The Effect of Light on the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle in Green Leaves: II. Intermediary Metabolism and the Location of Control Points.

Long term feeding of acetate-2-(14)C, (14)CO(2), citrate-1,5-(14)C, fumarate-2,3-(14)C, and succinate-2,3-(14)C to mung bean (Phaseolus aureus L. var. Mungo) leaves in the dark gave labeling predominantly in tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Kinetics of the intermediates during dark/light/dark transitions showed a light-induced interchange of (14)C between malate and aspartate, usually resulting in an accumulation of (14)C in malate and a decrease of it in aspartate. (14)C-Phosphoenolpyruvate also showed a marked decrease during illumination. Changes in other intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle were relatively minor. The kinetic data have been analyzed using the Chance crossover theorem to locate control points during the dark/light/dark transitions. The major apparent control points are located at malate and isocitrate dehydrogenases, and less frequently at citrate synthase and fumarase. These findings are explained in terms of the light-induced changes in adenine nucleotides and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides.