Activity and quantity of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase-protein in two Crassulacean acid metabolism plants in relation to leaf age, nitrogen nutrition, and point in time during a day/night cycle.

Activity of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase in leaf extracts of the constitutive Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. decreased with increasing leaf age, whereas the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase increased. Changes in enzyme activities were associated with changes in the amount of enzyme proteins as determined by immunochemical analysis, sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and SDS gel electrophoresis of leaf extracts. Young developing leaves of plants which received high amounts of NO 3 (-) during growth contained about 30% of the total soluble protein in the form of RuBP carboxylase; this value declined to about 17% in mature leaves. The level of PEP carboxylase in young leaves of plants at high NO 3 (-) was an estimated 1% of the total soluble protein and increased to approximately 10% in mature leaves, which showed maximum capacity for dark CO2 fixation. The growth of plants at low levels of NO 3 (-) decreased the content of soluble protein per unit leaf area as well as the extractable activity and the percentage contribution of both RUBP carboxylase and PEP carboxylase to total soluble leaf protein. There was no definite change in the ratio of RuBP carboxylase to PEP carboxylase activity with a varying supply of NO 3 (-) during growth. It has been suggested (e.g., Planta 144, 143-151, 1978) that a rhythmic pattern of synthesis and degradation of PEP carboxylase protein is involved in the regulation of β-carboxylation during a day/night cycle in CAM. No such changes in the quantity of PEP carboxylase protein were observed in the leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. or in the leaves of the inducible CAM plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.