Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase from avocado (Persea americana) plastids and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts.

Preparations of acetyl-CoA carboxylase [acetyl-CoA-carbon-dioxide ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.4.1.2] have been obtained from the plastids of avocado (Persea americana) fruit mesocarp and from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts. Both preparations required bovine serum albumin, HCO3-, citrate and glycerol for stabilization. The molecular weight of the avocado enzyme was about 6.5 X 10(5) on the basis of 1 mol of biotin/mol of enzyme, the behaviour of both enzymes on gel filtration being in accord with such a value. Removal of the stabilizing bovine serum albumin resulted in the loss of a biotin-containing fragment from the avocado enzyme. Citrate stabilized the enzyme at 10 mM and activated it optimally at 3.0 mM, effecting an approx. 2-fold increase in Vmax. It is suggested that in vivo the enzyme may be located within the chloroplast lamellae.