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…