Regulation der Chlorophyllbiosynthese. Lidit- und entwicklungsbedingte Aktivitätsänderungen von vier aufeinander folgenden Enzymen der Porphyrin- und Chlorophyllbiosynthesekette / Regulation of Chlorophyll Biosynthesis. Changes in Activity of Four Consecutive Enzymes in the Porphyrin and Chlorophyll Biosynthesis Chain during Development and Illumination

Abstract

The activities of enzymes related with chlorophyll and porphyrin synthesis have been examined during development and greening of young corn leaves. The enzymes succinyl-CoA-synthetase (SCoAS), δ-amino-levulinate synthetase (ALAS), δ-amino-levulinate dehydratase (ALAD) and the enzymes involved in porphobilinogenase (PBGA) were under investigaton. When leaves are illuminated and chlorophyll synthesis begins the activity of ALAD is not influenced. The activity of PBGA and SCoAS are slightly higher than in darkness, but the changes are below the range affecting chlorophyll biosynthesis. ALA, however, is only synthetized in the light. Synthesis ceases immediately when illuminiation ist stopped, indicating'that in darkness ALAS is not active. On the other hand ALAS is active in dark grown roots, tubers and other non-leaf tissues. Feeding the plant with succinate, glycine or α-keto-glutarate has no effect on chlorophyll synthesis, but the amount of ALA is reduced, whereas sucrose promotes its accumulation. The results are discussed with completely antitethaal results obtained with tissue cultures of tobacco and are integrated into a scheme which excludes the contrariety of hypotheses deduced from experi- ments with inhibitors of protein and nucleic acid synthesis. It is suggested that the varying results are caused by the action of light on different stages in differentiation of plastids and cells. In contrast to the enzymes SCoAS, ALAD and PBGA whose activities were determined in vitro, ALAS was assayed in vivo by means of the accumulation of (5-amino-levulinate (ALA) after blocking the enzyme ALAD by levulinate (LA). Optimum accumulation is observed when the concentration is about 2 · 10-2 м. LA is not converted to ALA in appreciable amounts. This could be proved by feeding the plants with 14C-LA which was prepared from uniformly labeled 14C-fructose.