Oxygen-dependent H2O2 production by Rubisco.

Oxygen and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate dependent, H(2)O(2) production was observed with several wild type Rubisco enzymes using a sensitive assay. H(2)O(2) and d-glycero-2,3-pentodiulose-1,5-bisphosphate, a known and potent inhibitor of Rubisco activity, are predicted products arising from elimination of H(2)O(2) from a peroxyketone intermediate, specific to oxygenase activity. Parallel assays using varying CO(2) and O(2) concentrations revealed that the partitioning to H(2)O(2) during O(2) consumption by spinach Rubisco was constant at 1/260-1/270. High temperature (38 degrees C), which reduces Rubisco specificity for CO(2) versus O(2), increased the rates of H(2)O(2) production and O(2) consumption, resulting in a small increase in partitioning to H(2)O(2) (1/210). Two Rubiscos with lower specificity than spinach exhibited greater partitioning to H(2)O(2) during catalysis: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (1/200); and Rhodospirillum rubrum (1/150).