Construction of chimeric cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases by insertion of a chloroplastic redox regulatory cluster

In order to transform cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases (FBPase)(EC 3.1.3.11) into potential reductively-modulated chloroplast-type enzymes, we have constructed four chimeric FBPases, which display structural viability as deduced by previous modelling. In the X1-type BV1 and HL1 chimera the N-half of cytosolic sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and human FBPases was fused with the C-half of the pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplast enzyme, which carries the cysteine-rich light regulatory sequence. In the X2-type BV2 and HL2 chimera this regulatory fragment was inserted in the corresponding site of the sugar beet cytosolic and human enzymes. Like the plant cytosolic FBPases, the chimeric enzymes show a low rise of activity by dithiothreitol. Both BV1 and BV2, but not HL1 and HL2, display a negligible activation by Trx f, but neither of them by Trx m. Antibodies raised against the pea chloroplast enzyme showed a positive reaction against the four chimeric FBPases and the human enzyme, but not against the sugar beet one. The four chimera display typical kinetics of cytosolic FBPases, with Km values in the 40-140 microM range. We conclude the existence of a structural capacity of cytosolic FBPases for incorporating the redox regulatory cluster of the chloroplast enzyme. However, the ability of these chimeric FBPases for an in vitro redox regulation seems to be scarce, limiting their use from a biotechnology standpoint in in vivo regulation of sugar metabolism.

Binding features of chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase-thioredoxin interaction

It has been proposed that a hydrophobic groove surrounded by positively charged amino acids on thioredoxin (Trx) serves as the recognition and docking site for the interaction of Trx with target proteins. This model for Trx-protein interactions fits well with the Trx-mediated fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) activation, where a protruding negatively charged loop of FBPase would bind to this Trx groove, in a process involving both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. This model facilitates the prediction of Trx amino acid residues likely to be involved in enzyme binding. Site-directed mutagenesis of some of these amino acids, in conjunction with measurements of the FBPase activation capacity of the wild type and mutated Trxs, was used to check the model and provided evidence that lysine-70 and arginine-74 of pea Trx m play an essential role in FBPase binding. The binding parameters for the interaction between chloroplast FBPase and the wild type pea Trxs f and m, as well as mutated pea Trx m, determined by equilibrium dialysis in accordance with the Koshland-Nemethy-Filmer model of saturation kinetics, provided additional support for the role of these basic Trx residues in the interaction with FBPase. These data, in conjunction with the midpoint redox potential (E(m)) determinations of Trxs, support the hydrophobic groove model for the interaction between chloroplast FBPase and Trx. This model predicts that differences in the FBPase activation capacity of Trxs arise from their different binding abilities.

Expression of thioredoxins f and m, and of their targets fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and NADP-malate dehydrogenase, in pea plants grown under normal and light/temperature stress conditions

Thioredoxins (Trxs) f and m, as well as their targets chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) and NADP+-malate dehydrogenase (NADP-MDH), displayed transcriptional expression in both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic organs of pea plants (Pisum sativum L. cv. Lincoln) grown for 50 d under normal irradiance. However, whereas Trx m and both target enzymes were poorly expressed in non-photosynthetic tissues, the content of the precursor form of the Trx f-specific mRNA was high in pea roots. In contrast, the translational expression of Trx f was low in this organ. The high FBPase activity in immature seeds, and the low activity of leaves, must be related to high starch synthesis in the first, and with high sucrose formation in the second. The transcriptional expression of FBPase and NADP+-MDH, and to a lesser extent that of Trxs f and m, was inhibited under low irradiance in plants grown under both normal and high temperatures. Pea plants grown at low temperature displayed a high level of mRNAs for Trxs and their targets, especially when the growth was carried out at low light. To a lesser extent, similar behaviour was observed at the protein level. Chloroplasts of mesophyll leaf cells of pea plants grown under saturating light, or under sub-saturating continuous irradiance, showed broken envelopes, distorted structural elements and disorganized starch grains, as a consequence of a photobleaching process and high starch accumulation.

Hybrids from pea chloroplast thioredoxins f and m: physicochemical and kinetic characteristics

Two hybrid thioredoxins (Trx) have been constructed from cDNA clones coding for pea chloroplast Trxs m and f. The splitting point was the Avall site situated between the two cysteines of the regulatory cluster. One hybrid, Trx m/f, was purified from Escherichia coli-expressed cell lysates as a high yielding 12 kDa protein. Western blot analysis showed a positive reaction with antibodies against pea Trxs m and f and, like the parenteral pea Trx m, displayed an acidic pI (5.0) and a high thermal stability. In contrast, the opposite hybrid Trx f/m appeared in E. coli lysates as inclusion bodies, where it was detected by Western blot against pea Trx f antibodies as a 40 kDa protein. Trx f/m was very unstable, sensitive to heat denaturation, and could not be purified. Trx m/f showed a higher affinity for pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) and a smaller Trx/FBPase saturation ratio than both parenterals; however, the FBPase catalytic rate was lower than that with Trxs m and f. Surprisingly, the hybrid Trx m/f appeared to be incompetent in the activation of pea NADP-malate dehydrogenase. Computer-assisted models of pea Trxs m and f, and of the chimeric Trx m/f, showed a change in the orientation of the alpha 4-helix in the hybrid, which could explain the kinetic modifications with respect to Trxs m and f. We conclude that the stability of Trxs lies on the N-side of the regulatory cluster, and is associated with the acidic character of this fragment and, as a consequence, with the acidic pl of the whole molecule. In contrast, the ability of FBPase binding and enzyme catalysis depends on the structure on the C-side of the regulatory cysteines.

High-yield expression of pea thioredoxin m and assessment of its efficiency in chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activation

A cDNA clone encoding pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplast thioredoxin (Trx) m and its transit peptide were isolated from a pea cDNA library. Its deduced amino acid sequence showed 70% homology with spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Trx m and 25% homology with Trx f from pea and spinach. After subcloning in the Ndel-BamHI sites of pET-12a, the recombinant supplied 20 mg Trx m/L. Escherichia coli culture. This protein had 108 amino acids and was 12,000 D, which is identical to the pea leaf native protein. Unlike pea Trx f, pea Trx m showed a hyperbolic saturation of pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), with a Trx m/ FBPase molar saturation ratio of about 60, compared with 4 for the Trx f/FBPase quotient. Cross-experiments have shown the ability of pea Trx m to activate the spinach chloroplast FBPase, results that are in contrast with those in spinach found by P. Schürmann, K. Maeda, and A. Tsugita ([1981] Eur J Biochem 116: 37-45), who did not find Trx m efficiency in FBPase activation. This higher efficiency of pea Trx m could be related to the presence of four basic residues (arginine-37, lysine-70, arginine-74, and lysine-97) flanking the regulatory cluster; spinach Trx m lacks the positive charge corresponding to lysine-70 of pea Trx m. This has been confirmed by K70E mutagenesis of pea Trx m, which leads to a 50% decrease in FBPase activation.

Directed mutagenesis shows that the preceding region of the chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase regulatory sequence is the thioredoxin docking site

The alignment of the six higher plant photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases (FBPases) so far sequenced shows a lack of homology in the region which just precedes the cluster engaged in light modulation. Earlier experiments suggested that this region is the docking point in FBPase-thioredoxin (Trx) binding, and could be responsible for the interspecific differences in the enzyme-Trx interaction and Trx ability for FBPase activation. Using a pea chloroplast FBPase-coding cDNA, we have prepared two chimeric clones for FBPase. One of them (pDELFBP) shows a deletion of the 17 amino acids (Leu154 to Glu170) coding sequence, whereas in the second (pPFBPW) the above sequence was substituted by the corresponding one of the wheat enzyme. After Escherichia coli overexpression in pET-3d and later purification, both modified FBPases showed FBPase activity when determined under non-reducing conditions. However, only DELFBP lost the Trx f modulatory effect, indicating the important role played by this fragment in FBPase-Trx interaction and activity. Under these conditions the substituted PFBPW enzyme retains FBPase activity, even though clearly diminished. Superose 12 filtration experiments after preincubating the wild-type and modified FBPases with Trx f, showed the existence of an enzyme-Trx f binding with the wild-type and the substituted PFBPW, but not with the deleted DELFBP protein. Similarly, gradient PAGE under native conditions, followed by Western blot and developing with FBPase and Trx f antibodies, indicated the existence of such a binding between the wild-type and PFBPW, on the one hand, and both Trxs f and m, on the other, although never with the deleted DELFBP enzyme. These results show the central role played by the regulatory site preceding fragment of chloroplast FBPase in its binding with Trx. Computer-aided tridimensional models for the wild-type and modified FBPases are proposed.

Cysteine-153 is required for redox regulation of pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

Chloroplastic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases are redox regulatory enzymes which are activated by the ferredoxin thioredoxin system via the reduction/isomerization of a critical disulfide bridge. All chloroplastic sequences contain seven cysteine residues, four of which are located in, or close to, an amino acid insertion region of approximately 17 amino acids. In order to gain more information on the nature of the regulatory site, five cysteine residues (Cys49, Cys153, Cys173, Cys178 and Cys190) have been modified individually into serine residues by site-directed mutagenesis. While mutations C173S and C178S strongly affected the redox regulatory properties of the enzyme, the most striking effect was observed with the C153S mutant which became permanently active and redox independent. On the other hand, the C190S mutant retained most of the properties of the wild-type enzyme (except that it could now also be partially activated by the NADPH/NTR/thioredoxin h system). Finally, the C49S mutant is essentially identical to the wild-type enzyme. These results are discussed in the light of recent crystallographic data obtained on spinach FBPase [Villeret et al. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 4299-4306].

Intron position as an evolutionary marker of thioredoxins and thioredoxin domains

In contrast to prokaryotes, which typically possess one thioredoxin gene per genome, three different thioredoxin types have been described in higher plants. All are encoded by nuclear genes, but thioredoxins m and f are chloroplastic while thioredoxins h have no transit peptide and are probably cytoplasmic. We have cloned and sequenced Arabidopsis thaliana genomic fragments encoding the five previously described thioredoxins h, as well as a sixth gene encoding a new thioredoxin h. In spite of the high divergence of the sequences, five of them possess two introns at positions identical to the previously sequenced tobacco thioredoxin h gene, while a single one has only the first intron. The recently published sequence of Chlamydomonas thioredoxin h shows three introns, two at the same positions as in higher plants. This strongly suggests a common origin for all cytoplasmic thioredoxins of plants and green algae. In addition, we have cloned and sequenced pea DNA genomic fragments encoding thioredoxins m and f. The thioredoxin m sequence shows only one intron between the regions encoding the transit peptide and the mature protein, supporting the prokaryotic origin of this sequence and suggesting that its association with the transit peptide has been facilitated by exon shuffling. In contrast, the thioredoxin f sequence shows two introns, one at the same position as an intron in various plant and animal thioredoxins and the second at the same position as an intron in thioredoxin domains of disulfide isomerases. This strongly supports the hypothesis of a eukaryotic origin for chloroplastic thioredoxin f.

Binding site on pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase involved in the interaction with thioredoxin

When we compare the primary structures of the six chloroplast fructose-1,6-biophosphatases (FBPase) so far sequenced, the existence of a poorly conserved fragment in the region just preceeding the redox regulatory cysteines cluster can be observed. This region is a good candidate for binding of FBPase to its physiological modulator thioredoxin (Td), as this association shows clear differences between species. Using a cDNA clone for pea chloroplast FBPase as template, we have amplified by PCR a DNA insert coding for a 19 amino acid fragment (149Pro-167Gly), which was expressed in pGEMEX-1 as a fusion protein. This protein strongly interacts with pea Td m, as shown by ELISA and Superose 12 gel filtration, depending on pH of the medium. Preliminary assays have shown inhibition of FBPase activity in the presence of specific IgG against the 19 amino acid insert. Surprisingly the fusion protein enhances the FBPase activation in competitive inhibition experiments carried out with FBPase and Td. These results show the fundamental role played by this domain in FBPase-Td binding, not only as docking point for Td, but also by inducing some structural modification in the Td molecule. Taking as model the structural data recently published for spinach photosynthetic FBPase, this sequence from a tertiary and quaternary structural point of view appears available for rearrangement.

High-level expression of recombinant pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and mutagenesis of its regulatory site

The cDNA fragment coding for mature chloroplast pea fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase [Fru(1,6)P2ase] was introduced by PCR into the expression vector pET-3d resulting in the construction pET-FBP. After transformation of BL21 (DE3) Escherichia coli cells by the pET-FBP plasmid and induction with isopropyl thio-beta-D-galactoside, high-level expression of the recombinant enzyme was achieved. The protein could be purified in three days by a simple procedure which includes heat treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE Sephacel and ACA 44 chromatographies with a yield of 20 mg/l culture. In every respect, the recombinant enzyme was similar to plant chloroplast Fru(1,6)P2ase and, in particular, its reactivity with Mg2+ and redox regulatory properties were conserved. In a second series of experiments based on three-dimensional modeling of the chloroplast protein and sequence alignments, two cysteine residues of the recombinant enzyme (Cys173 and Cys178) were mutated into serine residues. An active enzyme, which did not respond to thiol reagents and to light activation, was obtained, confirming the putative regulatory role of the insertional sequence characteristic of the chloroplast enzyme.

Antigenic relationships between chloroplast and cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases

Cytosolic fructose-1,6-biphosphatases (FBPase, EC 3.1.3.11) from pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Lincoln) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. cv Winter Giant) did not cross-react by double immunodiffusion and western blotting with either of the antisera raised against the chloroplast enzyme of both species; similarly, pea and spinach chloroplast FBPases did not react with the spinach cytosolic FBPase antiserum. On the other hand, spinach and pea chloroplast FBPases showed strong cross-reactions against the antisera to chloroplast FBPases, in the same way that the pea and spinach cytosolic enzymes displayed good cross-reactions against the antiserum to spinach cytosolic FBPase. Crude extracts from spinach and pea leaves, as well as the corresponding purified chloroplast enzymes, showed by western blotting only one band (44 and 43 kD, respectively) in reaction with either of the antisera against the chloroplast enzymes. A unique fraction of molecular mass 38 kD appeared when either of the crude extracts or the purified spinach cytosolic FBPase were analyzed against the spinach cytosolic FBPase antiserum. These molecular sizes are in accordance with those reported for the subunits of the photosynthetic and gluconeogenic FBPases. Chloroplast and cytosolic FBPases underwent increasing inactivation when increasing concentrations of chloroplast or cytosolic anti-FBPase immunoglobulin G (IgG), respectively, were added to the reaction mixture. However, inactivations were not observed when the photosynthetic enzyme was incubated with the IgG to cytosolic FBPase, or vice versa. Quantitative results obtained by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) showed 77% common antigenic determinants between the two chloroplast enzymes when tested against the spinach photosynthetic FBPase antiserum, which shifted to 64% when assayed against the pea antiserum. In contrast, common antigenic determinats between the spinach cytosolic FBPase and the two chloroplast enzymes were less than 10% when the ELISA test was carried out with either of the photosynthetic FBPase antisera, and only 5% when the assay was performed with the antiserum to the spinach cytosolic FBPase. These results were supported by sequencing data: the deduced amino acid sequence of a chloroplast FBPase clone isolated from a pea cDNA library indicated a 39,253 molecular weight protein, with a homology of 85% with the spinach chloroplast FBPase but only 48.5% with the cytosolic enzyme from spinach.

Cloning, structure and expression of a pea cDNA clone coding for a photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase with some features different from those of the leaf chloroplast enzyme

A positive clone against pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase; EC 3.1.3.11) antibodies was obtained from a copy DNA (cDNA) library in lambda gt11. The insert was 1261 nucleotides long, and had an open reading frame of 1143 base pairs with coding capability for the whole FBPase subunit and a fragment of a putative processing peptide. An additional 115 base pairs corresponding to a 3'-untranslated region coding for an mRNA poly(A)+ tail were also found in the clone. The deduced sequence for the FBPase subunit was a 357-amino-acid protein of molecular mass 39,253 daltons (Da), showing 82-88% absolute homology with four chloroplastic FBPases sequenced earlier. The 3.1-kilobase (kb) KpnI-SacI fragment of the lambda gt11 derivative was subcloned between the KpnI-SacI restriction sites of pTZ18R to yield plasmid pAMC100. Lysates of Escherichia coli (pAMC100) showed FBPase activity; this was purified as a 170-kDa protein which, upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, displayed a 44-kDa band. As occurs with native FBPases, this indicates a homotetrameric structure for the expressed FBPase. When assayed under excess Mg2+ (10 mM), the expressed enzyme had a higher affinity for the substrate than the native pea leaf FBPase; this parameter appears to be substantiated by a tenfold higher specific activity than that of the native enzyme. However, when activated with dithiothreitol plus saturating concentrations of pea thioredoxin (Td) f, both FBPase had similar activities, with a 4:1 Td f-FBPase stoichiometry. In contrast to the native pea chloroplast FBPase, the E. coli-expressed enzyme did not react with the monoclonal antibody GR-PB5.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Purification and properties of pea (Pisum sativum L.) thioredoxin f, a plant thioredoxin with unique features in the activation of chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

Thioredoxin (Td) f from pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaves was purified by a simple method, which provided a high yield of homogeneous Td f. Purified Td f had an isoelectric point of 5.4 and a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 12 kilodaltons (kDa) when determined by filtration through Superose 12, but an Mr of 15.8 kDa when determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified protein remained fully active for several months when conserved frozen at - 20° C. The pea protein was able to activate fructose1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase; EC 3.1.3.11), but in contrast to other higher-plant Td f proteins, was not functional in the modulation of NADP(+)-malate dehydrogenase activity. In spite of the absence of immunological cross-reactions of pea and spinach Td f proteins with the corresponding antibodies, pea Td f activated not only the homologous FBPase, but also the spinach enzyme. The saturation curves for pea FBPase, either with fructose-1,6-bisphosphate in the presence of different concentrations of homologous Td f, or with pea Td f in the presence of excess substrate, showed sigmoid kinetics; this can be explained on the basis of a random distribution of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, and of the oxidized and reduced forms of the activator, among the four Td f- and substrate-binding sites of this tetrameric enzyme. From the saturation curves of pea and spinach Td f proteins against pea FBPase, a 4:1 stoichiometry was determined for the Td f-enzyme binding. This is in contrast to the 2:1 stoichiometry found for the spinach FBPase. The UV spectrum of pea Td f had a maximum at 277 nm, which shifted to 281 nm after reduction with dithiothreitol (s at 280 nm for 15.8-kDa Mr = 6324 M(-1) · cm(-1)). The fluorescence emission spectrum after 280-nm excitation had a maximum at 334 nm, related to tyrosine residues; after denaturation with guanidine isothiocyanate an additional maximum appeared at 350 nm, which is concerned with tryptophan groups. Neither the native nor the denatured form showed a significant increase in fluorescence after reduction by dithiothreitol, which means that the tyrosine and tryptophan groups in the reduced Td f are similarly exposed. Pea Td f appears to have one cysteine residue more than the three cysteines earlier described for spinach and Scenedesmus Td f proteins.

In-vivo and in-vitro synthesis of photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase from pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Etiolated pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Lincoln) seedlings do not show any capability for the biosynthesis of chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), but the rate of biosynthesis of the increases with the pre-illumination time. This light-induced FBPase synthesis appears to be regulated at the transcriptional level, the response of young leaves being greater than that of mature ones. In-vivo labelling experiments demonstrated by immunoprecipitation, followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis and fluorography, the presence of a 49-kilodalton (kDa) band which corresponds to the mature FBPase subunit. In-vitro translation experiments with a wheat-germ synthesizing system and polyadenylated mRNA isolated from illuminated young pea seedlings have demonstrated the appearance of a 59-kDa labelled band corresponding to the precursor of the FBPase basic subunit. When intact pea chloroplasts were added to the above in-vitro incubation mixture, a labelled 49-kDa subunit similar to that of the in-vivo experiments appeared in the organelle under illumination. From these results we can conclude that a 10-kDa transit peptide bound to the translated pea FBPase subunit exists in the cytosol; this transit peptide is lost during passage through the chloroplast envelope, leaving the mature subunit inside the organelle.

Immunogold localization of photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in pea leaf tissue

An enriched IgG serum fraction obtained from rabbits immunized against pea chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) was used, coupled to colloidal gold (15 nanometer particles) goat anti-rabbit IgG, to analyze by electron microscopy the location of photosynthetic FBPase in pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaf ultrathin sections. In accordance with earlier biochemical studies on distribution of FBPase activity, the enzyme was visualized both in the stromal space and bound to the chloroplast membranes. Some gold particles also appear in the cytoplasm, which can be related to the presence in the cytosol of a high molecular weight precursor of this nuclear coded enzyme.

An immunological method for quantitative determination of photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in leaf crude extracts

An immunological method for quantitative determination of photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in crude extracts of leaves is proposed. It is based on the ELISA technique, and offers two modifications. A non-competitive technique has a higher sensitivity and is the right option for samples of low fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase content. However, this method is not sufficiently specific when the total protein is higher than 5 μg/cm(3); so, despite its lower sensitivity, in these circumstances a competitive technique is more suitable. Thus photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase can be measured without interferences from the gluconeogenic cytosolic enzyme of the photosynthetic cell or from a non-specific phosphatase present in the chloroplast.

Light-Induced Nuclear Synthesis of Spinach Chloroplast Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

Etiolated spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. var Winter Giant) seedlings show a residual photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activity, which sharply rises under illumination. This increase in activity is due to a light-induced de novo synthesis, as it has been demonstrated by enzyme labeling experiments with (2)H(2)O and [(35)S]methionine. The rise of bisphosphatase activity under illumination is strongly inhibited by cycloheximide, but not by the 70S ribosome inhibitor lincocin, which shows the nuclear origin of this chloroplastic enzyme.

[In vivo and in vitro actions of biscarbamates on the photosynthetic activity of chloroplasts]

The "photosynthetic inhibition" component in the whole context of plant toxicity, when different concentrations of the bis-carbamate phenmedipham are supplied through the roots or foliar application to spinach plants grown in hydroponic media have been determined. Chloroplasts were isolated after eight days of the herbicide addition, and then determined: electron transport H2O leads to NADP+, H2O leads to ferrycyanide and ascorbate/DPIP leads to NADP+, cyclic and non cyclic photophosphorilation, CO2 assimilation rate and intermediate patterns of CO2 fixation. We have also determined in foliar disks the O2 evolving and the CO2 assimilation capabilities. Type A and type B chloroplasts showed increased inhibition, respectively, of the Phot. II dependent electron transport chains H2O leads to NADP+ and H2O leads to ferricyanide, to the extent that the phenmedipham concentration increased in the hydroponic media and the spraying solution, so that a 50% inhibition of both processes was obtained at 100 microM and 10 microM, respectively, against 0.2 microM in the in vitro experiments. Non cyclic photophosphorylation showed a stronger inhibition than the cyclic one. Concerning the Phot. I dependent electron transport ascorbate/DPIP leads to NADP+, the chloroplast preparations showed a negligible inhibition. We have found a synergistic effect of the above two factors on the CO2 assimilation. The intermediate patterns of CO2 assimilation showed a decrease of the 3C-compounds P-glycerate and trioses-P, with a parallel increase of the sugar mono and diphosphates as well as disaccharides and amino acids.

A new procedure for the purification of spinach leaf photosynthetic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase by affinity chromatography on mercaptoethylamine-Sepharose

A new purification procedure for spinach leaf fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase is proposed, which includes the use of affinity chromatography on mercaptoethylamine-Sepharose. A homogeneous preparation of the enzyme can be obtained in 48 hr, with a specific activity of 67 U/mg and a yield of 23%. The method may also be useful for the purification of other thioredoxin-activated chloroplast enzymes.