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Aggregated Forms of Malate and Citrate Synthase are Localized in Endoplasmic Reticulum of Endosperm of Germinating Castor Bean ¹

Department of Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024

The endosperm of 3-day germinated seedlings of Ricinus communis was homogenized in the presence or absence of Mg²⁺. When the Mg²⁺ -containing homogenate was fractionated on linear, 20 to 40% sucrose gradients, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) reached equilibrium at a density of 1.146 grams per cubic centimeter. Absence of Mg²⁺ in the grinding medium resulted in displacement of the ER in the gradient from a density of 1.146 to 1.138 grams per cubic centimeter. At either density, the activities of both malate and citrate synthase were found to overlap the activity of NADH-cytochrome c reductase (an ER marker) in the gradient. Furthermore, this overlap of activities was observed whether the gradients were centrifuged for 3 or 19 hours. An analysis of sedimentation characteristics of the solubilized enzymes revealed that they exist, predominantly, as a 5.2S (s_20,w x 10^–13) form (malate synthase) and a 6.8S form (citrate synthase) in the glyoxysomes and cytosol. When the two enzymes were released from the ER, they appeared as aggregate forms of 70S and 55S, respectively. These results support the conclusion that the synthases are associated with the ER.