Regulation of initial rate of induction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-specific glutamate dehydrogenase during the cell cycle of synchronous Chlorella.

When synchronous cells of the eucaryotic microorganism Chlorella sorokiniana growing in nitrate medium were challenged to synthesize an ammonium-inducible nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-specific glutamate dehydrogenase (NADP-GDH) at frequent intervals during the cell cycle the initial rate of induction (i.e., enzyme potential) of this enzyme increased in an approximately linear manner until the period of DNA replication (i.e., S phase). During the S phase, NADP-GDH potential exhibited a positive rate change proportional to the step increase in DNA level. The timing of this rate change was insensitive to large changes in cellular growth rate. This rate change could be blocked within the first cell cycle by specific inhibition of DNA replication with 2'-deoxyadenosine. The approximately linear increase in NADP-GDH potential and also of total cellular protein observed before and after the S phase is proposed to be a result of the increasing photosynthetic capacity of the cell during the cell cycle.