0000000000559229
AUTHOR
Robert J. Spreitzer
C172S Substitution in the Chloroplast-encoded Large Subunit Affects Stability and Stress-induced Turnover of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase
Previous work has indicated that the turnover of chloroplast ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1. 39) may be controlled by the redox state of certain cysteine residues. To test this hypothesis, directed mutagenesis and chloroplast transformation were employed to create a C172S substitution in the Rubisco large subunit of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The C172S mutant strain was not substantially different from the wild type with respect to growth rate, and the purified mutant enzyme had a normal circular dichroism spectrum. However, the mutant enzyme was inactivated faster than the wild-type enzyme at 40 and 50 degrees C. In contrast, C172S mutant …
Structural and functional consequences of the replacement of proximal residues Cys172 and Cys192 in the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Proximal Cys(172) and Cys(192) in the large subunit of the photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; EC 4.1.1.39) are evolutionarily conserved among cyanobacteria, algae and higher plants. Mutation of Cys(172) has been shown to affect the redox properties of Rubisco in vitro and to delay the degradation of the enzyme in vivo under stress conditions. Here, we report the effect of the replacement of Cys(172) and Cys(192) by serine on the catalytic properties, thermostability and three-dimensional structure of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Rubisco. The most striking effect of the C172S substitution was an 11% increase in the specificity factor when compared wi…