last 20 years, biodiesel and supplementing human diets with ω-3 fatty acids are just two of the many applications. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) is a key enzyme in the lipid synthesis pathway. In general, ACCases consist of four functional domains: the biotin carboxylase (BC), the biotin carboxyl binding protein (BCCP), and α-and β-carboxyltransferases (α-and β-CT). In algae, like in plants, lipid synthesis is another function of the chloroplast. Despite being well researched in plants and animals, there is a distinct lack of information about this enzyme in the taxonomically diverse algae. In plastid-containing organisms, ACCases are present in the cytosol and the plastid (chloroplasts) and two different forms exist, the heteromeric (prokaryotic) and homomeric (eukaryotic) form. Despite recognition of the existence of the two ACCase forms, generalized published statements still list the heteromeric form as the one present in algal plastids. In this study, the authors show this is not the case for all algae. The presence of heteromeric or homomeric ACCase is dependent on the origin of plastid. The authors used ACCase amino acid sequence comparisons to show that green (Chlorophyta) and red (Rhodophyta) algae, with the exception of the green algal class Prasinophyceae, contain heteromeric ACCase in their plastids, which are of primary symbiotic origin and surrounded by two envelope membranes. In contrast, algal plastids surrounded by three to four membranes were derived through secondary endosymbiosis (Heterokontophyta and Haptophyta), as well as apicoplast containing Apicomplexa, contain homomeric ACCase in their plastids. Distinctive differences in the substrate binding regions of heteromeric and homomeric α-CT and β-CT were discovered, which can be used to distinguish between the two ACCase types. Furthermore, the acetyl-CoA binding region of homomeric α-CT can be used to distinguish between cytosolic and plastidial ACCase. The information provided here will be of fundamental importance in ACCase expression and activity research to unravel impacts of environmental and physicochemical parameters on lipid content and productivity.

Genes encoding the alpha-carboxyltransferase subunit of acetyl-CoA carboxylase from Brassica napus and parental species: cloning, expression patterns, and evolution

Heteromeric acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase), a rate-limiting enzyme in fatty acid biosynthesis in dicots, is a multi-enzyme complex consisting of biotin carboxylase, biotin carboxyl carrier protein, and carboxyltransferase (alpha-CT and beta-CT). In the present study, four genes encoding alpha-CT were cloned from Brassica napus, and two were cloned from each of the two parental species, B. rapa and B. oleracea. Comparative and cluster analyses indicated that these genes were divided into two major groups. The major divergence between group-1 and group-2 occurred in the second intron. Group-2 alpha-CT genes represented the ancestral form in the genus Brassica. The divergence of group-1 and group-2 genes occurred in their common ancestor 12.96-17.78 million years ago (MYA), soon after the divergence of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica (15-20 MYA). This time of divergence is identical to that reported for the paralogous subgenomes of diploid Brassica species (13-17 MYA). Real-time reverse transcription PCR revealed that the expression patterns of the two groups of genes were similar in different organs, except in leaves. To better understand the regulation and evolution of alpha-CT genes, promoter regions from two sets of orthologous gene copies from B. napus, B. rapa, and B. oleracea were cloned and compared. The function of the promoter of gene Bnalpha-CT-1-1 in group-1 and gene Bnalpha-CT-2-1 in group-2 was examined by assaying beta-glucuronidase activity in transgenic A. thaliana. Our results will be helpful in elucidating the evolution and regulation of ACCase in oilseed rape.

Plant acetyl-CoA carboxylase: structure, biosynthesis, regulation, and gene manipulation for plant breeding

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) catalyzes the first committed step of fatty acid synthesis, the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA. Two physically distinct types of enzymes are found in nature. Heteromeric ACCase composed of four subunits is usually found in prokaryotes, and homomeric ACCase composed of a single large polypeptide is found in eukaryotes. Most plants have both forms, the heteromeric form in plastids, in which de novo fatty acids are synthesized, and the homomeric form in cytosol. This review focuses on the structure and regulation of plant heteromeric ACCase and its manipulation for plant breeding.

Plant biotin-containing carboxylases

Biotin-containing proteins are found in all forms of life, and they catalyze carboxylation, decarboxylation, or transcarboxylation reactions that are central to metabolism. In plants, five biotin-containing proteins have been characterized. Of these, four are catalysts, namely the two structurally distinct acetyl-CoA carboxylases (heteromeric and homomeric), 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase and geranoyl-CoA carboxylase. In addition, plants contain a noncatalytic biotin protein that accumulates in seeds and is thought to play a role in storing biotin. Acetyl-CoA carboxylases generate two pools of malonyl-CoA, one in plastids that is the precursor for de novo fatty acid biosynthesis and the other in the cytosol that is the precursor for fatty acid elongation and a large number of secondary metabolites. 3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase catalyzes a reaction in the mitochondrial pathway for leucine catabolism. The exact metabolic function of geranoyl-CoA carboxylase is as yet unknown, but it may be involved in isoprenoid metabolism. This minireview summarizes the recent developments in our understanding of the structure, regulation, and metabolic functions of these proteins in plants.

Multi-subunit acetyl-CoA carboxylases

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) catalyses the first committed step of fatty acid synthesis, the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA. Two physically distinct types of enzymes are found in nature. Bacterial and most plant chloroplasts contain a multi-subunit ACC (MS-ACC) enzyme that is readily dissociated into its component proteins. Mammals, fungi, and plant cytosols contain the second type of ACC, a single large multifunctional polypeptide. This review will focus on the structures, regulation, and enzymatic mechanisms of the bacterial and plant MS-ACCs.

The multisubunit acetyl-CoA carboxylase is strongly associated with the chloroplast envelope through non-ionic interactions to the carboxyltransferase subunits

The committed step for de novo fatty acid biosynthesis is the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase). Plastidial ACCase from most plants is a multisubunit complex composed of multiple copies of four different polypeptides, biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), biotin carboxylase (BC), and carboxyltransferase (alpha-CT and beta-CT). Immunoblot analyses revealed these four proteins were mostly (69% of total) associated with a 17,000 g insoluble fraction from lysed pea chloroplasts. Under the same conditions only 8% of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was associated with this insoluble fraction. BCCP and biotin carboxylase BC subunits freely dissociated from 17 kg insoluble fractions under high ionic strength conditions, whereas alpha-CT and beta-CT subunits remained tightly associated. Both CT subunits were highly enriched in envelope versus stroma and thylakoid preparations whereas BC and BCCP subunits were predominantly stromal-localized due to partial dissociation. Rapid solubilization of intact chloroplasts with Triton X-100 followed by centrifugation at 30 kg resulted in a pellet that was up to 8-fold enriched in ACCase activity and 21-fold enriched in BC activity. Triton-insoluble 30 kg pellets were reduced in lipid and chlorophyll content but enriched in chloroplast DNA due to the isolation of nucleoid particles. However, ACCase was not directly associated with nucleoids since enzymatic digestion of DNA or RNA had no effect on the association with Triton-insoluble matter. The amount of Triton-insoluble ACCase was similar in chloroplasts isolated from dark- or light-adapted leaves suggesting transitory starch granules were also not involved in this association. It is proposed that ACCase is associated with envelope membranes through interactions with an unidentified integral membrane protein.

Effect of iron on activity of soybean multi-subunit acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase

Multi-subunit acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (MS-ACCase; EC 6.4.1.2) isolated from soybean chloroplasts is a labile enzyme that loses activity during purification. We found that incubating the chloroplast stromal fraction under anaerobic conditions or in the presence of 5 mM FeSO4 stimulated ACCase (acetyl-CoA-->malonyl-CoA) and carboxyltransferase (malonyl-CoA-->acetyl-CoA) activity. Fe-stimulation of activity was associated with 59Fe binding to a stromal protein fraction. ACCase and carboxyltransferase activities measured in the stromal protein fraction containing bound 59Fe were 2-fold and 6-fold greater, respectively, than the control (stromal fraction not pretreated with FeSO4). Superose 6 gel filtration chromatography indicated 59Fe comigrated with stromal protein of approximately 180 kDa that exhibited carboxyltransferase activity, but lacked ACCase activity. Anion exchange (Mono-Q) chromatography of the Superose 6 fraction yielded a protein peak that was enriched in carboxyltransferase activity and contained protein-bound 59Fe. Denaturing gels of the Mono-Q fraction indicated that the 180-kDa protein was composed of a 56-kDa subunit that was bound by an antibody raised against a synthetic beta-carboxyltransferase (beta-CTase) peptide. Incubation of the Mono-Q carboxyltransferase fraction with increasing concentrations of iron at a fixed substrate concentration resulted in increased initial velocities that fit well to a single rectangular three parameter hyperbola (v=vo+Vmax[FeSO4]/Km+[FeSO4]) consistent with iron functioning as a bound activator of catalysis. UV/Vis spectroscopy of the partially purified fraction before and after iron incubation yielded spectra consistent with a protein-bound metal cluster. These results suggest that the beta-CTase subunit of MS-ACCase in soybean chloroplasts is an iron-containing enzyme, which may in part explain its labile nature.

Brassicaceae express multiple isoforms of biotin carboxyl carrier protein in a tissue-specific manner

Plastidial acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase from most plants is a multi-enzyme complex comprised of four different subunits. One of these subunits, the biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), was previously proposed to be encoded by a single gene in Arabidopsis. We report and characterize here a second Arabidopsis BCCP (AtBCCP2) cDNA with 42% amino acid identity to AtBCCP1 and 75% identity to a class of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) BCCPs. Both Arabidopsis BCCP isoforms were expressed in Escherichia coli and found to be biotinylated and supported carboxylation activity when reconstituted with purified, recombinant Arabidopsis biotin carboxylase. In vitro translated AtBCCP2 was competent for import into pea (Pisum sativum) chloroplasts and processed to a 25-kD polypeptide. Extracts of Arabidopsis seeds contained biotinylated polypeptides of 35 and 25 kD, in agreement with the masses of recombinant AtBCCP1 and 2, respectively. AtBCCP1 protein was present in developing tissues from roots, leaves, flowers, siliques, and seeds, whereas AtBCCP2 protein was primarily expressed in 7 to 10 d-after-flowering seeds at levels approximately 2-fold less abundant than AtBCCP1. AtBCCP1 transcript reflected these protein expression profiles present in all developing organs and highest in 14-d leaves and siliques, whereas AtBCCP2 transcript was present in flowers and siliques. In protein blots, four different BCCP isoforms were detected in developing seeds from oilseed rape. Of these, a 35-kD BCCP was detected in immature leaves and developing seeds, whereas developing seeds also contained 22-, 25-, and 37-kD isoforms highly expressed 21 d after flowering. These data indicate that oilseed plants in the family Brassicaceae contain at least one to three seed-up-regulated BCCP isoforms, depending upon genome complexity.

BIOTINMETABOLISM INPLANTS

Biotin is an essential cofactor for a small number of enzymes involved mainly in the transfer of CO2 during HCO-3-dependent carboxylation reactions. This review highlights progress in plant biotin research by focusing on the four major areas of recent investigation: the structure, enzymology, and localization of two important biotinylated proteins (methylcrotonoyl-CoA carboxylase involved in the catabolism of leucine and noncyclic isoprenoids; acetyl-CoA carboxylase isoforms involved in a number of biosynthetic pathways); the biosynthesis of biotin; the biotinylation of biotin-dependent carboxylases, including the characterization of biotin holocarboxylase synthetase isoforms; and the detailed characterization of a novel, seed-specific biotinylated protein. A central challenge for plant biotin research is to determine in molecular terms how plant cells regulate the flow of biotin to sustain the biotinylation of biotin-dependent carboxylases during biosynthetic reactions.

Coordinate regulation of the nuclear and plastidic genes coding for the subunits of the heteromeric acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase

Plastidic acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase (ACCase) catalyzes the first committed reaction of de novo fatty acid biosynthesis. This heteromeric enzyme is composed of one plastid-coded subunit (beta-carboxyltransferase) and three nuclear-coded subunits (biotin carboxy-carrier, biotin carboxylase, and alpha-carboxyltransferase). We report the primary structure of the Arabidopsis alpha-carboxyltransferase and beta-carboxyltransferase subunits deduced from nucleotide sequences of the respective genes and/or cDNA. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments confirm that the alpha-carboxyltransferase and beta-carboxyltransferase subunits are physically associated. The plant alpha-carboxyltransferases have gained a C-terminal domain relative to eubacteria, possibly via the evolutionary acquisition of a single exon. This C-terminal domain is divergent among plants and may have a structural function rather than being essential for catalysis. The four ACCase subunit mRNAs accumulate to the highest levels in tissues and cells that are actively synthesizing fatty acids, which are used either for membrane biogenesis in rapidly growing tissues or for oil accumulation in developing embryos. Development coordinately affects changes in the accumulation of the ACCase subunit mRNAs so that these four mRNAs maintain a constant molar stoichiometric ratio. These data indicate that the long-term, developmentally regulated expression of the heteromeric ACCase is in part controlled by a mechanism(s) that coordinately affects the steady-state concentrations of each subunit mRNA.

A multisubunit acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase from soybean

A multisubunit form of acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase (ACCase) from soybean (Glycine max) was characterized. The enzyme catalyzes the formation of malonyl CoA from acetyl CoA, a rate-limiting step in fatty acid biosynthesis. The four known components that constitute plastid ACCase are biotin carboxylase (BC), biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), and the alpha- and beta-subunits of carboxyltransferase (alpha- and beta-CT). At least three different cDNAs were isolated from germinating soybean seeds that encode BC, two that encode BCCP, and four that encode alpha-CT. Whereas BC, BCCP, and alpha-CT are products of nuclear genes, the DNA that encodes soybean beta-CT is located in chloroplasts. Translation products from cDNAs for BC, BCCP, and alpha-CT were imported into isolated pea (Pisum sativum) chloroplasts and became integrated into ACCase. Edman microsequence analysis of the subunits after import permitted the identification of the amino-terminal sequence of the mature protein after removal of the transit sequences. Antibodies specific for each of the chloroplast ACCase subunits were generated against products from the cDNAs expressed in bacteria. The antibodies permitted components of ACCase to be followed during fractionation of the chloroplast stroma. Even in the presence of 0.5 M KCl, a complex that contained BC plus BCCP emerged from Sephacryl 400 with an apparent molecular mass greater than about 800 kD. A second complex, which contained alpha- and beta-CT, was also recovered from the column, and it had an apparent molecular mass of greater than about 600 kD. By mixing the two complexes together at appropriate ratios, ACCase enzymatic activity was restored. Even higher ACCase activities were recovered by mixing complexes from pea and soybean. The results demonstrate that the active form of ACCase can be reassembled and that it could form a high-molecular-mass complex.

Regulation of spinach chloroplast acetyl-CoA carboxylase

We have investigated several factors which influence acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) activity in lysed spinach chloroplasts. (1) When assayed after rapid lysis of light-incubated chloroplasts, ACCase activity was 2-fold higher than activity from dark-incubated chloroplasts. Within 5 min after lysis, activity from dark-incubated chloroplasts increased, suggesting a transient inactivation or inhibition of ACCase in the dark. (2) When lysed chloroplast suspensions were incubated with 30 to 100 microM acetyl-CoA before starting assays, activity was 4-fold higher than if suspensions were not preincubated with acetyl-CoA. CoA, malonyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA, and butyryl-CoA also activated ACCase. Full acetyl-CoA activation required MgATP and was essentially complete after 8 min. ACCase activity decreased upon removal of acetyl-CoA by gel filtration and was partially restored by readdition of acetyl-CoA. Thus, ACCase activation by acetyl-CoA was reversible. (3) Dithiothreitol and thioredoxin stimulated ACCase activity, but only in preparations where ACCase activity was low. (4) ACCase was assayed in concentrations of ATP, ADP, NADPH, NADP+, Mg2+, and CO2/HCO-3, which are estimated to occur in the stroma of chloroplasts under illumination or darkness. ACCase activity from lysed chloroplast suspensions was 10-fold higher when illuminated conditions were used. However, this activity was still 5-fold to 10-fold lower than the rates required to sustain known in vivo rates of fatty acid synthesis and in vitro rates achieved under optimum assay conditions with saturating substrates.

Biotin carboxyl carrier protein and carboxyltransferase subunits of the multi-subunit form of acetyl-CoA carboxylase from Brassica napus: cloning and analysis of expression during oilseed rape embryogenesis

In the oilseed rape Brassica napus there are two forms of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase). As in other dicotyledonous plants there is a type I ACCase, the single polypeptide 220 kDa form, and a type II multi-subunit complex analogous to that of Escherichia coli and Anabaena. This paper describes the cloning and characterization of a plant biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) from the type II ACCase complex that shows 61% identity/79% similarity with Anabaena BCCP at the amino acid level. Six classes of nuclear encoded oilseed rape BCCP cDNA were clones, two of which contained the entire coding region. The BCCP sequences allowed the assignment of function to two previously unassigned Arabidopsis expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences. We also report the cloning of a second type II ACCase component from oilseed rape, the beta-carboxyltransferase subunit (betaCT), which is chloroplast-encoded. Northern analysis showed that although the relative levels of BCCP and betaCT mRNA differed between different oilseed rape tissues, their temporal patterns of expression were identical during embryo development. At the protein level, expression of BCCP during embryo development was studied by Western blotting, using affinity-purified anti-biotin polyclonal sera. With this technique a 35 kDa protein thought to be BCCP was shown to reside within the chloroplast. This analysis also permitted us to view the differential expression of several unidentified biotinylated proteins during embryogenesis.

Co-purification, co-imniunoprecipitation, and coordinate expression of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase activity, biotin carboxylase, and biotin carboxyl carrier protein of higher plants

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase; EC 6.4.1.2) is a regulatory enzyme of fatty acid synthesis, and in some higher-plant plastids is a multi-subunit complex consisting of biotin carboxylase (BC), biotin-carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), and carboxyl transferase (CT). We recently described a Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco) cDNA with a deduced amino acid sequence similar to that of prokaryotic BC. We here provide further biochemical and immunological evidence that this higher-plant polypeptide is an authentic BC component of ACCase. The BC protein co-purified with ACCase activity and with BCCP during gel permeation chromatography of Pisum sativum L. (pea) chloroplast proteins. Antibodies to the Ricinus communis L. (castor) BC co-precipitated ACCase activity and BCCP. During castor seed development, ACCase activity and the levels of BC and BCCP increased and subsequently decreased in parallel, indicating their coordinate regulation. The BC protein comprised about 0.8% of the soluble protein in developing castor seed, and less than 0.05% of the protein in young leaf or root. Polypeptides cross-reacting with antibodies to castor BC were detected in several dicotyledons and in the monocotyledons Hemerocallis fulva L. (day lily), Iris L., and Allium cepa L. (onion), but not in the Gramineae species Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) and Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass). The castor endosperm and pea chloroplast ACCases were not significantly inhibited by long-chain acyl-acyl carrier protein, free fatty acids or acyl carrier protein. The BC polypeptide was detected throughout Brassica napus L. (rapeseed) embryo development, in contrast to the multi-functional ACCase isoenzyme which was only detected early in development. These results firmly establish the identity of the BC polypeptide in plants and provide insight into the structure, regulation and roles of higherplant ACCases.

Localization and characterization of two structurally different forms of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in young pea leaves, of which one is sensitive to aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides

Young pea leaves contain two structurally different forms of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.2; ACCase). A minor form, which accounted for about 20% of the total ACCase activity in the whole leaf, was detected in the epidermal tissue. This enzyme was soluble and was purified to homogeneity from young pea leaf extracts. It consisted of a dimer of two identical biotinyl subunits of molecular mass 220 kDa. In this respect, this multifunctional enzyme was comparable with that described in other plants and in other eukaryotes. A predominant form was present in both the epidermal and mesophyll tissues. In mesophyll protoplasts, ACCase was detected exclusively in the soluble phase of chloroplasts. This enzyme was partially purified from pea chloroplasts and consisted of a freely dissociating complex, the activity of which may be restored by combination of its separated constituents. The partially purified enzyme was composed of several subunits of molecular masses ranging from 32 to 79 kDa, for a native molecular mass > 600 kDa. One of these subunits, of molecular mass 38 kDa, was biotinylated. This complex subunit structure was comparable with that of microorganisms and was referred to as a 'prokaryotic' form of ACCase. Biochemical parameters were determined for both ACCase forms. Finally, both pea leaf ACCases exhibited different sensitivities towards the grass ACCase herbicide, diclofop. This compound had no effect on the 'prokaryotic' form of ACCase, while the 'eukaryotic' form was strongly inhibited.

Molecular cloning, characterization, and elicitation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase from alfalfa

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase [ACCase; acetyl-CoA:carbon-dioxide ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.4.1.2] catalyzes the ATP-dependent carboxylation of acetyl CoA to produce malonyl CoA. In plants, malonyl CoA is needed for plastid localized fatty acid biosynthesis and for a variety of pathways in the cytoplasm including flavonoid biosynthesis. We have determined the full nucleotide sequence of an ACCase from alfalfa, which appears to represent a cytoplasmic isozyme. Partial cDNAs were isolated from a cDNA library of suspension culture cells that had been elicited for isoflavonoid phytoalexin synthesis. The full-length sequence was obtained by primer extension and amplification of the cDNA with synthetic primers. The sequence codes for a protein of 2257 amino acids with a calculated M(r) of 252,039. The biotin carboxylase, biotin carboxyl carrier protein, and carboxyltransferase domains, respectively, show approximately 72%, 50%, and 65% sequence similarity to those of animal, diatom, and yeast ACCase sequences. ACCase enzyme activity and transcripts are induced severalfold upon addition of yeast or fungal elicitors to alfalfa cell cultures.

Compartmentalization of two forms of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in plants and the origin of their tolerance toward herbicides

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase, EC 6.4.1.2) catalyzes the synthesis of malonyl-CoA, the first intermediate in fatty acid synthesis. We studied the localization of two forms, the prokaryote and the eukaryote forms, of ACCase in pea leaves by comparing the biotin polypeptides of the two ACCases in protein extract from leaves and plastids. We found that the two forms of ACCase were in different cell compartments of pea leaves; the prokaryote form was in the plastids, and the eukaryote form was elsewhere, probably in the cytosol. This result suggested the existence of two sites of malonyl-CoA synthesis. The Gramineae, such as rice and wheat, which lack the accD gene encoding one of the subunits of the prokaryote form of ACCase in their chloroplast genomes, did not have the prokaryote form of the enzyme but had the eukaryote form. The selective grass herbicides of the diphenoxypropionic acid type and the cyclohexanedione type, in vitro, inhibited plastidic ACCase of the eukaryote form from wheat but did not inhibit that of the prokaryote form from pea, suggesting that the origin of the tolerance of intact pea plant toward these herbicides is partly in the insensitivity of the prokaryote form of the enzyme. The origin of the susceptibility of the Gramineae plants toward these herbicides seems to lie in the presence of the herbicide-sensitive eukaryote form and the absence of the insensitive prokaryote form due to the lack of the accD gene in plastid.

Use of streptavidin to detect biotin-containing proteins in plants

A procedure to detect biotinyl proteins after fractionation by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was developed. Proteins were immobilized on nitrocellulose and biotin-containing proteins were detected by probing with 125I-streptavidin. Using this procedure a small survey of biotinyl protein in plants was undertaken. In total four biotin-containing proteins were detected in higher plants of molecular weights 62,000, 50,000, 34,000, and 31,000. These biotinyl proteins were not ubiquitous in the plants surveyed. In the cyanobacterium Anabeana variabilis, a single biotin-containing protein of 21,000 Da was detected. In isolated spinach chloroplasts, the two biotinyl proteins detected were soluble. The results are discussed in relation to acetyl-CoA carboxylase.

Lipid metabolism in fungi

So far, reviews that have appeared on fungal lipids present data mainly on the lipid composition of these organisms and the influence of lipids on their physiology. These reviews provide little information about the enzymes of lipid metabolism in these organisms and it is assumed, by most workers, that lipid synthesis in all fungi takes place as in Saccharomyces cervesiae, the only fungus in which the complete pathways of phospholipid biosynthesis have been worked out. During the last few years, literature has accumulated on lipid metabolic enzymes of other fungi, as investigators became increasingly interested in this area of research. The present review, after an introduction, will be divided into different sections and each section will deal, comparatively, with various aspects of fungal lipid metabolism and physiology. This review will, therefore, bring out the differences or similarities of lipid metabolism in diverse fungal species.

Purification and characterization of maize leaf acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase

Maize leaf acetyl-CoA carboxylase was purified from whole tissue homogenates by precipitation with polyethylene glycol and ammonium sulfate, and gel filtration. Recoveries were approximately 5% with 100-fold increases in specific activity. The molecular weight of the native enzyme is estimated at 500,000 from the elution volume of a calibrated Ultrogel AcA 22 column. Electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel containing 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed a single subunit of Mr 60,000-61,000. Investigation of the kinetic properties of the purified enzyme indicates that Mg X ATP is the active substrate, with free ATP inhibiting and Mg2+ activating the enzyme. Km's for acetyl-CoA and HCO3- are about 0.1 and 2 mM, respectively. ADP inhibition is competitive with respect to ATP, but uncompetitive with respect to acetyl-CoA. The observed responses of purified acetyl-CoA carboxylase to changes in pH, and in concentrations of Mg2+, ATP, and ADP, and the reported changes in the chloroplastic concentrations of these effectors during light-dark transitions of chloroplasts are consistent with increased acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity upon illumination of chloroplasts.

Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase from the developing endosperm of Ricinus communis. I. Isolation and characterization

Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase has been purified from the plastids of developing castor oil seeds. High concentrations of the enzyme are required for stability as well as the presence of dithiothreitol, glycerol, bicarbonate, Triton X-100, and polyvinyl-pyrrolidone. It has a molecular weight of approximately 528,000 and appears to be membrane associated. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase is active over a wide pH range with an optimum at 8.0. Arrhenius plots are biphasic. The enzyme displays normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics with limiting Michaelis constants of KATP, 0.1 mM; KHCO-3, 3.0 mM; and Kacetyl-CoA, 0.05 mM. Monovalent cations, such as K+ and Cs+, exert a small activating effect on the enzyme while a divalent cation, Mn2+ or Mg2+, is essential for activity. The enzyme does not appear to be highly regulated by cellular metabolites.

Changes in the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase during rape-seed formation

During the formation of rape-seeds, lipid accumulated in the cotyledons from 16 days after pollination, rising to a plateau after 28 days. The accumulation of lipid was preceded by a marked rise in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity, which declined rapidly, correlating with the decline in rate of lipid formation. Incubation of rape-seed extracts with avidin-agarose resulted in a decrease in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in the extract. Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of polypeptides bound to avidin-agarose showed the presence of a polypeptide of Mr 225 000. The intensity of this band increased during the period of increase of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in the seeds.

Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase from avocado (Persea americana) plastids and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts

Preparations of acetyl-CoA carboxylase [acetyl-CoA-carbon-dioxide ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.4.1.2] have been obtained from the plastids of avocado (Persea americana) fruit mesocarp and from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts. Both preparations required bovine serum albumin, HCO3-, citrate and glycerol for stabilization. The molecular weight of the avocado enzyme was about 6.5 X 10(5) on the basis of 1 mol of biotin/mol of enzyme, the behaviour of both enzymes on gel filtration being in accord with such a value. Removal of the stabilizing bovine serum albumin resulted in the loss of a biotin-containing fragment from the avocado enzyme. Citrate stabilized the enzyme at 10 mM and activated it optimally at 3.0 mM, effecting an approx. 2-fold increase in Vmax. It is suggested that in vivo the enzyme may be located within the chloroplast lamellae.

Fatty-acid metabolism in senescing and regreening soybean cotyledons

Changes in fatty-acid metabolism were studied in soybean (Glycine max Merr.) cotyledons during senescence as well as in cotyledons which had been caused to regreen by removal of the epicotyl from the seedling. The activities of the enzymes acetyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.1) and fatty-acid synthetase in plastids isolated from the cotyledons decreased during senescence but increased in response to regreening. These changes in enzyme activities followed the same pattern as changes in the quantities of chlorophyll and polyunsaturated fatty acids in this tissue. The in-vivo incorporation of [(14)C]acetate into total fatty acids in the senescing and regreening cotyledons did not vary markedly with age. In addition, the quantity of label in fatty acids did not decrease for as much as 60 h after the removal of the substrate. During this 60-h period however, there was substantial redistribution of the label among the individual fatty acids. While the labelling pattern of the individual fatty acids did not vary significantly with respect to age in the senescing cotyledons, there was a substantial increase in the synthesis of labelled polyunsaturated fatty acids in the regreening tissue. Thus, the incorporation of [(14)C]acetate into fatty acids did not reflect the changes in the quantities of the individual fatty acids in senescing tissue as well as they did in regreening tissue.

Fatty acid synthesis by isolated chromoplasts from the daffodil. [14C]Acetate incorporation and distribution of labelled acids

Isolated daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) chromoplasts showed high rates of [14C]acetate incorporation into lipids. The fatty acids synthesized were predominantly palmitic acid (93%). The radioactivity incorporated was shared mainly between long-chain acyl-CoA (25%), free fatty acids (24%), phosphatidic acid (17%), diacylglycerol (15%), and phosphatidycholine (11%). Galactolipids were not labelled. ATP, NaHCO3, and also the structural integrity of the organelles were essential. Omission of exogenous CoA led to a decreased incorporation (49%); under these conditions the label was distributed mainly between free fatty acids (66%) and diacylglycerol (19%). Addition of lysophosphatidylcholine increased the labelling of phosphatidylcholine, whereas addition of glycerol 1-phosphate increased the labelling of phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol. Acyl-CoA synthetase and acyl thioesterase (acyl-Coa) activities could be demonstrated. The results are discussed in terms of chromoplasts as non-photosynthetic organelles exhibiting high lipid-synthesizing capabilities.

Biosynthesis of cyclopentenyl fatty acids. (2-Cyclopentenyl)carboxylic acid (aleprolic acid) as a special primer for fatty acid biosynthesis in Flacourtiaceae

The biosynthesis of cyclopentenyl fatty acids from (2-cyclopentenyl)carboxylic acid (aleprolic acid) via chain-lengthening by C2-units was tested in seeds and leaves of Caloncoba echinata and Hydnocarpus anthelminthica of Flacourtiaceae and in various prepatations of higher plants other than Fla courtiaceae. Only tissues of Flacourtiaceae, where cyclopentenyl fatty acids are found naturally, were able to accept aleprolic acid as a starter molecule for the synthesis of cyclic fatty acids. Labelling patterns of straight chain and cyclic fatty acids, synthesized after incubation of Flacourtiaceae seeds with [1-(14)C[-acetate, indicated de novo synthesis of C16 fatty acids in either case, followed by elongation to higher homologs.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase during development of plastids in wild-type and mutant barley seedlings

A soluble acetyl-CoA carboxylase in homogenates of leaves from wild-type barley seedlings was studied. Centrifuging the homogenate at 150,000 X g did not reduce the total activity, but raised the specific activity. During chloroplast development in light-grown seedlings or during light-dependent greening of leaves grown in the dark, both the total activity of the carboxylase per plant and the specific activity per mg of protein in homogenates of the seedlings increased rapidly. The soluble leaf acetyl-CoA carboxylase was studied in a number of barley mutants with lesions in chloroplast development. In a group of three mutants light elicited an increase in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity as in the wild-type. In two mutants light caused a decrease in activity. Dark-grown leaves of mutant albina-f17 contained levels of soluble acetyl-CoA carboxylase reached only in the light by the wild-type, whereas light-grown albina-f17 seedlings lacked carboxylase activities. The possibility is discussed that leaf cells contain two forms of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, one soluble with unknown location and a dissociable form located in the chloroplast.

Investigations of the structure of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase from Achromobacter

It was shown by gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecylsulphate solution that 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase from Achromobacter IVS is composed of two different subunits with molecular weights of about 78000 and 96000, respectively. The biotin is bound to the heavier subunit. It was previously found that 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase contains four biotin molecules per complex. A complex composed of four of each subunit would thus have a molecular weight of about 700000. This is compatible with the molecular weight of 760000 determined earlier by analytical ultracentrifugation. Both subunits were isolated preparatively. As the subunits, unlike the complex, are very sensitive to oxygen, special precautions had to be taken during isolation. The biotin-containing subunit was isolated by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose in 5 M urea. It no longer catalyzed the overall reaction, yet could still carboxylate free biotin. The biotin-free subunit was separated after dissociation of the enzyme by three-days' dialysis at pH 9.8 under nitrogen. On chromatography over a Sepharose-bound avidin column, the biotin-subunit was fixed and the biotin-free subunit was eluted unretarded. The latter subunit showed no enzymic activity. After the addition of the biotin-containing subunit, overall activity was regenerated. The speed of reassociation is very much enhanced by 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA. It was shown by reassociation experiments under different conditions that probably an initial complex, AxBy is formed, possessing a binding site for 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA. Upon the binding of this substrate the conformation may be changed to a form favourable for reconstitution. Finally, the structures of biotin enzymes from different sources are compared. In the course of evolution there is a tendency toward integration of the different constituent proteins into only one polypeptide chain.

Acetyl-coenzyme-A carboxylase from rat liver. Subunit structure and proteolytic modification

The subunit structure of rat liver acetyl-coenzyme-A carboxylase has been studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of dodecylsulfate. A number of individual preparations of the enzyme purified by the same procedures exhibited three different types of electrophoretic patterns as follows: first, a single slow-moving protein bands (Mr 230000); secondly, two adjacent fast-moving protein band (M4 124000 and 118 000); finally, all three protein bands. With the use of the [14C]biotin-labelled enzyme, the biotinyl prosthetic group was shown to be associated with the polypeptide of 230000 Mr as well as with that of 124000 Mr, but not with the polypeptide of 118000 Mr. Studies were next made with the labelled enzyme to examine the possibility that the two light polypeptides might have been formed by proteolytic modification of the heavy polypeptide during the procedures used for the purification of the enzyme. Treatment of the enzyme with trypsin or chymotrypsin resulted in cleavage of the heavy polypeptide into two nonidentical polypeptides with molecular weights of approximately 120000. Incubation of the enzyme with proteases derived from rat liver converted the heavy polypeptide into lighter polypeptides of 80000-130000 Mr. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase isolated from crude rat liver extracts by means of immunoprecipitation with specific antibody invariably showed only the heavy polypeptide. The biotin content of the enzyme was found to be 1 mol per 237000 g protein. These results indicate that rat liver acetyl-CoA carboxylase, unlike bacterial and plant biotin enzymes, has only one kind of subunit, which has a molecular weight of 230000 and contains one molecular of biotin. Thus, the mammalian enzyme exhibits a highly integrated subunit structure.

Biotin carboxyl carrier protein in barley chloroplast membranes

Biotin localized in barley chloroplast lamellae is covalently bound to a single protein with an approximate molecular weight of 21 000. It contains one mole of biotin per mole of protein and functions as a carboxyl carrier in the acetyl-CoA carboxylase reaction. The protein was obtained by solubilization of the lamellae in phenol/acetic acid/8 M urea. Feeding barley seedlings with [14C]-biotin revealed that the vitamin is not degraded into respiratory substrates by the plant, but is specifically incorporated into biotin carboxyl carrier protein.

Evidence that the two partial reactions of transcarboxylation are catalyzed by two dissimilar subunits of transcarboxylase

The results presented here show that isolated subunits of transcarboxylase specifically catalyze the two partial reactions of transcarboxylation as shown in eq 1-3. The 12S central subunit is active in the transcarboxylation with methylmalonyl-CoA but inactive with oxalacetate and the peripheral metallo 5S subunit is active in the transcarboxylation with oxalacetate but inactive with methylmalonyl-CoA. These subunits, likewise, are specific for the reverse partial reactions; the central subunit catalyzing transfer from the carboxylated biotinyl group to propionyl-CoA to yield methylmalonyl-CoA and the peripheral subunit to pyruvate to yield oxalacetate. Thus, the central subunit contains the sites for the CoA esters (methylmalonyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA) and the peripheral metallo subunits for the keto acids (oxalacetate and pyruvate). In the overall reaction the biotinyl carboxyl carrier protein acts as a shuttle to carry the carboxyl groups between the two subunits. Biotin and certain biotin analogs are inactive in these partial reactions but the similar to 40- or similar to 66-residue biotinyl peptides, which are derived from the carboxyl carrier protein, are active. Transcarboxylase can be reconstituted from its isolated subunits and a comparison was made of the rate of the overall reaction when the subunits were assembled, as in the intact enzyme, with that obtained when the reaction was catalyzed by the nonassembled subunits. In the latter case, since the biotinyl carboxyl carrier subunit must diffuse from one subunit to the other, the overall reaction is much slower than with the assembled subunits. The reaction with trypsinized transcarboxylase from which the similar to 66-residue and similar to 40-residue biotinyl peptides have been stripped, likewise, was slow even though the biotinyl peptides were added to the reconstitution mixture. The 12SH and 5SE subunits remain assembled after trypsin treatment but the biotinyl peptides apparently do not combine firmly or properly with the trypsinized enzyme and the biotinyl group apparently must oscillate as a carboxyl carrier between the two sites on the subunits by diffusion.