Phosphatidylglycerol synthesis in pea chloroplasts: pathway and localization.

Isolated intact pea chloroplasts synthesized phosphatidylglycerol from either [(14)C]acetate or [(14)C]glycerol 3-phosphate. Both time-course and pulse-chase labeling studies demonstrated a precursor-product relationship between newly synthesized phosphatidic acid and newly synthesized phosphatidylglycerol.The synthesis both of CDP-diacylglycerol from exogenous phosphatidic acid and CTP, and of phosphatidylglycerol from exogenous CDP-diacylglycerol and glycerol 3-phosphate, could be assayed in fractions obtained from disrupted chloroplasts. Moreover, the enzymes catalyzing these reactions were localized in the inner envelope membrane. Exogenous phosphatidic acid was incorporated into phosphatidylglycerol, but only following its incorporation into CDP-diacylglycerol. Finally, radio-active phosphatidic acid synthesized in the envelope membranes from [(14)C]palmitoyl-ACP and 1-oleoyl-glycerol 3-phosphate was sequentially incorporated into labeled CDP-diacylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol upon the addition of appropriate substrates and cofactors. Thus, we have demonstrated that (a) the synthesis of phosphatidylglycerol in chloroplasts occurs by the pathway: phosphatidic acid --> CDP-diacylglycerol -->--> phosphatidylglycerol, and (b) phosphatidylglycerol synthesis is located in the inner envelope membrane.