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Modulation of NADP-Malate Dehydrogenase Activity in Maize Mesophyll Chloroplasts ¹

ARC Research Group on Photosynthesis, Department of Botany, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN England

When intact mesophyll chloroplasts of Zea mays var Kelvedon Glory were illuminated, activation of NADP-malate dehydrogenase occurred. Activity declined rapidly on darkening. Light activation of the enzyme was very much greater in the presence of pyruvate (10- to 20-fold) than with the electron acceptors 3-phosphoglycerate or oxaloacetate present (2-fold). Following preillumination in the presence of pyruvate, addition of 3-phosphoglycerate, oxaloacetate, or nitrite substantially diminished the activity of NADP-malate dehydrogenase. In these circumstances, with pyruvate and 3-phosphoglycerate present, activity could be restored by the addition of nigericin or dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Nigericin also restored activity with both oxaloacetate and pyruvate present. The effect of nitrite was more marked in the presence of low concentrations of DCMU.

These observations are discussed in terms of the dependence of enzyme activity upon the redox state of ferredoxin and electron carriers; the redox state of the latter was estimated by analysis of the DCMU-induced relaxation kinetics of chlorophyll fluorescence quenching in the presence of different substrates.