Primary structure of pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase in the dicotyledonous C4 plant Flaveria trinervia.
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We have isolated and characterized cDNA clones encoding the entire precursor for the leafspecific isoform of pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) from the dicotyledonous C4 plant Flaveria trinervia. The deduced amino acid sequence reveals a high degree of similarity to the corresponding maize protein indicating a common evolutionary basis. However, no significant similarities are apparent upon comparison of the putative transit peptides. The implications of this divergence are discussed with respect to the evolution of PPDK genes. (+info)
Robust control of PEP formation rate in the carbon fixation pathway of C(4) plants by a bi-functional enzyme.
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Purification and properties of the pyruvate kinase of sturgeon muscle.
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Pyruvate kinase was purified from sturgeon muscle in yeilds comparable with those obtained from the muscles of other species. In contrast with mammalian muscle pyruvate kinase the enzyme from sturgeon muscle gives a sigmoidal velocity curve with respect to phosphoenolpuruvate saturation, is activated by fructose 1.6-diphosphate, and is inhibited by bivalent copper ions. In these respects it is similar to the enzyme isolated from mammalian liver. The degree of interaction between phosphoenolpyruvate-binding sites is dependent on temperature. (+info)
Differential expression of C4 pathway genes in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of greening maize leaves.
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Pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, and NADP-malate dehydrogenase function in a series of reactions for fixing CO2 in mesophyll cells and NADP-malic enzyme (ME) catalyzes the production of CO2 and NADPH in bundle sheath cells of maize which is a NADP-ME type C4 plant. Northern blot analyses with cDNA clones for pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and in vitro translation-immunoprecipitation experiments with antiserum to NADP-malate dehydrogenase showed that pools of transcripts of these three genes grow and shrink coordinately in mesophyll cells but not in bundle sheath cells upon illumination of dark-grown maize seedlings. Western blot analyses indicated that the protein levels of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase are low in dark-grown maize seedlings and increase progressively following light-induced transient accumulation of their mRNAs in mesophyll cells. These proteins continue to accumulate and plateau in late-greening and green leaves in spite of a rapid drop in the sizes of their mRNA pools. Surprisingly, relatively large amounts of NADP-malate dehydrogenase are present in mesophyll cells of etiolated leaves despite the low level of the corresponding mRNA. No phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase or NADP-malate dehydrogenase were detected in bundle sheath cells. On the other hand, the ME gene responds to light induction at both the transcriptional and translational levels only in bundle sheath cells. Moreover, the steady-state level of ME mRNA stays high in late-greening and green leaves in contrast to the rapid decline of mRNA levels of three other C4 pathway genes in mesophyll cells. In addition, low levels of both the mRNA and protein encoded by the PPDK gene were detected in bundle sheath cells. These levels were not influenced by light as distinguished from the patterns observed in mesophyll cells. (+info)
DNA methylation and the differential expression of C4 photosynthesis genes in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of greening maize leaves.
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The methylation of nuclear and chloroplast DNAs has been examined in relation to the known differential expression of C4 photosynthesis genes in the bundle sheath and mesophyll cells of etiolated, greening, and fully green maize leaves. We have focused our research on phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase, and the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RBUp2Case) which are coded by nuclear genes, and on the large subunit of RBUp2Case which is coded by a plastid gene. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography revealed several kinds of methylated bases in DNAs of both photosynthetic cell types, with the largest amounts in fully green leaves. The occurrence of selective DNA methylation was investigated by employing an isoschizomeric pair of methyl-sensitive and -insensitive endonucleases followed by Southern hybridizations with specific DNA probes. Notably, there was an inverse correlation between the relative abundance of specific transcripts in a given cell type during greening and the methylation status of the corresponding nuclear or chloroplast gene. Furthermore, a heterologous in vitro transcription system using Escherichia coli RNA polymerase revealed that the plastid gene encoding the RBUp2Case large subunit in both cell types was active as a template in the unmethylated state, whereas it was inactive when methylated. Thus, the selective methylation of both chloroplast and nuclear DNA is likely one component of a multilevel control mechanism for the differential regulation of cell-specific C4 photosynthesis gene expression in greening maize leaves. (+info)
Regulation of gluconeogenesis by the glucitol enzyme III of the phosphotransferase system in Escherichia coli.
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The gut operon was subcloned into various plasmid vectors (M. Yamada and M. H. Saier, Jr., J. Bacteriol. 169:2990-2994, 1987). Constitutive expression of the plasmid-encoded operon prevented utilization of alanine and Krebs cycle intermediates when they were provided as sole sources of carbon for growth. Expression of the gutB gene alone (encoding the glucitol enzyme III), subcloned downstream from either the lactose promoter or the tetracycline resistance promoter, inhibited utilization of the same compounds. On the other hand, overexpression of the gutA gene (encoding the glucitol enzyme II) inhibited the utilization of a variety of sugars as well as alanine and Krebs cycle intermediates by an apparently distinct mechanism. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity was greatly reduced in cells expressing high levels of the cloned gutB gene but was nearly normal in cells expressing high levels of the gutA gene. A chromosomal mutation in the gutR gene, which gave rise to constitutive expression of the chromosomal gut operon, also gave rise to growth inhibition on gluconeogenic substrates as well as reduced phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity. Phosphoenolpyruvate synthase activity in general varied in parallel with that of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. These results suggest that high-level expression of the glucitol enzyme III of the phosphotransferase system can negatively regulate gluconeogenesis by repression or inhibition of the two key gluconeogenic enzymes, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and phosphoenolpyruvate synthase. (+info)