Activation and inhibition of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase by 6-phosphogluconate

The induction of pyrenoid synthesis by hyperoxia and its implications for the natural diversity of photosynthetic responses in Chlamydomonas

In algae, it is well established that the pyrenoid, a component of the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM), is essential for efficient photosynthesis at low CO₂. However, the signal that triggers the formation of the pyrenoid has remained elusive. Here, we show that, in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the pyrenoid is strongly induced by hyperoxia, even at high CO₂ or bicarbonate levels. These results suggest that the pyrenoid can be induced by a common product of photosynthesis specific to low CO₂ or hyperoxia. Consistent with this view, the photorespiratory by-product, H₂O₂, induced the pyrenoid, suggesting that it acts as a signal. Finally, we show evidence for linkages between genetic variations in hyperoxia tolerance, H₂O₂ signaling, and pyrenoid morphologies.

Crystal structure of rice Rubisco and implications for activation induced by positive effectors NADPH and 6-phosphogluconate

The key enzyme of plant photosynthesis, D-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), must be activated to become catalytically competent via the carbamylation of Lys201 of the large subunit and subsequent stabilization by Mg(2+) coordination. Many biochemical studies have reported that reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and 6-phosphogluconate (6PG) function as positive effectors to promote activation. However, the structural mechanism remains unknown. Here, we have determined the crystal structures of activated rice Rubisco in complex with NADPH, 6PG, or 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate (2CABP). The structures of the NADPH and 6PG complexes adopt open-state conformations, in which loop 6 at the catalytic site and some other loops are disordered. The structure of the 2CABP complex is in a closed state, similar to the previous 2CABP-bound activated structures from other sources. The catalytic sites of the NADPH and 6PG complexes are fully activated, despite the fact that bicarbonate (NaHCO(3)) was not added into the crystallization solution. In the catalytic site, NADPH does not interact with Mg(2+) directly but interacts with Mg(2+)-coordinated water molecules, while 6PG interacts with Mg(2+) directly. These observations suggest that the two effectors promote Rubisco activation by stabilizing the complex of Mg(2+) and the carbamylated Lys201 with unique interactions and preventing its dissociation. The structure also reveals that the relaxed complex of the effectors (NADPH or 6PG), distinct from the tight-binding mode of 2CABP, would allow rapid exchange of the effectors in the catalytic sites by substrate D-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate for catalysis in physiological conditions.

The regulation of Rubisco activity

The processes of photosynthesis and photorespiration are initiated by Rubisco, but the enzyme must be activated before it will catalyse either the carboxylation or oxygenation of ribulose bisphosphate. Rubisco is activated in vitro by CO 2 and Mg 2+ . The dual roles of CO 2 as both an activator and a substrate led to anomalously high K m (CO 2 ) values until the activation requirement was recognized. During activation, CO 2 forms a carbamate at the ε-amino of a lysine residue on the large subunit of Rubisco. Under conditions thought to exist in the chloroplast during photosynthesis (10 μm CO 2 , 5 mM Mg 2+ and pH 8.0), Rubisco is only partially active since the K act (CO 2 ) is in the range 25-30 μm CO 2 . Thus the mechanism of activation as deduced from in vitro studies is incomplete. Higher activation levels can be obtained by preincubating Rubisco with phosphorylated metabolites, but these occupy ribulose bisphosphate binding sites and thus inhibit catalysis. Recently, a naturally occurring effector, which binds tightly to Rubisco and inhibits activity, has been found. This compound is synthesized in the dark and metabolized upon illumination, but its identity and physiological function are not yet known. In leaves, Rubisco is nearly fully activated at high light intensities. By analysing an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant deficient in the ability to activate Rubisco, we have determined that a soluble protein is required for the in vivo activation process. This enzyme, designated Rubisco activase, reduces the high K act (CO 2 ), observed with the isolated enzyme, to physiological levels in an illuminated reconstituted assay system containing washed thylakoid membranes, Rubisco and ribulose bisphosphate.

Transcription control of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activase and adjacent genes in Anabaena species

The gene encoding ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) activase (rca) was uniformly localized downstream from the genes encoding the large and small subunits of RubisCO (rbcL and rbcS) in three strains of Anabaena species. However, two open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2), situated between rbcS and rca in Anabaena sp. strain CA, were not found in the intergenic region of Anabaena variabilis and Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. During autotrophic growth of Anabaena cells, rca and rbc transcripts accumulated in the light and diminished in the dark; light-dependent expression of these genes was not affected by the nitrogen source and the concentration of exogenous CO2 supplied to the cells. When grown on fructose, rca- and rbc-specific transcripts accumulated in A. variabilis regardless of whether the cells were illuminated. Transcript levels, however, were much lower in dark-grown heterotrophic cultures than in photoheterotrophic cultures. In photoheterotrophic cultures, the expression of the rca and rbc genes was similar to that in cultures grown with CO2 as the sole source of carbon. Although the rbcL-rbcS and rca genes are linked and are in the same transcriptional orientation in Anabaena strains, hybridization of rbc and rca to distinct transcripts suggested that these genes are not cotranscribed, consistent with the results of primer extension and secondary structure analysis of the nucleotide sequence. Transcription from ORF1 and ORF2 was not detected under the conditions examined, and the function of these putative genes remains unknown.

Catalytic properties of recombinant octameric, hexadecameric, and heterologous cyanobacterial/bacterial ribulose- 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

The recent isolation of a catalytically competent recombinant octameric core of the hexadecameric ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans (Synechococcus) (B. Lee and F. R. Tabita, 1990, Biochemistry 29, 9352-9357) has provided a useful system for examining the properties of this enzyme in the absence of small subunits. Unlike most sources of hexadecameric ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase, the nonactivated Anacystis holoenzyme was not inhibited markedly by preincubation with ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate. This was also true for the Anacystis octameric core and a heterologous recombinant enzyme that comprised large subunits from Anacystis and small subunits from the bacterium Alcaligenes eutrophus, suggesting that substrate-mediated inactivation is not influenced by small subunits. In addition, the CO2/O2 specificity factor was not affected by the source of the small subunits incorporated into the structure of the hexadecameric protein, in agreement with previous in vitro heterologous reconstitution studies. The activated octameric Anacystis enzyme, however, was significantly more sensitive to inhibition by the phosphorylated effector 6-phosphogluconate than were the hexadecameric Alcaligenes and Anacystis enzymes and the heterologous Anacystis-Alcaligenes hybrid.

Limiting Factors in Photosynthesis: V. Photochemical Energy Supply Colimits Photosynthesis at Low Values of Intercellular CO(2) Concentration

Although there is now some agreement with the view that the supply of photochemical energy may influence photosynthetic rate (P) at high CO(2) pressures, it is less clear whether this limitation extends to P at low CO(2). This was investigated by measuring P per area as a function of the intercellular CO(2) concentration (C(i)) at different levels of photochemical energy supply. Changes in the latter were obtained experimentally by varying the level of irradiance to normal (Fe-sufficient) leaves of Beta vulgaris L. cv F58-554H1, and by varying photosynthetic electron transport capacity using leaves from Fe-deficient and Fe-sufficient plants. P and C(i) were determined for attached sugar beet leaves using open flow gas exchange. The results suggest that P/area was colimited by the supply of photochemical energy at very low as well as high values of C(i). Using the procedure developed by Perchorowicz et al. (Plant Physiol 1982 69:1165-1168), we investigated the effect of irradiance on ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) activation. The ratio of initial extractable activity to total inducible RuBPCase activity increased from 0.25 to 0.90 as leaf irradiance increased from 100 to 1500 microeinsteins photosynthetically active radiation per square meter per second. These data suggest that colimitation by photochemical energy supply at low C(i) may be mediated via effects on RuBPCase activation.

Development and Characterization of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase : Evidence Indicating a Lack of Carboxylase Function in CO(2) Fixation in Endosperm of Germinating Castor Bean Seedlings

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity was found in endosperm of germinating castor bean seed Ricinus communis and was localized in proplastids. The endosperm carboxylase has been extensively purified and is composed of two different subunits. The molecular weights of the native carboxylase and its subunits were 560,000, 55,000, and 15,000 daltons, respectively. The Michaelis-Menten constants, K(m), for the endosperm carboxylase with respect to ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, bicarbonate, CO(2), and magnesium in millimolar are 0.54, 13.60, 0.92, and 0.57, respectively. The endosperm carboxylase was activated by Mg(2+) and HCO(3) (-). The preincubation of the carboxylase with 1 millimolar HCO(3) (-) and 5 millimolar MgCl(2) resulted in activation by low and inhibition by high concentrations of 6-phosphogluconate.In studies of dark (14)CO(2) fixation by endosperm slices, [(14)C]malate and [(14)C]citrate were the predominantly labeled products after 30 seconds of exposure of the tissue to H(14)CO(3) (-). In pulse-chase experiments, 87% of the label is malate, and citrate was transferred to sugars after a 60-minute chase with a small amount of the label appearing in the incubation medium as (14)CO(2). The minimal incorporation of the label from (14)CO(2) into phosphoglyceric acid indicated a lack of the endosperm ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase participation in the endosperm's CO(2) fixation system. The activities of key Calvin cycle enzymes were examined in the endosperms and cotyledons of dark-grown castor bean seedlings. Many of these autotrophic enzymes develop in the dark in these tissues. The synthesis of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase in the nonphotosynthetic endosperms is not repressed in the dark, and high levels of enzymic activity appear with germination. All of the Calvin cycle enzymes are present in the castor bean endosperm except NADP-linked glyceraldehyde 3-P dehydrogenase, and the absence of this dehydrogenase probably prevents the functioning of these series of reactions in dark CO(2) fixation.

Effect of pH, Mg, CO(2) and Mercurials on the Circular Dichroism, Thermal Stability and Light Scattering of Ribulose 1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylases from Alfalfa, Spinach and Tobacco

Circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry and light-scattering measurements of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.39) from alfalfa, spinach and tobacco show: a) The conformation and thermal stability of the native carboxylases are sensitive to changes in pH and to activation of the enzyme with Mg(2+) and CO(2). The helical content, denaturation temperature (T(d)) and specific enthalpy of denaturation (Deltaq) decreased with increase in pH. Addition of Mg(2+) and CO(2) at pH 9 increased T(d) by 4 to 5 C; at pH 7.5 the changes in T(d) were smaller. b) Addition of mercurials produced changes in conformation and thermal stability. The decrease in helical content of the enzymes with increase in pH was enhanced by the addition of p-chloromercuribenzoate. At pH 9, addition of p-chloromercuribenzoate or of 1-(3-(chloromercuri)-2-methoxypropyl)urea decreased T(d) by 11.4 to 20.2 C and Deltaq by 2.1 to 2.8 calories per gram. c) The spinach carboxylase undergoes the largest and the tobacco the smallest changes in conformation and thermal stability upon change in pH or treatment with mercurials. d) The calorimetric data suggest that the large and small subunits are heat denatured independently but at the same temperature. e) Light scattering measurements at pH 9 of p-chloromercuribenzoate treated tobacco enzyme showed that there is no dissociation into subunits upon heating to temperatures greater than T(d). A ;ball and string' model for the carboxylase molecule is proposed to reconcile independence of subunit denaturation with apparent strong interactions between subunits.

Interaction between External and Internal Conditions in the Development of Photosynthetic Features in a Grass Leaf: I. REGIONAL RESPONSES ALONG A LEAF DURING AND AFTER LOW-LIGHT OR HIGH-LIGHT ACCLIMATION

Morphological and functional features were compared along a developing third leaf and fully expanded leaf from high-light- and low-light-acclimated seedlings of Lolium multiflorum.The young leaf contains a gradient of differentiating tissue, ranging from meristematic cells at the leaf base to mature tissue at the tip; this gradient can be related to the maturation of a functional photosynthetic apparatus. Along the fully expanded leaf, a decreasing gradient from tip to base is maintained for functional characteristics (net maximum photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase activity) and for a number of structural parameters (number of mesophyll cells and their external surface area, number of chloroplasts and their envelope area), irrespective of the light regime. In contrast, a constancy in the absolute intrachloroplastic lamellar content per plastid was revealed whatever the position in the leaf or irradiance received. However, the relative membrane content was lower in high-light chloroplasts due to their larger volume compared to low-light plastids (dilution effect).The longitudinal differences in functional and morphological characteristics are interpreted as the result of interaction between the internal gradient of differentiating tissue along a developing young leaf and the external light conditions during development.

The oxygen-dependent deactivation and reactivation of spinach ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (3-phospho-D-glycerate carboxy-lyase (dimerizing), EC 4.1.1.39) is deactivated by the removal of oxygen, and reversibly reactivated by its readdition to the enzyme solution. A short pulse of oxygen to the anaerobic enzyme solution is sufficient to trigger the reactivation process; the Ka value for this reaction was estimated as 0.12 mM oxygen. The enzyme could not be reactivated under anaerobic conditions by an organic oxidant (benzoylperoxide) or by sulfhydryl group reducing reagents (dithiothreitol or beta-mercaptoethanol), suggesting that the process of reactivation was oxygen specific. Furthermore, the inhibition of the reactivation by superoxide anion scavengers such as Tiron (1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonic acid), copper penicillamine, hydroxylamine, nitroblue tetrazolium, and ascorbate, indicated that the monovalent reduced oxygen was involved as the reacting species in this process. The deactivation of the enzyme associated with the removal of oxygen was also sensitive to the presence of scavengers of O2(-), suggesting that superoxide anion was also involved in the deactivation process. Both the carboxylase and the oxygenase activities were similarly affected under all the experimental conditions studied. On the basis of these results it is argued that the enzyme molecules are able to reduce oxygen and that superoxide anion causes the deactivation or reactivation of the enzyme.

Activation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides: probable role of the small subunit

The activation properties of the form I and form II ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylases from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides were examined. Both enzymes have a requirement of Mg2+ for optimal activity. Mn2+, Ni2+, and Co2+ can also support activity of the form I enzyme, whereas only Mn2+ can substitute for Mg2+ with the form II enzyme. The effect of different preincubations on the carboxylase reaction was also examined. Both enzymes exhibited a lag when preincubated with other than Mg2+ and CO2 before assay, but the lag was much more pronounced and the rate of the reaction was slower with the form I enzyme under these conditions. Activation of the form I carboxylase By Mg2+ and CO2 occurred more rapidly than that of the form II enzyme. The results obtained with the two distinct forms of carboxylase from R. sphaeroides, as well as studies with the spinach and Rhodospirillum rubrum enzymes, thus indicate that the presence of the small subunit affects the rate of activation by Mg2+ and CO2 as well as the rate of reactivation of ribulose bisphosphate-inactivated enzyme.

Carbon dioxide assimilation in cyanobacteria: regulation of ribulose, 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase

Cyanobacteria assimilate carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle and therefore must regulate the activity of ribulose 1,5-bisophosphate carboxylase. Using an in situ assay, as well as measuring the activity in crude, partially purified, and homogeneous preparations, we can show that a number of phosphorylated intermediates exert a regulatory role. Three diverse organisms, Agmenellum quadruplicatum, Aphanocapsa 6714, and Anabaena sp. CA, were studied, and it was found that the in situ and cell-free carboxylase activities were particularly affected by low levels of phosphogluconate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. There was a marked activation by these ligands when the inactive enzyme was assayed in the presence of low levels of bicarbonate, a result significantly different from a previous report. Moreover, the fully activated enzyme was inhibited by phosphogluconate. In situ Anabaena CA carboxylase activity exhibited a particular capacity for activation by phosphogluconate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. However, activation of the crude, partially purified, or homogeneous Anabaena CA carboxylase by phosphogluconate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate was significantly decreased when compared with enzyme activity in permeabilized cells. It appears that the microenvironment or the conformation of the enzyme within the cell may be significantly different from that of the isolated enzyme.

A kinetic study of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum

The activation kinetics of purified Rhodospirillum rubrum ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase were analysed. The equilibrium constant for activation by CO(2) was 600 micron and that for activation by Mg2+ was 90 micron, and the second-order activation constant for the reaction of CO(2) with inactive enzyme (k+1) was 0.25 X 10(-3)min-1 . micron-1. The latter value was considerably lower than the k+1 for higher-plant enzyme (7 X 10(-3)-10 X 10(-3)min-1 . micron-1). 6-Phosphogluconate had little effect on the active enzyme, and increased the extent of activation of inactive enzyme. Ribulose bisphosphate also increased the extent of activation and did not inhibit the rate of activation. This effect might have been mediated through a reaction product, 2-phosphoglycolic acid, which also stimulated the extent of activation of the enzyme. The active enzyme had a Km (CO2) of 300 micron-CO2, a Km (ribulose bisphosphate) of 11--18 micron-ribulose bisphosphate and a Vmax. of up to 3 mumol/min per mg of protein. These data are discussed in relation to the proposed model for activation and catalysis of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase.

Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase from methanol-grown Paracoccus denitrificans

Paracoccus denitrificans grows on methanol as the sole source of energy and carbon, which it assimilates aerobically via the reductive pentose phosphate cycle. This gram-negative bacterium grew rapidly on 50 mM methanol (generation time, 7 h, 30 degrees C) in excellent yield (3 g of wet-packed cells per liter of culture). Electron microscopic studies indicated that the late-log-phase cells were coccoid, having a thick envelope surrounding a layer of more diffuse electron-dense material and a relatively electron-transparent core. Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase in the 15,000 X g supernatant of fresh cells had specific activities (micromoles of CO2 fixed per minute per milligram of protein) of 0.026, 0.049, 0.085, 0.128, and 0.034 during the lag, early, mild-, and late log, and late stationary phases, respectively. The enzyme was purified 40-fold by pelleting at 159,000 X g, salting out, sedimentation into a 0.2 to 0.8 M linear sucrose gradient, and elution from a diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex column. The enzyme was homogeneous by the criteria of electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels polymerized from several acrylamide concentrations and sedimentation behavior. The molecular weight of the native enzyme, as measured by gel electrophoresis and gel filtration, averaged 525,000. Sodium dodecyl sulfate dissociated the enzyme into two types of subunits with molecular weights of 55,000 and 13,600. The S20,w of the enzyme was 14.0 Km values for ribulose bisphosphate and CO2 were 0.166 and 0.051 mM, respectively, and the enzyme was inhibited to the extent of 94% by 1 mM 6-phosphogluconate.

Activation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase by chloroplast metabolites in a reconstituted spinach chloroplast system

In a preparation of soluble components from isolated spinach (Spinecia oleracea L.) chloroplasts, the activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) is strongly increased by 6-phosphogluconate or by NADPH at pH 8.0. When the thylakoid system is added to these soluble components (reconstituted chloroplast system) plus ferredoxin, the carboxylase is even more strongly activated in the light. This "light" activation appears to be due to reduction of endogenous NADP(+) by electrons from the light reactions transferred via ferredoxin, since NADPH alone can activate the purified enzyme in the dark while reduced ferredoxin does not. The regulatory properties of the enzyme in the reconstituted chloroplast system are compared with those of the isolated enzyme, and their possible physiologic significance is discussed.

Development of the photosynthetic apparatus during light-dependent greening of a mutant of Chlorella fusca

The formation of chlorophyll, cytochrome f, P-700, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase as well as photosynthesis and Hill reaction activities were tested during the light-dependent greening process of the Chlorella fusca mutant G 10. Neither chlorophyll nor protochlorophyllide was detected in the darkgrown cells. When transferred to light the mutant cells developed chlorophyll and established its photosynthetic capacity after a short lag phase. In the in vivo absorption spectra a spectral shift of the red absorption peak position from 674 to 680 nm was indicated during the first 3 h of greening. Cytochrome f was already present in the dark-grown cells, but during the greening phase a threefold increase in the cytochrome f content could be seen. At the early stages of greening a characteristic primary oscillation in the content of cytochrome f was observed. P-700 was lacking in the dark and during the first 30 min of illumination. From the first to the second h of light a forced synthesis of P-700 took place and the time-course curve for the ratios of P-700/chlorophyll rose to a sharp maximum. The synthesis of P-700 started together with photosystem I activity and showed similar kinetics. We found the simultaneous appearance of photosystem II, photosystem I, and photosynthetic activities 30 min after the beginning of the illumination. Based on chlorophyll content they attained maximum activity after 2 h of light, but at this time photosystem I capacity proved to be remarkably higher than photosynthetic and photosystem II activities. Highest carboxylase activity existed in darkgrown cells. During the greening process the activity of the enzyme decreased continuously. After 2 h of illumination chlorophyll synthesis partially served to increase the size of the photosynthetic unit, which consequently led to a decrease in the light energy needed to saturate photosynthesis and also to a decrease of photosynthetic rate based on chlorophyll content.

Isolation and preliminary characterization of two forms of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase from Rhodopseudomonas capsulata

The presence of two distinct forms of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase has been demonstrated in extracts of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata, similar to the form I (peak I) and form II (peak II) carboxylases previously described from R. sphaeroides (J. Gibson and F. R. Tabita, J. Biol. Chem 252:943-949, 1977). The two activities, separated by diethylaminoethyl-cellulose chromatography, were shown to be of different molecular size after assay on polyacrylamide gels. The higher-molecular-weight carboxylase from R. capsulata was designated form I-C, whereas the smaller enzyme was designated form II-C. Catalytic studies revealed significant differences between the two enzymes in response to pH and the effector 6-phosphogluconate. Immunological studies with antisera directed against the carboxylases from R. sphaeroides demonstrated antigenic differences between the two R. capsulata enzymes; cross-reactivity was observed only between R. sphaeroides anti-form II serum and the corresponding R. capsulata enzyme, form II-C.

A model for the kinetics of activation and catalysis of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase

Further evidence for time-dependent interconversions between active and inactive states of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase is presented. It was found that ribulose bisphosphate oxygenase and ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase could be totally inactivated by excluding CO2 and Mg2+ during dialysis of the enzyme at 4 degrees C. When initially inactive enzyme was assayed, the rate of reaction continually increased with time, and the rate was inversely related to the ribulose bisphosphare concentration. The initial rate of fully activated enzyme showed normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to ribulose bisphosphate (Km = 10muM). Activation was shown to depend on both CO2 and Mg2+ concentrations, with equilibrium constants for activation of about 100muM and 1 mM respectively. In contrast with activation, catalysis appeared to be independent of Mg2+ concentration, but dependent on CO2 concentration, with a Km(CO2) of about 10muM. By studying activation and de-activation of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase as a function of CO2 and Mg2+ concentrations, the values of the kinetic constants for these actions have been determined. We propose a model for activation and catalysis of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase: (see book) where E represents free inactive enzyme; complex in parentheses, activated enzyme; R, ribulose bisphosphate; M, Mg2+; C, CO2; P, the product. We propose that ribulose bisphosphate can bind to both the active and inactive forms of the enzyme, and slow inter-conversion between the two states occurs.

Purification, quaternary structure, composition, and properties of D-ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase from Thiobacillus intermedius

D-Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase has been purified from glutamate-CO2-S2O3(2)-grown Thiobacillus intermedius by pelleting the enzyme from the high-speed supernatant and by intermediary crystallization followed by sedimentation into a discontinuous 0.2 to 0.8 M sucrose gradient. The enzyme was homogeneous by the criteria of electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels of several acrylamide concentrations, sedimentation velocity and equilibrium measurements, and electron microscopic observations of negatively stained preparations. The molecular weights of the enzyme determined by sedimentation equilibrium and light-scattering measurements averaged 462,500 +/- 13,000. The enzyme consisted of closely similar or identical polypeptide chains of a molecular weight of 54,500 +/- 5,450 determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The S(0)20,w of the enzyme was 18.07S +/- 0.22. Electron microscopic examination suggested that the octomeric enzyme (inferred from the molecular measurements mentioned) had a cubical structure. The specific activity of the enzyme was 2.76 mumol of RuBP-dependent CO2 fixed/min per mg of protein (at pH 8 and 30 C), and the turnover number in terms of moles of CO2 fixed per mole of catalytic site per second was 2.6. The enzyme was stable for 3 months at -20 C and at least 4 weeks at 0 C. The apparent Km for CO2 was 0.75 mM, and Km values for RuBP and Mg2+ were 0.076 and 3.6 mM, respectively. Dialyzed enzyme could be fully reactivated by the addition of 20 mM Mg2+ and partially reactivated by 20 mM Co2+, but Cd2+, Mn2+, Ca2+, and Zn2+ had no effect. The compound 6-phosphogluconate was a linear competitive inhibitor with respect to RuBP when it had been preincubated with enzyme, Mg2+, and HCO3-.

Physical properties and metabolite regulation of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase from Thiobacillus A2

Purified ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) was strongly and equally inhibited either by ADP or GDP and to a lesser extent by IDP. AMP or ATP exerted little effect on activity. Inhibition by the nucleotide diphosphates was competitive with respect to RuBP and non-competitive with respect to "CO2" and Mg2+, respectively. Treatment of the enzyme with urea or guanidine-HCl resulted in rapid loss of activity that was not restored by dialysis even in the presence of Mg2+ and cysteine. Sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis of 8.0 M urea treated enzyme revealed the presence of a fast-moving (small) sub-unit with molecular weight 14150 and a slower moving (large) sub-unit with molecular weight 68000. Examination of native enzyme by sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis gave sub-units of 13700 and 55500 respectively. The amino acid content standardized to phenylalanine was essentially similar to that from other sources. Arrhenius plots showed a "break" at 29 degrees C with an Ea of 12.34 kcal per mole for the steeper part of the curve and a deltaH of 11.43 kcal per mole while for the less steep region, the Ea was 1.04 kcal per mole and the deltaH 1.92 kcal per mole.

Molecular and catalytic properties of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase from the photosynthetic extreme halophile Ectothiorhodospira halophila

D-Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase has been purified from the photosynthetic extreme halophile Ectothiorhodospira halophila. Despite a growth requirement for almost saturating sodium chloride in the medium, both crude and homogeneous preparations of RuBP carboxylase obtained from this organism were inhibited by salts. Sedimentation equilibrium analyses showed the enzyme to be large (molecular weight: 601,000). The protein was composed of two types of polypeptide chains of 56,000 and of 18,000 daltons. The small subunit appeared to be considerably larger than the small subunit obtained from the RuBP carboxylase isolated from Chromatium, an organism related to E. halophila. Amino acid analyses of hydrolysates of both E. halophilia and Chromatium RuBP carboxylases were very similar. Initial velocity experiments showed that the E. halophila RuBP carboxylase had a Km for ribulose diphosphate of 0.07 mM and a Km for HCO3- of 10 mM. Moreover, 6-phospho-D-gluconate was found to markedly inhibit the E. halophila carboxylase; a Ki for phosphogluconate of 0.14 mM was determined.

pH Dependence of the Km(CO(2)) of Ribulose 1,5-Diphosphate Carboxylase

The Km(CO(2)) values of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase in freshly ruptured spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts and in the purified form isolated from spinach leaves were found to be pH dependent. Raising the pH of the assay solution produced a substantial decrease in the Km(CO(2)) of both enzyme systems. In freshly ruptured chloroplasts at pH 7.2 the Km(CO(2)) was 25 mum, at pH 8 it decreased to 19 mum, and at pH 8.8 a further decrease to 7 mum was found. With the purified enzyme at pH 7.2 the Km(CO(2)) was 147 mum, while the corresponding Km values for pH 8 and 8.8 were 34 and 15 mum CO(2), respectively. The latter figure approximates the physiological Km(CO(2)) of 10 mum estimated for photosynthesizing leaves and intact chloroplasts. The maximum velocity for both enzyme systems at optimum substrate levels was at pH 8, but the highest calculated rate of CO(2) uptake at atmospheric CO(2) levels occurred at pH 8.8. These results support the proposal that the light-induced efflux of protons out of the chloroplast stroma may be a major factor involved with the reported in vivo light activation of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase.

Properties and regulation of ribulose diphosphate carboxylase from Thiobacillus novellus

Ribulose-diphosphate carboxylase from Thiobacillus novellus has been purified to hemogeneity as observed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and U.V. light observation during sedimentation velocity analysis. The optimum pH for the enzyme with Tris-HCl buffers was about 8.2. Concentrations of this buffer in excess of 80 mM were inhibitory. The apparent Km for RuDP was about 14.8 muM with a Hill value of 1.5, for HCO3- the apparent Km was about 11.7 mM with an n value of 1.18 and for Mg2+ about 0.61 mM. The enzyme was specific for this cation. Relatively high concentrations of either Hg2+ or pCMB were required before significant inhibition was observed. Activity declined slowly during a 4-hr incubation period in either 3.0 M or 8.0 M urea. Incubation for 12 hrs resulted in complete loss of activity which was not prevented by 10 mM Mg2+ and was not reversed by dialysis and subsequent addition of 10 mM cysteine. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a loss of the major band and the appearance of 2 new bands. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gave an average M.W. of 73500 +/- 2500 for the slower moving band and 12250 +/- 2500 for the faster moving. However, incubation in urea for up to 40 hrs revealed a decrease in the M.W. of the slower moving band to about 60000. The Ea for the enzyme was calculated to be about 18.85 kcal mole-1, with the possibility of a "break" between 40 and 50 degrees C. The Q10 was 3.07 between 20 and 30 degrees C whereas between 30 to 40 degrees C it was 3.31. Only phosphorylated compounds caused significant inhibition of enzyme activity. They included ADP, FDP, F6P, G6P, PEP, 6PG, 2-PGA, R1P, R5P, and Ru5p.

Regulation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in spinach chloroplasts by ribulose 1,5-diphosphate and NADPH/NADP+ ratios

The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) FROM SPINACH CHLOROPLASTS IS STRONGLY REGULATED BY THE RATIO OF NADPH/NADP+, with the extent of this regulation controlled by the concentration of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate. Other metabolites of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle are far less effective in mediating the regulation of the enzyme activity by NADPH/NADP+ ratio. With a ratio of NADPH/NADP+ of 2, and a concentration of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate of 0.6 mM, the activity of the enzyme is completely inhibited. This level of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate is well within the concentration range which has been reported for unicellular green algae photosynthesizing in vivo. Ratios of NADPH/NADP+ of 2.0 have been measured for isolated spinach chloroplasts in the light and under physiological conditions. Since ribulose 1,5-diphosphate is a metabolite unique to the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and inhibits glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the presence of NADPH/NADP+ ratios found in chloroplasts in the light, it is proposed that regulation of the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle is accomplished in vivo by the levels of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate, NADPH, and NADP+. It already has been shown that several key reactions of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle in chloroplasts are regulated by levels of NADPH/NADP+ or other electron-carrying cofactors, and at least one key-regulated step, the carboxylation reaction is strongly affected by 6-phosphogluconate, the metabolic unique to the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle. Thus there is an interesting inverse regulation system in chloroplasts, in which reduced/oxidized coenzymes provide a general regulatory mechanism. The reductive cycle is activated at high NADPH/NADP+ ratios where the oxidative cycle is inhibited, and ribulose 1,5-diphosphate and 6-phosphogluconate provide further control of the cycles, each regulating the cycle in which it is not a metabolite.