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PubMed1993

Post-transcriptional control of cell type-specific gene expression in bundle sheath and mesophyll chloroplasts of Amaranthus hypochondriacus.

Plants that utilize the highly efficient C4 photosynthetic pathway possess two types of specialized leaf cells, the mesophyll and bundle sheath. In mature leaves of amaranth, a dicotyledonous C4 plant, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) is localized specifically to the chloroplasts of bundle sheath cells, and is not present in the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells. The cell type-specific expression of the chloroplast-encoded Rubisco large subunit (rbcL) gene, and other representative chloroplastic genes, was investigated by using separated bundle sheath and mesophyll chloroplasts prepared from mature amaranth leaves. One-dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed several differences in the polypeptide compositions of the two chloroplast types. Western analysis demonstrated that, as in the intact leaves, the Rubisco LSU polypeptide was present only in chloroplast preparations from bundle sheath cells. Pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPdK), a nuclear-encoded chloroplastic enzyme, was found only in the mesophyll chloroplast preparations. rbcL mRNA was present only in the bundle sheath chloroplast preparations, whereas transcripts for the chloroplast-encoded psbA, psaA-B, and rpl2 genes were present in both chloroplast types. Although the rbcL message accumulated only in bundle sheath chloroplasts, run-on transcription analysis indicated that the rbcL gene was transcribed in both bundle sheath and mesophyll chloroplast preparations. Therefore, differential rbcL gene expression in the isolated C4 chloroplasts is regulated, at least in part, at the post-transcriptional level. Possibly this control is mediated by differential processing or stabilization of the rbcL transcript.

Chloroplasts↗

PubMed1975

Chloroplast genes in Chlamydomonas affecting organelle ribosomes. Genetic and biochemical analysis of analysis of antibiotic-resistant mutants at several gene loci.

Six chloroplast gene mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii resistant to spectinomycin, erythromycin, or streptomycin have been assessed for antibiotic resistance of their chloroplast ribosomes. Four of these mutations clearly confer high levels of antibiotic resistance on the chloroplast ribosomes both in vivo. Although one mutant resistant to streptomycin and one resistant to spectinomycin have chloroplast ribosomes as sensitive to antibiotics as those of wild type in vivo, these mutations can be shown to alter the wildtype sensitivity of chloroplast ribosomes in polynucleotide-directed amino acid incorporation in vitro. Genetic analysis of these six chloroplast mutants and three similar mutants (Sager, 1972), two of which have been shown to affect chloroplast ribosomes (Mets and Bogorad, 1972; Schlanger and Sager, 1974), indicates that in Chlamydomonas at least three chloroplast gene loci can affect streptomycin resistance of chloroplast ribosomes and that two can affect erythromycin resistance. The three spectinomycin-resistant mutants examined appear to be alleles at a single chloroplast gene locus, but may represent mutations at two different sites within the same gene. Unlike wild type, the streptomycin and spectinomycin resistant mutants which have chloroplast ribosomes sensitive to antibiotics in vivo, grow well in the presence of antibiotic by respiring exogenously supplied acetate as a carbon source, and have normal levels of cytochrome oxidase activity and cyanide-sensitive respiration. We conclude that mitochondrial protein synthesis in these mutants is resistant to these antibiotics, whereas in wild type it is sensitive. To explain the behavior of these two chloroplast gene mutants as well as other one-step mutants which are resistant both photosynthetically and when respiring acetate in the dark, we have postulated that a mutation in a single chloroplast gene may result in alteration of both chloroplast and mitochondrial ribosomes. Mitochondrial resistance would appear to be the minimal necessary condition for survival of all such mutants, and antibiotic-resistant chloroplast ribosomes would be necessary for survival only under photosynthetic conditions.

Chlamydomonas↗

PubMed1997

Different consequences of incorporating chloroplast ribosomal proteins L12 and S18 into the bacterial ribosomes of Escherichia coli.

We have incorporated chloroplast ribosomal proteins (R-proteins) L12 and S18 into Escherichia coli ribosomes and examined the hybrid ribosomes for their ability to form polysomes in vivo and perform poly(U)-dependent poly(Phe) synthesis in vitro. The rye chloroplast S18 used for the experiment is a highly divergent protein (170 amino acid residues; E. coil S18, 74 residues), containing a repeating, chloroplast-specific, heptapeptide motif, and has amino acid sequence identity of only 35% to E. coli S18. When expressed in E. coli, chloroplast S18 was assembled in E. coli ribosomes. The latter formed polysomes in vivo at about the same rate as the host ribosomes, indicating that the replacement of E. coli S18 with its chloroplast homologue has only a minor, if any, effect on function. The L12 protein is much more conserved in sequence and chain length, and is known to have a very important function. The Arabidopsis chloroplast L12 used in the experiment was incorporated into E. coli 50S subunits that associated with the 30S subunits to form ribosomes, but the latter were unable to form polysomes. This result indicates functional inactivation of E. coil ribosomes by a chloroplast R-protein. To further confirm this result, we overproduced chloroplast L12 through the use of a secretion vector and purified the protein to homogeneity. Chloroplast L12 could be efficiently incorporated in vitro into L7/12-lacking E. coli ribosomes, but the hybrid ribosomes were totally inactive in poly(U)-dependent poly(Phe) synthesis. Computer modeling of the spatial structure of all known chloroplast L12 proteins (using E. coli L12 coordinates) indicated a 'chloroplast loop' present only in chloroplast L12. The presence of this loop might have a role in the observed inactivation. Taken together with previously reported results (summarized in this paper), it would appear that the features of chloroplast R-proteins concerned with specific functions are more divergent than their assembly properties. We have previously described methods suitable for overproduction and purification of chloroplast R-proteins that are encoded in organellar DNA (approximately 20), but that gave poor yield for those encoded in the nuclear DNA (approximately 45). Here we describe a method that overcomes this problem and allows the purification of nucleus-encoded chloroplast R-proteins in milligram quantities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1973

Photochemical properties of mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of maize.

Several photochemical and spectral properties of maize (Zea mays) bundle sheath and mesophyll chloroplasts are reported that provide a better understanding of the photosynthetic apparatus of C(4) plants. The difference absorption spectrum at 298 K and the fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of chlorophyll at 298 K and 77 K provide new information on the different forms of chlorophyll a in bundle sheath and mesophyll chloroplasts: the former contain, relative to short wavelength chlorophyll a forms, more long wavelength chlorophyll a form (e.g. chlorophyll a 693 and chlorophyll a 705) and less chlorophyll b than the latter. The degree of polarization of chlorophyll a fluorescence is 6% in bundle sheath and 4% in mesophyll chloroplasts. This result is consistent with the presence of relatively high amounts of oriented long wavelength forms of chlorophyll a in bundle sheath compared to mesophyll chloroplasts. The relative yield of variable, with respect to constant, chorophyll a fluorescence in mesophyll chloroplasts is more than twice that in bundle sheath chloroplast. Furthermore, the relative yield of total chlorophyll a fluorescence is 40% lower in bundle sheath compared to that in mesophyll chloroplasts. This is in agreement with the presence of the higher ratio of the weakly fluorescent pigment system I to pigment system II in bundle sheath than in mesophyll chloroplast. The efficiency of energy transfer from chlorophyll b and carotenoids to chlorophyll a are calculated to be 100 and 50%, respectively, in both types of chloroplasts. Fluorescence quenching of atebrin, reflecting high energy state of chloroplasts, is 10 times higher in mesophyll chloroplasts than in bundle sheath chloroplasts during noncyclic electron flow but is equal during cyclic flow. The entire electron transport chain is shown to be present in both types of chloroplasts, as inferred from the antagonistic effect of red (650 nm) and far red (710 nm) lights on the absorbance changes at 559 nm and 553 nm, and the photoreduction of methyl viologen from H(2)O. (The rate of methyl viologen photoreduction in bundle sheath chloroplasts was 40% of that of mesophyll chloroplasts.).

Journal Article↗

PubMed1984

The extent to which the spatial separation between photosystems I and II associated with granal formation limits noncyclic electron flow in isolated lettuce chloroplasts.

Uncoupled noncyclic electron flow in stacked (granal) chloroplasts with a lateral heterogeneity in the distribution of the two photosystems has been compared with that in unstacked (agranal) chloroplasts with a near-uniform distribution. Chloroplasts were maintained in either structural state in the same assay medium so as to equalize effects of ionic composition which may influence reaction rates. The assay medium, an ion-deficient solution, was capable of supporting high rates of electron flow from water to methyl viologen. At high irradiance, unstacked chloroplasts exhibited an uncoupled rate which was 30% (in chloroplasts isolated from lettuce grown in low light) or 55% (in chloroplasts isolated from lettuce grown in high light) higher than that of stacked chloroplasts; the percentage remained relatively constant in the temperature range 7 to 22 degrees C for both high-light and low-light chloroplasts. At low irradiance, stacked low-light chloroplasts, despite the spatial separation of the two photosystems, gave higher rates of electron flow than did unstacked low-light chloroplasts. The addition of MgCl2 to stacked chloroplasts increased the uncoupled rate of noncyclic electron flow, but only at relatively high irradiances. The differences observed for stacked and unstacked chloroplasts, and for high-light and low-light chloroplasts are discussed. The approach taken in this work should be useful in other comparisons of stacked and unstacked chloroplasts.

Chloroplasts↗

PubMed1975

Changes in DNA synthesis during cell growth and chloroplast replication in greening spinach leaf disks.

Spinach leaf disks grown initially in the dark, show increased cell expansion and chloroplast replication when transferred to the light. These changes are accompanied by increases in the total amount of DNA and the incorporation of [3H]thymidine (3H-TdR). Autoradiography of EDTA-separated cells dried on to glass slides was used to follow changes in 3H-TdR incorporation in both chloroplasts and nuclei. Specificity of incorporation was confirmed by nuclease studies. DNA synthesis occurs in both the chloroplasts and nuclei, and is highest just prior to, and during the period of most rapid cell growth and chloroplast replication which occurs shortly after the transfer to the light. Light, however, appears to have a greater and more immediate effect on nuclear DNA synthesis. Though nuclear and chloroplast DNA syntheses follow similar patterns during disk growth, in a given cell, chloroplast DNA synthesis can be separate in time from nuclear DNA synthesis. The increased nuclear DNA synthesis is possibly required to support the increased population of chloroplasts, while chloroplast DNA synthesis is associated with chloroplast division. If the disks are not transferred to the light but kept in darkness, chloroplast 3H-TdR incorporation remains high, though chloroplast division is reduced. Epidermal cells in light-grown tissue also show 3H-TdR incorporation but low rates of chloroplast division. It would appear that chloroplast DNA synthesis in mesophyll cells from light-grown tissue shows a general relation to chloroplast division, but there does not appear to be an obligatory close coupling between the 2 processes.

Autoradiography↗

PubMed1996

Aphidicolin uncouples the chloroplast division cycle from the mitotic cycle in the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae.

The unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae possesses one chloroplast, one mitochondrion, and one cell nucleus. Since the division of these organelles and cytokinesis occur in a coordinated manner, mitosis and the organelle division cycles must be tightly coupled. We report here that aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha, uncouples the chloroplast division cycle from the mitotic cycle. The effects of aphidicolin on C. merolae cells were examined by both epifluorescence and electron microscopy. When cells at the S phase in synchronous culture were treated with aphidicolin, mitosis and cytokinesis did not occur, while chloroplast division did. Moreover, both of the chloroplasts in these cells continued to divide and then generated four or more chloroplasts per cell. The inhibition of cell-nuclear DNA synthesis by aphidicolin was confirmed using microfluorometry. In addition, microfluorometry revealed that the total size and the amount of DNA in chloroplasts in aphidicolin-treated cells remained constant during uncoupled chloroplast division. As a result, the size and amount of DNA per chloroplast decreased stepwise during chloroplast division. Electron microscopic examination of aphidicolin-treated cells showed that the second division of chloroplasts uses a chloroplast-dividing ring similar to that in cells undergoing normal chloroplast division. These results suggest that chloroplast division by the dividing ring is free from a checkpoint control that inhibits the progression of mitosis and cytokinesis in the absence of the completion of cell-nuclear DNA synthesis, and also that chloroplasts lack a checkpoint control mechanism that inhibits its division without growth or DNA synthesis of itself.

Aphidicolin↗

PubMed1994

A Genetic Analysis of Chloroplast Division and Expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana.

A nuclear recessive mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, arc5, has been isolated in which there is no significant increase in chloroplast number during leaf mesophyll cell expansion and in which there are only 13 chloroplasts per mesophyll cell compared with 121 in wild-type cells. Mature arc5 chloroplasts in fully expanded mesophyll cells are 6-fold larger than in wild-type cells. A large proportion of arc5 chloroplasts also show some degree of central constriction, suggesting that the mutation has prevented the completion of the chloroplast division process. To examine the interaction of arc loci, a double mutant was constructed between arc1, a mutant possessing many small chloroplasts, and arc5. A second double mutant was also constructed between arc3, a previously discovered mutant also possessing few large chloroplasts per cell, and arc1. Analysis of these double mutants shows that chloroplast number per mesophyll cell is greater when arc5 and arc3 mutations are expressed in the arc1 background than when expressed alone. The cell-specific nature of arc mutants was also analyzed. The phenotypic traits characteristic of arc3 and arc5 are a reduction in chloroplast number and an increase in chloroplast size in mesophyll cells: these changes are also observed in reduced form in the epidermal and guard cell chloroplasts of arc3 and arc5 plants. Analysis of parenchyma sheath cell chloroplasts suggests that in leaves of arc1 plants the normal developmental distinction between mesophyll and parenchyma sheath chloroplasts is perturbed. The relevance of these findings to the analysis of the control of chloroplast division in mesophyll cells is discussed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1967

RNA metabolism during light-induced chloroplast development in euglena.

Methods are described which provide good recoveries of non-degraded chloroplast and non-chloroplast RNAs from Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris. These have been characterized by comparing the RNA from W(3)BUL (an aplastidic mutant of Euglena), with that of wild-type cells which have been resolved into chloroplast and non-chloroplast fractions. Using E. coli RNA as a standard, the RNAs from W(3)BUL and from the non-chloroplast fraction of green cells exhibit optical density peaks, upon sucrose gradient centrifugation, at 4S, 10S, and 19S. The chloroplast fraction exhibits optical density peaks at 19S and 14S with the 19S component predominating. Application of various techniques for the separation of RNAs to the problem of separating the chloroplast and non-chloroplast RNAs, without prior separation of the organelle, have not proven successful.(32)P(i) is readily incorporated into RNA by cells undergoing light-induced chloroplast development, and fractionation at the end of development reveals that although chloroplast RNAs have a higher specific activity, the other RNAs of the cells are significantly labeled as well. The succession of labeling patterns of total cellular RNA as light-induced chloroplast development proceeds are displayed and reveal that all RNA species mentioned above eventually become labeled. In contrast, cells kept in darkness during this period incorporate little (32)P(i) into any RNA fraction. In addition, a heavy RNA component, designated as 28S, while representing a negligible fraction of the total RNA, becomes significantly labeled during the first 24 hours of illumination. While there is light stimulated uptake of (32)P(i) into the cells, this uptake is never limiting in the light or dark, for RNA labeling.On the basis of these findings, we suggest that extensive activation of non-chloroplast RNA labeling during chloroplast development is the result of the activation of the cellular synthetic machinery external to the chloroplast necessary to provide metabolic precursors for plastid development. Thus the plastid is viewed as an auxotrophic resident within the cell during development. Other possibilities for interaction at this and other levels are also discussed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1973

Activation of polyphenol oxidase of chloroplasts.

Polyphenol oxidase of leaves is located mainly in chloroplasts isolated by differential or sucrose density gradient centrifugation. This activity is part of the lamellar structure that is not lost on repeated washing of the plastids. The oxidase activity was stable during prolonged storage of the particles at 4 C or -18 C. The Km (dihydroxyphenylalanine) for spinach leaf polyphenol oxidase was 7 mm by a spectrophotometric assay and 2 mm by the manometric assay. Polyphenol oxidase activity in the leaf peroxisomal fraction, after isopycnic centrifugation on a linear sucrose gradient, did not coincide with the peroxisomal enzymes but was attributed to proplastids at nearly the same specific density.Plants were grouped by the latency properties for polyphenol oxidase in their isolated chloroplasts. In a group including spinach, Swiss chard, and beet leaves the plastids immediately after preparation from fresh leaves required a small amount of light for maximal rates of oxidation of dihydroxyphenylalanine. Polyphenol oxidase activity in the dark or light increased many fold during aging of these chloroplasts for 1 to 5 days. Soluble polyphenol oxidase of the cytoplasm was not so stimulated. Chloroplasts prepared from stored leaves were also much more active than from fresh leaves. Maximum rates of dihydroxyphenylalanine oxidation were 2 to 6 mmoles x mg(-1) chlorophyll x hr(-1). Equal stimulation of latent polyphenol oxidase in fresh or aged chloroplasts in this group was obtained by either light, an aged trypsin digest, 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea, or antimycin A. A variety of other treatments did not activate or had little effect on the oxidase, including various peptides, salts, detergents, and other proteolytic enzymes.Activation of latent polyphenol oxidase in spinach chloroplasts by trypsin amounted to as much as 30-fold. The trypsin activation occurred even after the trypsin had been treated with 10% trichloroacetic acid, 1.0 n HCl or boiled for 30 minutes. No single peptide from the digested trypsin was found to be the sole activating factor. About 0.25 mug of trypsin activated 50% the polyphenol oxidase activity in a standard chloroplast assay containing 2.1 mug of chlorophyll. Treatment of spinach chloroplasts with tris buffer or ethylenediamine tetraacetate extracted the ATPase activity, but the polyphenol oxidase activity remained with the broken plastids. However these treatments increased the latent polyphenol oxidase activity 50- to 100-fold.Chloroplasts from a second group of plants, including alfalfa, wheat, oats, peas, and sugarcane leaves, oxidized dihydroxyphenylalanine at a rate of 11 to 120 mumoles x mg(-1) chlorophyll x hr(-1). Polyphenol oxidase in these chloroplasts required a low intensity of red light for activity. Fifty or 75% activation of the oxidase in wheat chloroplasts required 4 to 6 foot candles of light and more light was required for alfalfa chloroplasts. Blue or far red light were ineffective. Trypsin was inhibitory. Upon aging chloroplasts from wheat leaves, but not alfalfa or peas, for 5 to 7 days at 4 C the total polyphenol oxidase activity did not increase, but the activation characteristics changed to those of chloroplasts from the spinach group. Chloroplasts from a third group of plants, including bean, tomato, and corn leaves, slowly oxidized dihydroxyphenylalanine in the dark and exhibited no latency.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1988

Glutamine transport and the role of the glutamine translocator in chloroplasts.

The transport of l-[(14)C]glutamine in oat (Avena sativa L.) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts was studied by a conventional single-layer and a newly developed stable double-layer silicone oil filtering system. [(14)C]Glutamine was actively transported into oat chloroplasts against a concentration gradient. Metabolite uptake was greatly affected by the endogenous dicarboxylate pools, which could be easily changed by preloading the chloroplast with specific exogenous substrate. Glutamine uptake was decreased by 44 to 75% in oat chloroplasts preloaded with malate, 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG), and aspartate, but increased by 52% in chloroplasts preloaded with l-glutamate. On the other hand, the uptake of the other four dicarboxylates was decreased by 47 to 79% in chloroplasts preloaded with glutamine. In glutamine-preloaded chloroplasts the uptake of glutamine was inhibited only by l-glutamate. The observed inhibition by l-glutamate was competitive with an apparent K(i) value of 32.1 millimolar in oat and 6.7 millimolar in spinach chloroplasts. This study indicates that there are two components involved in glutamine transport in chloroplasts. The major component was mediated via a specific glutamine translocator. It was specific for glutamine and did not transport other dicarboxylates except l-glutamate. A K(0.5) value of 1.25 millimolar and V(max) of 45.5 micromoles per milligram of chlorophyll per hour were determined for the glutamine translocator in oat chloroplasts. The respective values were 1.0 millimolar and 16.7 micromoles per milligram of chlorophyll per hour in spinach chloroplasts. A three translocator model, involving the glutamine, dicarboxylate, and 2-OG translocators, is proposed for the reassimilation of photorespiratory NH(3) in chloroplasts of C(3) species. In this three-translocator model the additional transport of glutamine into the chloroplast is coupled to the export of glutamate via the glutamine translocator. This is an extension of the two-translocator model, involving the dicarboxylate and 2-OG translocators, proposed for spinach chloroplasts, (KC Woo, UI Flügge, HW Heldt 1987 Plant Physiol 84: 624-632).

Journal Article↗

PubMed1993

Direct evidence for selective modulation of psbA, rpoA, rbcL and 16S RNA stability during barley chloroplast development.

The turnover of RNAs encoded by seven different barley chloroplast genes was analyzed after treatment of barley shoots with tagetitoxin, a selective inhibitor of chloroplast transcription. Changes in RNA stability were examined during chloroplast development using basal and apical leaf sections of 4.5-day-old dark-grown seedlings and apical leaf sections of 4.0-day-old dark-grown seedlings which had been illuminated for 12 h. Of the RNAs examined, a 2.6 kb unspliced precursor of tRNA(lys) exhibited the shortest half-life, which was estimated to be 3 h. The 16S rRNA and psbA mRNA had the longest estimated half-lives, which were greater than 40 h. Among mRNAs, half-lives were estimated to range from 6 h for psaA mRNA, to over 40 h for psbA mRNA. Therefore, barley chloroplast mRNAs have long half-lives relative to bacterial mRNAs. The stability of atpB mRNA and the unspliced precursor of tRNA-lys was not altered during chloroplast development, while the stability of psaA mRNA decreased 2-fold. In contrast, the stability of the 16S rRNA and mRNAs for rpoA, psbA and rbcL increased during chloroplast development. The stability of 16S rRNA increased markedly during chloroplast development in the dark and this increase was maintained in illuminated seedlings. The stability of rbcL mRNA increased 2.5-fold during chloroplast development in the dark, and then decreased 2-fold in chloroplasts of light-grown plants. The initial increase in rpoA and psbA mRNA stability was also light-independent, with total increases in stability of at least 5-fold. In the case of rpoA, the stability of 2 of the 13 polycistronic rpoA transcripts that were detected in dark-grown plants was selectively increased during chloroplast development. In conclusion, the stability of some transcripts is selectively increased and further modulated during chloroplast development in barley. We propose that the selective stabilization of chloroplast mRNA, which occurred independent of light, is an indication that non-light regulated developmental signals are involved in barley chloroplast mRNA stability.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1967

Chloroplast Integrity and ATP-Dependent CO(2) Fixation in Spinacia oleracea.

Washed whole chloroplasts of Spinacia oleracea isolated and assayed in a tris (hydroxymethyl aminomethane)-HCl buffered sucrose solution exhibited low dark CO(2) fixing activity, whereas washed whole chloroplasts isolated in the same buffer but assayed in that buffer without sucrose exhibited much greater dark CO(2) fixing activity. The lowered activity could be attributed to the impermeability of the chloroplast membrane to ribose-5-phosphate or adenosine triphosphate. The preservation of the integrity of the chloroplast membrane, as reflected by its impermeability to either or both of the abovementioned compounds, was measured by the fixation of (14)CO(2) into acid-stable products in the presence of ribose-5-phosphate and adenosine triphosphate by the whole chloroplast as compared with fixation by the chloroplast extract. An effect (i.e., apparent resistance to the passage of ribose-5-phosphate or adenosine-5-triphosphate into the chloroplast) similar to, but less pronounced than, that produced by the presence of sucrose in the isolation medium was observed upon the addition of MnCl(2) or CaCl(2) to the buffered sucrose isolation medium. The addition of KCl enhanced slightly the effect produced by addition of sucrose alone to the isolation medium. The presence of MgCl(2) in the isolation medium, however, either caused the chloroplasts to become leaky or more fragile since more of the activity of the carboxylative phase enzymes appeared in the cytoplasm. When a mixture of all of the metal ions was added to the buffered sucrose suspending medium, the chloroplasts exhibited the same response observed with MgCl(2) alone. The addition of ethylene diaminetetraacetate or dithiothreitol appeared to alter the permeability of the chloroplast membrane nonspecifically when the assay was conducted in the absence of sucrose. Specific activities (mumoles CO(2) fixed/mg chlorophyll x hr) as high as 329.6 have been observed for dark fixation by chloroplasts. The phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity in the chloroplasts was only one-seventh that of ribulose diphosphate carboxylase. The phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity in the cytoplasm was 5 times that of the chloroplasts.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1983

Influence of adenosine phosphates and magnesium on photosynthesis in chloroplasts from peas, sedum, and spinach.

(14)CO(2) photoassimilation in the presence of MgATP, MgADP, and MgAMP was investigated using intact chloroplasts from Sedum praealtum, a Crassulacean acid metabolism plant, and two C(3) plants: spinach and peas. Inasmuch as free ATP, ADP, AMP, and uncomplexed Mg(2+) were present in the assays, their influence upon CO(2) assimilation was also examined. Free Mg(2+) was inhibitory with all chloroplasts, as were ADP and AMP in chloroplasts from Sedum and peas. With Sedum chloroplasts in the presence of ADP, the time course of assimilation was linear. However, with pea chloroplasts, ADP inhibition became progressively more severe, resulting in a curved time course. ATP stimulated assimilation only in pea chloroplasts. MgATP and MgADP stimulated assimilation in all chloroplasts. ADP inhibition of CO(2) assimilation was maximal at optimum orthophosphate concentrations in Sedum chloroplasts, while MgATP stimulation was maximal at optimum or below optimum concentrations of orthophosphate. MgATP stimulation in peas and Sedum and ADP inhibition in Sedum were not sensitive to the addition of glycerate 3-phosphate (PGA).PGA-supported O(2) evolution by pea chloroplasts was not inhibited immediately by ADP; the rate of O(2) evolution slowed as time passed, corresponding to the effect of ADP on CO(2) assimilation, and indicating that glycerate 3-phosphate kinase was a site of inhibition. Likewise, upon the addition of AMP, inhibition of PGA-dependent O(2) evolution became more severe with time. This did not mirror CO(2) assimilation, which was inhibited immediately by AMP. In Sedum chloroplasts, PGA-dependent O(2) evolution was not inhibited by ADP and AMP. In chloroplasts from peas and Sedum, the magnitude of MgADP and MgATP stimulation of PGA-dependent O(2) evolution was not much larger than that given by ATP, and it was much smaller than MgATP stimulation of CO(2) assimilation. Analysis of stromal metabolite levels by anion exchange chromatography indicated that ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was inhibited by ADP and stimulated by MgADP in Sedum chloroplasts.The appearance of label in the medium was measured when [U-(14)C] ADP-loaded Sedum chloroplasts were challenged with ATP, ADP, or AMP and their Mg(2+) complexes. The rate of back exchange was stimulated by the presence of Mg(2+). This suggests that ATP, ADP, and AMP penetrate the chloroplast slower than their Mg(2+) complexes. A portion of the CO(2) assimilation and O(2) evolution data could be explained by differential penetration rates, and other proposals were made to explain the remainder of the observations.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

Actin-organelle interaction: association with chloroplast in arabidopsis leaf mesophyll cells.

The role of the cytoskeleton in the regulation of chloroplast motility and positioning has been investigated by studying: (1) structural relationship of actin microfilaments, microtubules, and chloroplasts in cryofixed and freeze-substituted leaf cells of Arabidopsis; and (2) the effects of anti-actin (Latrunculin B; LAT-B) and anti-microtubule (Oryzalin) drugs on intracellular distribution of chloroplasts. Immunolabeling of leaf cells with two plant-actin specific antibodies, which react equivalently with all the expressed Arabidopsis actins, revealed two arrangements of actin microfilaments: longitudinal arrays of thick actin bundles and randomly oriented thin actin filaments that extended from the bundles. Chloroplasts were either aligned along the actin bundles or closely associated with the fine filaments. Baskets of actin microfilaments were also observed around the chloroplasts. The leaf cells labeled with an anti-tubulin antibody showed dense transverse arrays of cortical microtubules that exhibited no apparent association with chloroplasts. The application of LAT-B severely disrupted actin filaments and their association with chloroplasts. In addition, LAT-B induced aberrant aggregation of chloroplasts in the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Double labeling of LAT-B treated cells with anti-actin and anti-tubulin antibodies revealed that the microtubules in these cells were unaffected. Moreover, depolymerization of microtubules with Oryzalin did not affect the distribution of chloroplasts. These results provide evidence for the involvement of actin, but not tubulin, in the movement and positioning of chloroplasts in leaf cells. We propose that using motor molecules, some chloroplasts migrate along the actin cables directly, while others are pulled along the cables by the fine actin filaments. The baskets of microfilaments may anchor the chloroplasts during streaming and allow control over proper three-dimensional orientation to light.

Actins↗

PubMed2006

Possible association of actin filaments with chloroplasts of spinach mesophyll cells in vivo and in vitro.

In palisade mesophyll cells of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) kept under low-intensity white light, chloroplasts were apparently immobile and seemed to be surrounded by fine bundles of actin filaments. High-intensity blue light induced actin-dependent chloroplast movement concomitant with the appearance of a couple of long, straight bundles of actin filaments in each cell, whereas high-intensity red light was essentially ineffective in inducing these responses. The actin organization observed under low-intensity white light has been postulated to function in anchoring chloroplasts at proper intracellular positions through direct interaction with the chloroplasts. Intact chloroplasts, which retained their outer envelopes, were isolated after homogenization of leaves and Percoll centrifugation. No endogenous actin was detected by immunoblotting in the final intact-chloroplast fraction prepared from the leaves kept under low-intensity white light or in darkness. In cosedimentation assays with exogenously added skeletal muscle filamentous actin, however, actin was detected in the intact-chloroplast fraction precipitated after low-speed centrifugation. The association of actin with chloroplasts was apparently dependent on incubation time and chloroplast density. After partial disruption of the outer envelope of isolated chloroplasts by treatment with trypsin, actin was no longer coprecipitated. The results suggest that chloroplasts in spinach leaves can directly interact with actin, and that this interaction may be involved in the regulation of intracellular positioning of chloroplasts.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

PubMed1981

Photosynthetic apparatus of chilling-sensitive plants. IX. The involvement of alpha-tocopherol in the electron transport chain and the anti-oxidizing system in chloroplasts of tomato leaves.

1. The role of tocopherols in tomato chloroplasts from fresh, cold and dark-stored as well as stored and illuminated leaves was studied. 2. The cold and dark storage of leaves results in a loss of chloroplast alpha- and gamma-tocopherols of about 30-40% accompanied by an increase in chloroplast delta-tocopherol of about 40%. On illumination of stored leaves, an elevation of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol level to about 110 and 95% of the control, respectively, occurs, whilst delta-tocopherol content is not affected. 3. Experiments performed with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-treated chloroplasts show that only about 70% of total alpha-tocopherol is functionally active in the electron transport of Photosystem II between the diphenylcarbazide (DPC) donation site and the inhibition site of DBMIB. 4. A small amount of alpha-tocopherol quinone (about 10% of alpha-tocopherol content) is found in chloroplasts from fresh, fresh and illuminated as well as cold and dark-stored tomato leaves, whereas the illumination of the latter increases the chloroplast alpha-tocopherol quinone content 3-fold. Moreover, following the illumination of chloroplasts from cold and dark-stored as well as stored and illuminated leaves, the oxidation of exogenous alpha-tocopherol to alpha-tocopherol quinone is 2-fold faster then in chloroplasts from fresh leaves. 5. The primary product ('alpha-tocopheroxide') formed during the alpha-tocopherol oxidation by illuminated chloroplasts was identified as 8a-hydroxy-alpha-tocopheron. 6. Exogenous alpha-tocopherol inhibits the lipid photoperoxidation by about 40-50% in chloroplasts from all three kinds of tomato leaf. 7. The results seem to suggest that chloroplast alpha-tocopherol is involved in both electron transport of PS II and antioxidizing system of chloroplasts.

2,6-Dichloroindophenol↗

PubMed1990

Thylakoid-bound chloroplast DNA from spinach is enriched for replication forks.

Chloroplast DNA is bound to the thylakoids of spinach chloroplasts. To examine a possible role for thylakoid-bound DNA in chloroplast DNA replication, vesicles formed by treating chloroplasts in 3.5 mM MgCl2 were used. Chloroplast DNA fragments are bound to the surface of these vesicles. Chloroplast DNA isolated from vesicles that had been first treated with Eco R1 contained 10% of branched fragments whereas chloroplast DNA isolated from intact chloroplasts and treated with Eco R1 contained 2% of branched fragments. This result is consistent with the growing replication fork of chloroplast DNA being associated with the chloroplast internal membrane system. Branched fragments from the chloroplast DNA digested with Eco R1 prior to the isolation from the vesicle contained fragments of unequal length. Membrane binding in chloroplasts may have a similar role in DNA replication as it does in bacteria.

Chloroplasts↗