Changing ribulose diphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity in ripening tomato fruit.

Tomato fruit (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill) from green, pink, and red stages were assayed for changes in the activity of ribulose diphosphate carboxylase and oxygenase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, changes in the levels of glycolate and respiratory gas exchange. The ribulose diphosphate carboxylase activity decreased as the fruit ripened. By comparison, the ribulose diphosphate oxygenase activity increased during the transition from the green to the pink stage, and declined afterward. The changes in the endogenous glycolate levels and the respiratory gas exchange, as observed at different stages of ripening, resembled the changes in the ribulose diphosphate oxygenase activity. The utilization of glycolate in further metabolic activity may result in the formation of peroxidases required for the onset of ripening.