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The evolution of C4 photosynthesis in many taxa involves the establishment of a two-celled photorespiratory CO2 pump, termed C2 photosynthesis. How C3 species evolved C2 metabolism is critical to understanding the initial phases of C4 plant evolution. To evaluate early events in C4 evolution, we compared leaf anatomy, ultrastructure, and gas-exchange responses of closely related C3 and C2 species of Flaveria, a model genus for C4 evolution. We hypothesized that Flaveria pringlei and Flaveria robusta, two C3 species that are most closely related to the C2 Flaveria species, would show rudimentary characteristics of C2 physiology. Compared with less-related C3 species, bundle sheath (BS) cells of F. pringlei and F. robusta had more mitochondria and chloroplasts, larger mitochondria, and proportionally more of these organelles located along the inner cell periphery. These patterns were similar, although generally less in magnitude, than those observed in the C2 species Flaveria angustifolia and Flaveria sonorensis. In F. pringlei and F. robusta, the CO2 compensation point of photosynthesis was slightly lower than in the less-related C3 species, indicating an increase in photosynthetic efficiency. This could occur because of enhanced refixation of photorespired CO2 by the centripetally positioned organelles in the BS cells. If the phylogenetic positions of F. pringlei and F. robusta reflect ancestral states, these results support a hypothesis that increased numbers of centripetally located organelles initiated a metabolic scavenging of photorespired CO2 within the BS. This could have facilitated the formation of a glycine shuttle between mesophyll and BS cells that characterizes C2 photosynthesis.

Mature seeds of both the high-starch starch-excess1 (sex1) mutant and the almost starchless phosphoglucomutase1 mutant of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) have 30% to 40% less lipid than seeds of wild-type plants. We show that this is a maternal effect and is not attributable to the defects in starch metabolism in the embryo itself. Low lipid contents and consequent slow postgerminative growth are seen only in mutant embryos that develop on maternal plants with mutant phenotypes. Mutant embryos that develop on plants with wild-type starch metabolism have wild-type lipid contents and postgerminative growth. The maternal effect on seed lipid content is attributable to carbohydrate starvation in the mutant fruit at night. Fruits on sex1 plants grow more slowly than those on wild-type plants, particularly at night, and have low sugars and elevated expression of starvation genes at night. Transcript levels of the transcription factor WRINKLED1, implicated in lipid synthesis, are reduced at night in sex1 but not in wild-type seeds, and so are transcript levels of key enzymes of glycolysis and fatty acid synthesis. sex1 embryos develop more slowly than wild-type embryos. We conclude that the reduced capacity of mutant plants to convert starch to sugars in leaves at night results in low nighttime carbohydrate availability in the developing fruit. This in turn reduces the rate of development and expression of genes encoding enzymes of storage product accumulation in the embryo. Thus, the supply of carbohydrate from the maternal plant to the developing fruit at night can have an important influence on oilseed composition and on postgerminative growth.

The dynamics of developing linseed embryo metabolism was investigated using (13)C-labelling experiments where the real-time kinetics of label incorporation into metabolites was monitored in situ using in vivo NMR. The approach took advantage of the occurrence in this plant tissue of large metabolite pools - such as sucrose or lipids - to provide direct and quantitative measurement of the evolution of the labelling state within central metabolism. As a pre-requisite for the use of steady state flux measurements it was shown that isotopic steady state was reached within 3 h at the level of central intermediates whereas it took a further 6h for the sucrose pool. Complete isotopic and metabolic steady state took 18 h to be reached. The data collected during the transient state where label was equilibrated but the metabolic steady state was incomplete, enabled the rates of lipid and sucrose synthesis to be measured in situ on the same sample. This approach is suitable to get a direct assessment of metabolic time-scales within living plant tissues and provides a valuable complement to steady state flux determinations.

The plastidial phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)/phosphate translocator (PPT) is expressed in the developing embryos of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). PEP can be imported by plastids isolated from embryos and used for fatty acid synthesis at rates that are sufficient to account for one-third of the rate of fatty acid synthesis in vivo. This provides the first experimental evidence for uptake of PEP and incorporation of carbon from it into fatty acids by plastids. PEP metabolism in isolated plastids is able to provide some of the ATP required for fatty acid synthesis. Expression of the PPT and related glucose 6-phosphate (Glc-6-P) translocator (GPT) is high in early embryo and leaf development and then declines. The marked decline in the abundance of PPT and GPT transcripts between the pre- and mid-oil accumulating stages of embryo development in B. napus does not correlate with the corresponding translocator activities, which both increase over the same period. This means that transcript abundance cannot be used to infer the activity of the translocators.

In order to establish a model system for comparative studies of C 3 and C 3 -C 4 intermediate photosynthesis, the development of efficient transformation systems and the monitoring of transgene behaviour and stability were carried out in two closely related Moricandia species (Brassicaceae): the C 3 -C 4 photosynthetic intermediate species M.arvensis and the C 3 species M. moricandioides. In this study the green fluorescent protein (gfp) reporter gene was used as a vital marker gene while the use of the β-glucuronidase (gusA) gene was based on the highly sensitive detection of its activity. For Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of leaf explants, a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter-driven, modified version of gfp, the mgfp5-ER gene and the gusA gene, respectively, were introduced into the new dual binary transformation vector system pGreen/pSoup (Hellens et al. 2000, Plant Mol Bio 42: 819-832). GFP5 produced bright-green fluorescence in transformed tissues that was distinctly detected 5-12 days following transformation in developing calli of the two species. Visual screening, combined with antibiotic selection, enabled early and easy identification of transformation events and contributed to improvements in the transformation strategies. Transgene integration studies demonstrated that mgfp5-ER was inserted with low copy number in the M.arvensis plant lines and the transgene was transmitted in a Mendelian fashion to T 1 and T 2 progenies. GFP5 expression levels in a population of 100 independent primary transformed M. arvensis plant lines (To) showed great variation between transformation events (coefficient of variation of 108%). The mgfp5-ER or gusA reporter genes were expressed in 90-95% of the kanamycin-resistant M. arvensis plant lines and in up to 98% of the independent M. moricandioides plant lines.

The sugars in the endosperm of a developing seed have many potential roles, including the supply of carbon to the developing embryo and controlling gene expression in it. Our understanding of their metabolism is, however, fragmentary and is confined to a very few species (especially Vicia spp.). To develop a quantitative understanding of the regulation of sugars in seeds of oilseed rape (Brassica napus), we measured relevant enzyme activities, the sizes of the pools of sugars in the liquid endosperm, and the flux of sugars from the endosperm into the embryo. The concentrations of hexose sugars in the liquid endosperm decreased, and sucrose (Suc) increased through development. The overall osmotic potential also fell. The timing of the changes was not precise enough to determine whether they signaled the onset of rapid accumulation of storage products. Changes in endosperm invertase activity were complex and quantitatively do not explain the changes in sugars. The embryo can metabolize hexose sugars in addition to Suc, and possibly at higher rates. Therefore, in addition to invertase, the growing embryo itself has a potential to influence the balance of sugars in the endosperm. The activity of Suc synthase in the embryo was greater than that of invertase during development. This observation and a higher activity of fructokinase than glucokinase in the embryo are both consistent with the embryo using Suc as a carbon source.

The uptake in vitro of glucose (Glc)-6-phosphate (Glc-6-P) into plastids from the roots of 10- to 14-d-old pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Puget) plants was inhibited by oleoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) concentrations in the low micromolar range (1–2 μm). The IC50 (the concentration of inhibitor that reduces enzyme activity by 50%) for the inhibition of Glc-6-P uptake was approximately 750 nm; inhibition was reversed by recombinant rapeseed (Brassica napus) acyl-CoA binding protein. In the presence of ATP (3 mm) and CoASH (coenzyme A; 0.3 mm), Glc-6-P uptake was inhibited by 60%, due to long-chain acyl-CoA synthesis, presumably from endogenous sources of fatty acids present in the preparations. Addition of oleoyl-CoA (1 μm) decreased carbon flux from Glc-6-P into the synthesis of starch and through the oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP) pathway by up to 73% and 40%, respectively. The incorporation of carbon from Glc-6-P into fatty acids was not detected under any conditions. Oleoyl-CoA inhibited the incorporation of acetate into fatty acids by 67%, a decrease similar to that when ATP was excluded from incubations. The oleoyl-CoA-dependent inhibition of fatty acid synthesis was attributable to a direct inhibition of the adenine nucleotide translocator by oleoyl-CoA, which indirectly reduced fatty acid synthesis by ATP deprivation. The Glc-6-P-dependent stimulation of acetate incorporation into fatty acids was reversed by the addition of oleoyl-CoA.

Addition of oleoyl-CoA (1 microM), or other acyl-CoA thioesters with a chain length of C(16) or greater, to oilseed rape plastids (Brassica napus L.) inhibited the rate of D-glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P) uptake by 70% after 2 min. The IC(50) value for oleoyl-CoA inhibition of the transporter was approx. 0.2-0.3 microM. Inhibition was alleviated by the addition of acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) or BSA at slightly higher concentrations. Oleic acid (5-25 microM), Tween 40 (10 microM), Triton-X 100 (10 microM) and palmitoylcarnitine (5 microM) had no effect on Glc6P uptake. The uptake of [1-(14)C]Glc6P occurred in exchange for P(i), 3-phosphoglycerate or Glc6P at a typical rate of 30 nmol Glc6P/min per unit of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)). The K(m(app)) of the Glc6P transporter for Glc6P was 100 microM. Neither CoA (0.3 mM) nor ATP (3 mM) inhibited Glc6P uptake, but the transporter was inhibited by 72% when ATP and CoA were added together. This inhibition was attributable to the synthesis of acyl-CoA thioesters, predominantly oleoyl-CoA and palmitoyl-CoA, by long-chain fatty acid-CoA ligase (EC 6.2.1.3) from endogenous fatty acids in the plastid preparations. Acyl-CoA thioesters did not inhibit the uptake of [2-(14)C]pyruvate or D-[1-(14)C]glucose into plastids. In vivo quantities of oleoyl-CoA and other long-chain acyl-CoA thioesters were lower than those for ACBP in early cotyledonary embryos, 0.7+/-0.2 pmol/embryo and 2.2+/-0.2 pmol/embryo respectively, but in late cotyledonary embryos quantities of long-chain acyl-CoA thioesters were greater than ACBP, 3+/-0.4 pmol/embryo and 1.9+/-0.2 pmol/embryo respectively.

The effects of long-chain acyl-CoA (lcACoA) esters (both added exogenously and synthesized de novo) and acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) on plastidial glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P) and pyruvate metabolism were examined using isolated plastids. The binding of lcACoA esters by ACBP stimulated the utilization of Glc6P for fatty acid synthesis, starch synthesis and reductant supply via the oxidative pentose phosphate (OPP) pathway. Stimulation occurred at low (1-10 μM) concentrations of ACBP. Pyruvate-dependent fatty acid synthesis was not directly affected by ACBP. However, addition of ACBP did increase the Glc6P-dependent stimulation of pyruvate utilization mediated through the OPP pathway. On the basis of these experiments, we conclude that lcACoA esters may inhibit Glc6P uptake into plastids, and that this inhibition is relieved by ACBP. We also suggest that utilization of other substrates for fatty acid synthesis may be affected by lcACoA/ACBP via their effects on the OPP pathway.

Two cDNA clones were isolated from pea (Pisum sativum L.) and their deduced amino acid sequences shown to have significant homology to phosphoglucomutases from eukaryotic and prokaryotic sources. The longer cDNA contained a putative transit-peptide-encoding sequence, supporting the hypothesis that the isolated clones represent the cytosolic and plastidial isoforms of phosphoglucomutase in pea. Plastid protein import assays confirmed that the putative plastidial isoform was targeted to the plastid stroma where it was proteolytically processed. Expression, co-segregation, linkage, and molecular analyses have confirmed that therug3 locus of pea encodes plastidial phosphoglucomutase. Mutations at this locus result in a near-starchless phenotype of the plant.

Cellular anatomy and expression of glycine decarboxylase (GDC) protein were studied during leaf development of the C3-C4intermediate species Moricandia arvensis. Leaf anatomy was initially C3-like and the number and profile area of mitochondria in the bundle-sheath cells were the same as those in adjacent mesophyll cells. Between a leaf length of 6 and 12 mm there was a bundle-sheath-specific, 4-fold increase in the number of mitochondrial profiles, followed by a doubling of their individual profile areas as the leaves expanded further. Subunits of GDC were present in whole-leaf extracts before the anatomical development of bundle-sheath cells. Whereas the GDC H-protein content of leaves increased steadily throughout development, the increase in GDC P-protein was synchronous with the development of mitochondria in the bundle sheath. The P-protein was confined to bundle-sheath mitochondria throughout leaf development, and its content in individual mitochondria increased before the anatomical development of the bundle sheath. Anatomical and biochemical attributes of the C3-C4 character were present in the cotyledons and sepals but not in other photosynthetic organs/tissues. In leaves and cotyledons that developed in the dark, the expression of the P-protein and the organellar development were reduced but the bundle-sheath cell specificity was retained.

Expression and characteristics of an acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) from Brassica napus L. were examined. A cDNA encoding an ACBP from rape was over-expressed in E. coli and the resulting protein (rACBP) was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by gel filtration chromatography. SDS-PAGE showed the protein to be greater than 99 % pure and to have a molecular weight of approximately 10 kDa. Lipidex-1000 competition assays showed that the rACBP purified by this method is fully functional, binding both oleoyl- and palmitoyl-CoA in the ratio 1 mol protein:1 mol acyl-CoA. Native isoelectric focusing revealed the presence of two isoforms of rACBP in ammonium sulphate and gel-filtration purified preparations. These isoforms were separated by chromatofocusing and shown to differ in mass by 131 Da, the mass of one methionine residue. Both of these isoforms bound palmitoyl-CoA with similar affinities. Antibodies raised to purified rACBP were used to study tissue specific and developmental expression of ACBP. Western blots revealed the presence of ACBP in all tissues examined and the level of expression was similar in many of those tissues. The amount of ACBP was not, however, strongly correlated with rates of lipid biosynthesis during embryo development nor with lipid degradation during seedling germination. The addition of rACBP stimulated microsomal glycerol-3-phosphate acyl-transferase (GPAT; EC 2.3.1.15) activity in in vitro assays, but concentrations in excess of a 1:1 ratio of ACBP:oleoyl-CoA caused decreases in GPAT activity.

Plastids isolated from developing leaves and embryos of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) were incubated with substrates in the light or the dark, with or without exogenous ATP. Incorporation of HCO 3-, and carbon from a range of substrates into fatty acids and/or starch by leaf chloroplasts was absolutely light-dependent and was unaffected by provision of ATP. Incorporation of HCO 3- into fatty acids and/or starch by embryo plastids was also light-dependent. However, the light-dependent rates attained, when expressed on a comparable basis, were less than 32% of those from Glc6P (plus ATP), which was the most effective substrate for starch and fatty acid synthesis. In the light alone the rates of carbon incorporation from Glc6P, pyruvate and acetate into fatty acids, and from Glc6P into starch by embryo plastids were less than 27% of the respective ATP-dependent (dark) rates. Light had no effect on these ATP-dependent rates of synthesis by embryo plastids. While transporter activities for both glucose and Glc6P were present in embryo plastids, leaf chloroplasts did not have the latter activity. It is concluded that light at in vivo levels can contribute energy to carbon metabolism in embryo plastids. However, this contribution is likely to be small and these plastids are therefore largely dependent upon interaction with the cytosol for the ATP, reducing power and carbon precursors that are required for maximal rates of starch and fatty acid synthesis.

An intergeneric hybrid plant was produced between the C3-C4 intermediate species Moricandia nitens and the C3 species Brassica napus by sexual hybridization and in vitro embryo rescue. The hybrid nature of the plant was apparent in its morphology and flower pigmentation and was confirmed by leaf isozyme patterns. The overall plant morphology and the shape and thickness of leaves of the hybrid plant were intermediate between those of the parent species. However, the bundle-sheath cells of the hybrid resembled those of the C3 parent and lacked the organelle development of the C3-C4 intermediate parent. Immunogold labelling for the presence of the P subunit of the mitochondrial glycine decarboxylase complex revealed a very similar labelling density on mitochondria in bundle-sheath and mesophyll cells in B. napus, while in M. nitens the P subunit was only detectable in bundle sheath cells. In the hybrid the labelling density on mesophyll cell mitochondria was almost half of that on the bundle-sheath mitochondria. The CO2 compensation point of the hybrid was significantly less than that of the C3 parent but was not as low, nor as responsive to changes in light intensity, as for the C3-C4 parent.

The aim of this work was to characterise the metabolism of starch in developing embryos of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. cv. Topaz). The accumulation of starch in embryos in siliques which were darkened or had been exposed to the light was similar, suggesting that the starch is synthesised from imported sucrose rather than via photosynthesis in the embryo. Starch content and the activities of plastidial enzymes required for synthesis of starch from glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P) both peaked during the early-mid stage of cotyledon development (i.e. during the early part of oil accumulation) and then declined. The mature embryo contained almost no starch. The starch-degrading enzymes α-(EC 3.2.1.1) and β-amylase (EC 3.2.1.2) and phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) were present throughout development. Most of the activity of these three enzymes was extraplastidial and therefore unlikely to be involved in starch degradation, but there were distinct plastidial and extraplastidial isoforms of all three enzymes. Activity gels indicated that distinct plastidial isoforms increase during the change from net synthesis to net degradation of starch. Plastids isolated from embryos at stages both before and after the maximum starch content could convert Glc6P to starch although the rate was lower at the later stage. The results are consistent with the idea that starch synthesis and degradation occur simultaneously during embryo development. The possible roles of transient starch accumulation during embryo development are discussed.

The aim of this study was to assess the photosynthetic potential of developing seeds of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and to compare photosynthetic properties of embryo plastids with those of leaf chloroplasts from the same species. Measurements of CO 2 -dependent O 2 evolution show that developing seeds of B. napus are photosynthetically active in vitro. Essentially, all of the photosynthetic activity of the developing seed is accounted for by the embryo. The rate of photosynthesis by developing embryos increased until the onset of desiccation, after which it declined, so that by maturity embryos were no longer photosynthetically active. Photosynthetic activity was positively correlated with chlorophyll content throughout development. Comparison of the photosynthetic characteristics of leaf and embryo chloroplasts revealed that rates of uncoupled electron transport were 2.5-fold greater in those from the embryo. Light-saturated rates of CO 2 -dependent O 2 evolution, per unit chlorophyll, and CO 2 saturation points were similar for chloroplasts from both tissues. However, light-saturation points and chlorophyll a/b ratios were lower for embryo than for leaf choroplasts. Embryos and embryo chloroplasts also contained considerably less ribulose 1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase/oxygenase protein per unit total protein, than leaves. Although excised embryos were capable of high rates of CO 2 -dependent O 2 evolution (90-100 μmol mg -1 chlorophyll h -1 ) under a saturating photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), low transmittance of light through the silique wall (30%), together with the high PPFD required to achieve light compensation points in developing seeds (500 μmol m -2 s -1 ), suggests that photosynthesis in vivo is unlikely to make a net contribution to carbon economy under normal environmental conditions.

A cDNA encoding a dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2) subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex has been isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana. A cell culture cDNA expression library was screened with a monoclonal antibody (JIM 63) raised against nuclear matrix proteins, and four clones were isolated. One of these was 2175 base pairs in length, and it contained an open reading frame with an amino acid sequence and domain structure with strong similarity to the E2s of other eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. The organization and number of functional domains within the Arabidopsis protein are identical to those of the human E2, although the amino acid sequences within these domains are equally similar to those of the yeast and human proteins. The predicted amino acid sequence reveals the presence of a putative amino-terminal leader sequence with characteristics similar to those of other proteins, which are targeted to the plant mitochondrial matrix. The cross-reactivities of plant mitochondrial matrix proteins with JIM 63 and antibodies raised against the E2 and protein X components of eukaryotic pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes are consistent with the clone encoding a mitochondrial form of E2 and not the smaller protein X. The E2 mRNA of 2.2 kilobases was expressed in a range of Arabidopsis and Brassica napus tissues.

We have isolated and sequenced cDNA clones encoding T-protein of the glycine decarboxylase complex from three plant species, Flaveria pringlei, Solanum tuberosum and Pisum sativum. The predicted amino acid sequences of these clones are at least 87% identical and all are similar to the predicted sequences of the bovine, human, chicken and Escherichia coli T-proteins. Alignment of all these sequences revealed conserved domains, one of which showed a significant similarity to a part of the formyltetrahydrofolate synthetases from procaryotes and eucaryotes. This suggests that the T-protein sequence is not as unique as previously thought.

The mechanisms and regulation of storage lipid formation in seeds are reviewed. Seed storage lipids are ultimately derived from simple carbon compounds, such as sucrose, which are imported into seeds from source tissues, such as leaves or pods. The partitioning of this important carbon towards storage lipid, carbohydrate or protein is regulated by a complex interaction between genetically-determined endogenous factors and external environmental influences. Storage lipids are synthesized from fatty acids, derived from acetyl-CoA, and glycerol 3-phosphate. Fatty acid biosynthesis and probably acetyl-CoA formation, occurs within the plastids to produce oleoyl-CoA. Further elaboration of oleoyl-CoA to produce polyunsaturates, hydroxylates or very long chain acyl-CoAs occurs on the endoplasmic reticulum, as does the esterification of acyl-CoAs to glycerol-3-phosphate to produce the final triacylglycerol storage oil. The temporal and hormonal regulation of storage lipid accumulation in seeds is discussed.

Summary •Starch accumulates early during embryo development in Arabidopsis and oilseed rape, then disappears during oil accumulation. Little is known about the nature and importance of starch metabolism in oilseed embryos. •Histochemical and quantitative measures of starch location and content were made on developing seeds and embryos from wild-type Arabidopsis plants, and from mutants lacking enzymes of starch synthesis and degradation with established roles in leaf starch turnover. Feeding experiments with [14C]sucrose were used to measure the rate of starch synthesis in oilseed rape embryos within intact siliques. •The patterns of starch turnover in the developing embryo are spatially and temporally complex. Accumulation is associated with zones of cell division. Study of mutant plants reveals a major role in starch turnover for glucan, water dikinase (absent from the sex1 mutant) and isoforms of beta-amylase (absent from various bam mutants). Starch is synthesized throughout the period of its accumulation and loss in embryos within intact siliques of oilseed rape. •We suggest that starch turnover is functionally linked to cell division and differentiation rather than to developmental or storage functions specific to embryos. The pathways of embryo starch metabolism are similar in several respects to those in Arabidopsis leaves.

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) has been purified from the mitochondria of green pea leaves. Activity can be fractionated into two distinct peaks by ion exchange chromatography. While these two forms of the enzyme are immunologically indistinguishable, immunoinhibition experiments show the presence of a distinct non-mitochondrial third form of the enzyme to also be present in green pea leaves. While this mitochondrial form of SHMT is abundant in leaves it is absent from roots, although the two tissues have comparable SHMT activity. An antibody raised to purified mitochondrial SHMT was used to screen a cDNA expression library. The sequence of one of the isolated positive clones contained an open reading frame, which encoded a sequence that matched the amino acid sequence determined from the N terminus of the mature protein. The open reading frame encodes a mature protein of 487 amino acids with a M(r) of 54,000, together with a 27-31 amino acid serine-rich leader sequence, presumably required for mitochondrial targeting. The cDNA hybridizes to a small multigene family of 2-3 genes, which appear to be expressed predominantly in leaves. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with the amino acid sequences of the rabbit mitochondrial and cytoplasmic SHMT, show that pea mitochondrial SHMT is equally similar to both of these enzymes. In addition, the rabbit sequences are more like one another than they are to the pea sequence, suggesting an interesting evolutionary relationship for these proteins.

Acyl-CoA esters inhibit the plastidial glucose 6-phosphate (Glc-6-P) transporter and the adenylate transporter; the IC50 values for the inhibition by oleoyl-CoA (18:1-CoA) are 200–400 nM and 1–2 μM respectively. The inhibition of either of these processes significantly reduces the flux of carbon from Glc-6-P or from acetate into longchain fatty acids. The effect is dependent on the acyl chain length, e.g. lauryl-CoA is less inhibitory than oleoyl-CoA, causing 34 and 68% inhibition respectively of Glc-6-P uptake after 30 s. The inhibition of Glc-6-P and ATP transport is alleviated by addition of an equivalent concentration of acyl-CoA-binding protein (ACBP) or BSA. Acyl-CoAs do not inhibit pyruvate or glucose transporters. The endogenous concentrations of acyl-CoAs and ACBP are similar during embryo maturation.

Changes in the levels of the four subunits of the mitochondrial enzyme glycine decarboxylase (EC 2.1.2.10) have been investigated during development in the 8 day old primary leaf of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Proteins were extracted from wheat leaf sections between the basal meristem and 8.5 centimeters. The individual glycine decarboxylase subunits were detected by Western blotting, using subunit-specific polyclonal antibodies, and quantified by laser densitometry. P, T, and H subunits showed similar developmental patterns along the leaf. All were below the level of detection up to 1.5 centimeters from the meristem, but then increased over the leaf length examined. In contrast, the increase in the L protein (lipoamide dehydrogenase) was more gradual, and levels in the youngest regions of the leaf were maintained at approximately 14% of those at 8.5 centimeters. In a complementary study, levels of the four subunits in light-grown leaf tissues were compared to those in etiolated leaves from wheat and pea (Pisum sativum L.), using the activity of the mitochondrial marker enzyme fumarase as the basis for comparison. For both wheat and pea, levels of P, T, and H proteins in etiolated tissues were between 25 and 30% of those in lightgrown tissue. However, in etiolated tissues L protein was present at levels of 60 to 70% of that in light-grown tissues. The results indicate that discrete mechanisms may control the synthesis of L, as compared to P, T, and H proteins.

The provision of carbon substrates and reducing power for fatty acid synthesis in the heterotrophic plastids of developing embryos of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has been investigated. Profiles of oil and storage protein accumulation were determined and embryos at 17 and 24 days after anthesis (DAA) were selected to represent early and late periods of oil accumulation. Plastids isolated from either 17 or 24 DAA embryos did not incorporate label from [1-(14)C]glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P) into fatty acids. Malate, when supplied alone, supported the highest rates of fatty acid synthesis by the isolated plastids at both stages. Pyruvate supported rates of fatty acid synthesis at 17 DAA that were comparable to those supported by malate, but only when incubations also included Glc6P. The stimulatory effect of Glc6P on pyruvate utilization at 17 DAA was related to the rapid utilization of Glc6P through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP) at this stage. Addition of pyruvate to incubations containing [1-(14)C]Glc6P increased OPPP activity (measured as (14)CO(2) release), while the addition of malate suppressed it. Observations of the interactions between the rate of metabolite utilization for fatty acid synthesis and the rate of the OPPP are consistent with regulation of the OPPP by redox control of the plastidial glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity through the demand for NADPH. During pyruvate utilization for fatty acid synthesis, flux through the OPPP increases as NADPH is consumed, whereas during malate utilization, in which NADPH is produced by NADP-malic enzyme, flux through the OPPP is decreased.

In this study it is shown that at least 10% of the major storage product of developing embryos of Brassica napus (L.), triacylglycerol, is lost during the desiccation phase of seed development. The metabolism of this lipid was studied by measurements of the fate of label from [1-(14)C]decanoate supplied to isolated embryos, and by measurements of the activities of enzymes of fatty acid catabolism. Measurements on desiccating embryos have been compared with those made on embryos during lipid accumulation and on germinating seedlings. Enzymes of beta-oxidation and the glyoxylate cycle, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were present in embryos during oil accumulation, and increased in activity and abundance as the seeds matured and became desiccated. Although the activities were less than those measured during germination, they were at least comparable to the in vivo rate of fatty acid synthesis in the embryo during development. The pattern of labelling, following metabolism of decanoate by isolated embryos, indicated a much greater involvement of the glyoxylate cycle during desiccation than earlier in oil accumulation, and showed that much of the (14)C-label from decanoate was released as CO(2) at both stages. Sucrose was not a product of decanoate metabolism during embryo development, and therefore lipid degradation was not associated with net gluconeogenic activity. These observations are discussed in the context of seed development, oil yield, and the synthesis of novel fatty acids in plants.

The potential role of the plastidial oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP) in providing the NADPH for fatty acid synthesis in plastids from developing embryos of Brassica napus (L.) has been investigated. Measurements of distributions of enzyme activities in fractions obtained from homogenates of isolated embryos have revealed that the glucose 6-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenases are present in both cytosol and plastid, as is ribose 5-phosphate isomerase. However, transketolase and transaldolase are most probably confined to the plastid, while ribulose 5-phosphate epimerase is essentially cytosolic, although a very small proportion of plastid-localized activity cannot be ruled out. The activity of the OPPP in intact plastids was measured by the release of 14 CO 2 from [1- 14 C]glucose 6-phosphate. Activity was detectable in the absence of electron sinks created by the addition of metabolites to the incubation media and was stimulated 1.3-, 3.2-, and 7.9-fold by the respective additions of glutamine plus 2-oxoglutarate, cofactors and substrates for fatty acid synthesis, or methyl viologen. An increase in OPPP activity in response to additions that are absolutely required for fatty acid synthesis in these isolated plastids provides direct evidence that these two processes are connected, most probably by NADP/NADPH metabolism. The OPPP activity with methyl viologen was more than twice that during fatty acid synthesis, suggesting that the latter is not limited by OPPP capacity. Light energy may also contribute to reductant provision and, consistent with the possibility of maintenance of a balance of NADPH from light and the OPPP, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the isolated plastids was decreased by light or by DTT.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) microscopy is a completely noninvasive technique that can be used to acquire images with high spatial resolution through opaque objects such as plant organs and tissue parts. The image contrast can be chosen to represent the anatomical details or to visualize the spatial distribution of a range of physico-chemical parameters such as the apparent diffusion constant of water or the velocity of water flow within plants in vivo. In addition, images can be generated which show the spatial distribution of metabolites. Furthermore, it is possible to detect chemical compounds labelled with the stable isotope (13)C and to generate images showing the spatial distribution of the (13)C label in the intact plant. The ability to monitor water flow and transport of (13)C-labelled tracer in intact plants with NMR microscopy favours the use of this technique in the investigation of long-distance transport processes in plants. A short introduction into the technical principles of NMR microscopy is provided and the problems associated with applications to plants are summarized. The potential of the technique is explained with applications to Zinnia elegans plants, wheat grains and Brassica napus siliques.

The expression of the plastidial glucose 6-phosphate transporter was altered using RNAi to investigate the role that this transporter plays in the regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis in oilseed rape and Arabidopsis embryos. A number of transgenic lines of oilseed rape were produced, each showing a reduction in mature seed mass and germination rate. Two lines showed up to a 90% reduction in mature seed number and contain less than 50% oil (w/w) than wild type. A reduction in total seed oil was also observed in transgenic Arabidopsis.

One of the prime requirements for fatty acid synthesis in plastids are carbon skeletons for the generation of acetyl-CoA, the substrate of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, the enzyme that initiates the pathway by supplying fatty acid synthase with malonyl-CoA. Previous experiments by Johnson et al. (2000) demonstrated how in vitro the rate long-chain fatty acid synthesis-palmitic and oleic acids-in oilseed rape plastids was reduced by 75% in the presence of ATP and the cofactor CoASH; both the latter are required by long-chain fatty acid CoA ligase for synthesis of long-chain acyl-CoA thioesters (1cACoAs). This inhibitory effect was alleviated by ACBP (acyl-CoA binding protein), a molecule that binds lcACoAs including oleoyl-CoA (18 : 1-CoA). Later experiments (Fox et al., 2000) showed that addition of 18 : 1-CoA at sub-micro-molar concentrations (0.1–0.3 µM) significantly inhibited [1−14C]Glc6P (glucose 6-phosphate) uptake into developing oilseed rape embryo plastids. This effect was dependent on the acyl chain length of the 1cACoA (no effect < C12, lauryl-CoA) and was reversed by addition of either ACBP or BSA at equimolar concentration. Overall, the conclusion from both experiments was that lcACoAs, intermediates in the synthesis of lipids (the Kennedy Pathway enzymes) at the endoplasmic reticulum where they are substrates for acyltransferase enzymes, were themselves inhibitory to the protein responsible for the transport of G1c6P into the stroma, i.e. the Glc6P translocator. The latter resides on the plastid envelope of heterologous tissues and functions through a strict 1 : 1 exchange of G1c6P mainly with PO4 or triose phosphates (Kammerer et al., 1998). Here we report results of experiments to further test this idea; that the effect of 18 : 1-CoA in inhibiting fatty acid synthesis, witnessed in earlier experiments, is due to a direct effect of the acyl-thioester on the Glc6P translocator. For such an analysis we employed purified Glc6P protein reconstituted into artificial membranes, namely, liposomes (spheres composed of phospholipid bilayers).

The supply of carbon to oil in the developing oilseed embryo implicates compartmentation of metabolism at the whole organ, tissue, cellular and subcellular levels. We have begun to address this by studying the metabolism of sucrose in whole seeds of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Sugars are carbon sources for growth of the embryo within the seed and also signal molecules that control the expression of genes. Understanding the sugar environment of the developing embryo is therefore of dual importance.

The de novo synthesis of fatty acids in plants occurs in the plastids through the activity of fatty acid synthetase. The synthesis of the malonyl-coenzyme A that is required for acyl-chain elongation requires the import of metabolites from the cytosol and their subsequent metabolism. Early studies had implicated acetate as the carbon source for plastidial fatty acid synthesis but more recent experiments have provided data that argue against this. A range of cytosolic metabolites including glucose 6-phosphate, malate, phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate support high rates of fatty acid synthesis by isolated plastids, the relative utilisation of which depends upon the plant species and the organ from which the plastids are isolated. The import of these metabolites occurs via specific transporters on the plastid envelope and recent advances in the understanding of the role of these transporters are discussed. Chloroplasts are able to generate the reducing power and ATP required for fatty acid synthesis by capture of light energy in the reactions of photosynthetic electron transport. Regulation of chloroplast fatty acid synthesis is mediated by the response of acetyl-CoA carboxylase to the redox state of the plastid, which ensures that the carbon metabolism is linked to the energy status. The regulation of fatty acid synthesis in plastids of heterotrophic cells is much less well understood and is of particular interest in the tissues that accumulate large amounts of the storage oil, triacylglycerol. In these heterotrophic cells the plastids import ATP and oxidise imported carbon sources to produce the required reducing power. The sequencing of the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana has now enabled a number of aspects of plant fatty acid synthesis to be re-addressed, particularly those areas in which in vitro biochemical analysis had provided equivocal answers. Examples of such aspects and future opportunities for our understanding of plant fatty acid synthesis are presented and discussed.

We report the first measurements of the kinetics of transmembrane transport of acyl chains in plants. This was achieved by separating the period of in vitro synthesis of fatty acids from their export and by making use of acyl-CoA-binding protein (ACBP), which specifically binds long-chain acyl-CoAs. In the absence of added CoA but in the presence of ACBP, newly synthesised acyl chains accumulated as free fatty acids (FFAs) in plastids isolated from embryos of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). When CoA was added to plastids that had accumulated FFAs, the acyl chains were converted to acyl-CoAs that, in the presence of ACBP, were exported to the incubation medium. The rate of export was dependent on the CoA concentration and, at a saturating CoA concentration, was similar to the rate at which the fatty acids had been synthesised prior to CoA addition.

Measurements of metabolic fluxes in whole embryos and isolated plastids have revealed major changes in the pathways of carbon utilization during cotyledon filling by oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) embryos. In the early cotyledon stage (stage A), embryos used sucrose (Suc) predominantly for starch synthesis. Plastids isolated from these embryos imported glucose-6-phosphate (Glc-6-P) and partitioned it to starch and fatty acids synthesis and to the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in the ratio of 2:1:1 on a hexose basis. Of the substrates tested, Glc-6-P gave the highest rates of fatty acid synthesis by the plastids and pyruvate was used weakly. By the mid- to late-cotyledon stage (stage C), oil accumulation by the embryos was rapid, as was their utilization of Suc for oil synthesis in vitro. Plastids from C-stage embryos differed markedly from those of stage-A embryos: (a) pyruvate uptake and utilization for fatty acid synthesis increased by respectively 18- and 25-fold; (b) Glc-6-P partitioning was predominantly to the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (respective ratios of 1:1:3); and (c) the rate of plastidial fatty acid synthesis more than doubled. This increased rate of fatty synthesis was dependent upon the increase in pyruvate uptake and was mediated through the induction of a saturable transporter activity.

The mode of CO2 assimilation known as C3-C4 intermediate photosynthesis provides intriguing insight into a novel mechanism for reducing photorespiratory CO2 loss and possible evolutionary pathways to C4 photosynthesis. Plants with the C3-C4 pathway have been reported from twenty-five species in nine genera representing six families, and they are principally associated with warm or hot habitats. The ecological distribution of C3-C4 plants is consistent with an adaptive role for re-assimilation of photorespired CO2 at warm temperatures. Photorespired CO2 is re-assimilated through the differential partitioning of photorespiratory organelles between mesophyll cells and bundle-sheath cells in C3-C4 intermediates, including total isolation of glycine decarboxylase activity to the bundle-sheath. Thus, glycine diffuses to the bundle sheath tissue, where photorespired CO2 is released and assimilated by surrounding chloroplasts before it can escape the leaf. Models of this ‘glycine shuttle’ reveal possible advantages in terms of CO2 assimilation rate, water-use efficiency, and nitrogen-use efficiency, though there are strong constraints on the fraction of RuBP carboxylation capacity that can be allocated to the bundle sheath to assimilate the photorespired CO2. The models further predict distinctive gas-exchange patterns with respect to the CO2 compensation point and discrimination against 13CO2. These predictions have been validated with gas-exchange measurements. One group of C3-C4 species (those belonging to the genus Flaveria) exhibit evidence of functional C4 biochemistry and assimilation of at least some atmospheric CO2 through the C4 pathway. In the Flaveria intermediates, photorespiration rates are reduced as in C3-C4 intermediates from other genera, and in several Flaveria species O2 inhibition of photosynthesis is reduced, suggesting the presence of a CO2-concentrating mechanism. It is not understood how photorespiration rates are reduced in these ‘biochemical intermediates,’ though there is evidence that at least part of it is due to the same glycine shuttle found in other C3-C4 intermediates. The glycine shuttle may represent an initial step in the evolutionary path to C4 photosynthesis.

This article considers our understanding of the pathways involved in the provision of precursors for de novo fatty acid synthesis in plastids. The characteristics of the plastidial enyzmes required for synthesis of acetyland malonyl-CoA are reviewed. The role of transporters in determining the metabolic routes by which carbon is imported into the plastids and the extent to which the different transporters are utilized for fatty acid synthesis are discussed. Interactions between metabolic pathways in plastids are illustrated by considering the partitioning of imported glucose 6-phosphate to starch, fatty acids and to CO2 via the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in plastids isolated from developing rapeseed embryos.

In this study we examined the processes by which malate and pyruvate are taken up across the leucoplast envelope for fatty acid synthesis in developing castor (Ricinus communis L.) seed endosperm. Malate was taken up by isolated leucoplasts with a concentration dependence indicative of protein-mediated transport. The maximum rate of malate uptake was 704 [plus or minus] 41 nmol mg-1 protein h-1 and the Km was 0.62 [plus or minus] 0.08 mM. In contrast, the rate of pyruvate uptake increased linearly with respect to the substrate concentration and was 5-fold less than malate at a concentration of 5 mM. Malate uptake was inhibited by inorganic phosphate (Pi), glutamate, malonate, succinate, 2-oxoglutarate, and n-butyl malonate, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial malate/Pi-exchange translocator. Back-exchange experiments confirmed that malate was taken up by leucoplasts in counterexchange for Pi. The exchange stoichiometry was 1:1. The rate of malate-dependent fatty acid synthesis by isolated leucoplasts was 3-fold greater than from pyruvate at a concentration of 5 mM and was inhibited by n-butyl malonate. It is proposed that leucoplasts from developing castor endosperm contain a malate/Pi translocator that imports malate for fatty acid synthesis. This type of dicarboxylate transport activity has not been identified previously in plastids.

Our studies have shown that the metabolism of plastids isolated from developing embryos of Brassica napus changes as the pattern of storage product accumulation changes. At the early cotyledonary stage the embryo is accumulating starch and the plastids import glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P) and utilise it for starch and fatty acid synthesis, and for the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP). The metabolism of pyruvate to fatty acids by isolated plastids is negligible at this stage. As the embryo develops to the mid-late cotyledon stage the capacity for import of Glc6P and its subsequent metabolism to fatty acids and starch decreases. In contrast, the capacity of the OPPP increases resulting in a major switch in the partitioning of Glc6P within the plastid during embryo development. Fatty acid synthesis by isolated plastids from embryos at the mid-late stage is highest when pyruvate is supplied as a substrate, again illustrating a major shift in plastidial metabolism. Measurements of the rate of Glc6P metabolism via the OPPP pathway suggests that NADPH generated by the first two steps of the pathway could contribute to the requirement for reducing power from fatty acid synthesis. However, metabolism of pyruvate alone into fatty acids at high rates suggests that there are other endogenous sources of reducing power within the plastid. Measurements of fatty acid synthesis in the light and dark by embryo plastids and chloroplasts from developing leaves have shown that photosynthesis does not provide the ATP and/or reducing power required to saturate in vitro starch and fatty acid synthesis by embryo plastids.

Within the developing seeds of Brassica napus (L.) carbon in the form of sucrose is allocated towards the biosynthesis of storage lipids. The pathway of fatty acid synthesis is localized within the plastid. Carbon precursors and ATP required to support the pathway are imported from the cytosol. Fatty acid synthesis also requires an endogenous supply of NAD(P)H generated by plastidial metabolism. Plastids isolated from B. napus embryos during the early to mid stages of lipid deposition, contain a complete set of glycolytic enzymes and pyruvate dehydrogenase and incorporate carbon from a number of different metabolites into fatty acids in an ATP- and intactness-dependent manner [1]. Of the substrates tested glucose 6-phosphate (G1c6P) and pyruvate were the strongest precursors for fatty acid synthesis [1,2].

The aim of this work was to investigate the partitioning of imported glucose 6-phosphate (Glc6P) to starch and fatty acids, and to CO2 via the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP) in plastids isolated from developing embryos of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). The ability of the isolated plastids to utilize concurrently supplied substrates and the effects of these substrate combinations on the Glc6P partitioning were also assessed. The relative fluxes of carbon from Glc6P to starch, fatty acids, and to CO2 via the OPPP were close to 2∶1∶1 when Glc6P was supplied alone. Under these conditions NADPH generated via the OPPP was greater than that required by the concurrent rate of fatty acid synthesis. Fatty acid synthesis was unaffected by the presence or absence of exogenous NADH and/or NADPH and the requirement of fatty acid synthesis for reducing power is therefore met entirely by intraplastidial metabolism. When Glc6P was supplied in the presence of either pyruvate or pyruvate and acetate, the total flux from these metabolites to fatty acids was up to threefold greater than that from either Glc6P or pyruvate when they were supplied singly. In these experiments there was little competition between Glc6P and pyruvate in fatty acid synthesis and the flux to starch was unchanged. This implies that the starch and fatty acid biosynthesis pathways did not compete for the exogenously supplied ATP on which they were strongly dependent. When Glc6P and pyruvate were provided together, the NADPH generated by the OPPP pathway was less than that required by the concurrent rate of fatty acid synthesis. This suggests that the metabolism of exogenous Glc6P via the OPPP can contribute to the NADPH demand created during fatty acid synthesis but it also indicates that other intraplastidial sources of reducing power must be available under the in-vitro conditions used.

In order to compare the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase associated with the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (E3) with that associated with the glycine decarboxylase complex (L-protein), we report for the first time the purification and characterization of the E3 component from pea leaf mitochondria. The first 30 amino acids of the N-terminal sequence of the mature E3 protein are identical with those of the mature L-protein of the glycine decarboxyase complex. Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric analysis of E3 and the L-protein gave exactly the same molecular mass of 49753±5 Da. We have also confirmed the primary structure of the L-protein, in particular the C-terminal sequence, deduced from the cDNA published by Bourguignon, Macherel, Neuburger and Douce [(1992) Eur. J. Biochem. 204, 865-873]. Western-blot analysis shows that specific polyclonal antibodies raised against the L-protein recognize specifically both E3 and L-protein but not the porcine dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase. We conclude that, in pea leaf mitochondria, the pyruvate dehydrogenase and glycine decarboxylase complexes share the same dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase. We have also confirmed by MS analysis that the FAD is not covalently bound to the enzyme.

We have investigated which metabolites are utilized for starch and fatty acid synthesis by plastids isolated from oilseed rape embryos that are accumulating both oil and starch. A method was developed that was rapid and yielded intact, washed plastids with a very low contamination by the cytosol. Measurements of the recovery and latency of enzyme activities revealed that the plastids contained a glycolytic pathway, pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDC), NADP-malic enzyme, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), and phosphoglucomutase. The presence of this range of enzymes suggested that several cytosolic metabolites could potentially be used for the synthesis of starch and/or fatty acids within the plastid. Glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P), fructose, glucose and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) were all incorporated into starch by the washed plastids, the former giving the highest rates. Pyruvate and G-6-P gave the highest rates of fatty acid synthesis. The rates of incorporation into fatty acids from DHAP, malate and acetate were much less than that from pyruvate.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase; EC 6.4.1.2) activity has been determined in seed tissues of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.) and castor bean (Ricinus communis L.). A new method is described which leads to significantly higher measurable activities of the enzyme in tissue homogenates than previously reported. This method does not involve either Triton X-100 or centrifugation treatments which have been used previously in the study of the enzyme. In the case of oilseed rape the activity was also increased by removal of the testa from the seed. The activity of ACCase was determined throughout the development of oilseed rape embryos. Enzyme activity increased 3.5-fold as the embryo fresh weight increased from 0.3 to 2.0 mg and then reached a plateau at 1.1 nmol malonyl-CoA-min−1 · embryo−1. The main period of lipid accumulation commenced at an embryo fresh weight of 2.3 mg, which was after the plateau in ACCase activity had been reached. Activity of the enzyme declined after an embryo fresh weight of 3.5 mg, which was before lipid accumulation in the embryo had been completed. Comparison of the activity of ACCase and the apparent in-vivo rate of lipid synthesis on an embryo-fresh-weight basis (i.e. nmol malonyl-CoA formed or utilized·min−1·mg−1 fresh weight) revealed that ACCase activity declines relative to the rate of lipid synthesis throughout development. The negative correlation between these two rates is discussed in relation to the role of ACCase in the regulation of accumulation of storage lipid during embryo development.

The cell-specific distribution of the four subunit proteins (P, L, T and H) of glycine decarboxylase (GDC) and of serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) has been studied in the leaves of C3-C4 intermediate and C4 species of three genera (Flaveria, Moricandia and Panicum) using immunogold localization. Antibodies raised against these proteins from pea leaf mitochondria were used to probe Western blots of total leaf proteins of F. linearis Lag., M. arvensis (L.) DC and P. milioides Nees ex Trin. (C3-C4), and F. trinervia (Spring.) Mohr and P. miliaceum (L.) (C4). For all species, each antibody recognised specifically a protein of similar molecular weight to that in pea leaves. In leaves of M. arvensis the P protein was present in the mitochondria of the bundle-sheath cells but was undetectable in those of the mesophyll, whereas the L, T and H proteins and SHMT were present in both cell types. The density of immunogold labelling of SHMT on the mitochondria of mesophyll cells was less than that on those of the bundle-sheath cells, which correlates with the relative activities of SHMT in these cell types. These data reveal that the lack of functional GDC in the mesophyll cells of M. arvensis, which is the principal biochemical reason for reduced photorespiration in this species, is due to the loss of a single subunit protein. This lack of coordinate expression of the subunit proteins of GDC within a photosynthetic cell represents a clear difference between M. arvensis and other C3 and C3-C4 species. None of the GDC proteins was detectable in the mesophyll cells of the C3-C4 and C4Flaveria and Panicum species but all were present in the bundle-sheath cells. The differences in the distribution of the GDC proteins in leaves of the C3-C4 species studied are discussed in relation to the evolution of photosynthetic mechanisms.

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms have been used to determine the chromosomal location of the genes encoding the glycine decarboxylase complex (GDC) and serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) of pea leaf mitochondria. The genes encoding the H subunit of GDC and the genes encoding SHMT both show linkage to the classical group I marker i. In addition, the genes for the P protein of GDC show linkage to the classic group I marker a. The genes for the L and T proteins of GDC are linked to one another and are probably situated on the satellite of chromosome 7. The mRNAs encoding the five polypeptides that make up GDC and SHMT are strongly induced when dark-grown etiolated pea seedlings are placed in the light. Similarly, when mature plants are placed in the dark for 48 h, the levels of both GDC protein and SHMT mRNAs decline dramatically and then are induced strongly when these plants are returned to the light. During both treatments a similar pattern of mRNA induction is observed, with the mRNA encoding the P protein of GDC being the most rapidly induced and the mRNA for the H protein the slowest. Whereas during the greening of etiolated seedlings the polypeptides of GDC and SHMT show patterns of accumulation similar to those of the corresponding mRNAs, very little change in the level of the polypeptides is seen when mature plants are placed in the dark and then re-exposed to the light.