Enzymic and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Reciprocal F(1) Hybrids of Flaveria pringlei (C(3)) and Flaveria brownii (C(4)-Like Species).

The activities of key C(4) enzymes in gel-filtered, whole-leaf extracts and the photosynthetic characteristics for reciprocal F(1) hybrids of Flaveria pringlei (C(3)) and F. brownii (C(4)-like species) were measured to determine whether any inherited C(4)-photosynthetic traits are responsible for their reduced CO(2) compensation concentration values (AS Holaday, S Talkmitt, ME Doohan Plant Sci 41: 31-39). The activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase, and NADP-malic enzyme (ME) for the reciprocal hybrids are only about 7 to 17% of those for F. brownii, but are three- to fivefold greater than the activities for F. pringlei. The low activities of these enzymes in the hybrids appear to be the result of a partial dominance of F. pringlei genes over certain F. brownii genes. However, no such dominance occurs with respect to the expression of genes for NADP-malate dehydrogenase, which is as active in the hybrids as in F. brownii. In contrast to the situation with the enzymes above, cytoplasmic factors appear to determine the inheritance of NAD-ME. The NAD-ME activity in each hybrid is comparable to that in the respective maternal parent. Pulse-chase (14)CO(2) incorporation analyses at ambient CO(2) levels indicate that the hybrids initially assimilate 7 to 9% of the total assimilated CO(2) into C(4) acids as compared to 3.5% for F. pringlei. In the hybrids, the percentage of (14)C in malate decreases from an average of 6.5 to 2.1% after a 60-second chase in (12)CO(2)/air. However, this apparent C(4)-cycle activity is too limited or inefficient to substantially alter CO(2) exchange from that in F. pringlei, since the values of net photosynthesis and O(2) inhibition of photosynthesis are similar for the hybrids and F. pringlei. Also, the ratio of the internal to the external CO(2) concentration and the initial slopes of the plot of CO(2) concentration versus net photosynthesis are essentially the same for the hybrids and F. pringlei. At 45 micromoles CO(2) per mole and 0.21 mole O(2) per mole, the hybrids assimilate nearly fivefold more CO(2) into C(4) acids than does F. pringlei. Some turnover of the malate pool occurs in the hybrids, but the labelling of the photorespiratory metabolites, glycine and serine, is the same in these plants as it is in F. pringlei. Thus, although limited C(4)-acid metabolism may operate in the hybrids, we conclude that it is not effective in altering O(2) inhibition of CO(2) assimilation. The ability of the hybrids to assimilate more CO(2) via phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase at low levels of CO(2) than does F. pringlei may result in an increased rate of reassimilation of photorespiratory CO(2) and CO(2) compensation concentrations below that of their C(3) parent. If the hybrids do possess a limited C(4) cycle, it must operate intracellularly. They are not likely to have inherited an intercellular compartmentation of C(4) enzymes, since F. brownii has incomplete compartmentation of key C(3) and C(4) enzymes.