Isolation of active polyribosomes from the cytoplasm, mitochondria and chloroplasts of Euglena gracilis

Events surrounding the early development of euglena chloroplasts: v. Control of paramylum degradation

The degradation of the storage carbohydrate, paramylum, is induced by light in wild-type Euglena gracilis Klebs var. bacillaris Pringsheim and in a mutant, W(3)BUL, which lacks detectable plastid DNA. Treatment of wild type with cycloheximide in the dark produces 60% as much paramylum breakdown as light, whereas treatment with levulinic acid in the dark yields a slightly greater response than light. Both cycloheximide and levulinic acid produce a greater paramylum breakdown in the light than they do in the dark. Treatment of W(3)BUL with levulinic acid in darkness produces a larger paramylum degradation than light, with values similar to wild type in the light. Treatment of W(3)BUL with cycloheximide induces paramylum degradation in darkness, and as with wild type, light is slightly stimulatory in the presence of both cycloheximide or levulinic acid. Streptomycin brings about only a very small amount of paramylum breakdown in the dark and only slightly inhibits breakdown in the light. Thus paramylum breakdown induced by light does not require the synthesis of proteins on cytoplasmic or plastid ribosomes. A model which explains these results postulates the existence of a protein which inhibits paramylum breakdown. When the synthesis of this protein is prevented either by light, cycloheximide, or by levulinic acid acting as a regulatory analog of delta amino levulinic acid, paramylum breakdown takes place. Because levulinic acid is a better inducer than light in W(3)BUL, W(3)BUL may not be able to form as much delta amino levulinic acid in light as wild type. The small amount of induction by streptomycin is viewed as a secondary regulatory effect attributable to interference with plastid protein synthesis which affects regulatory signals from the plastid to the rest of the cell.

The mitochondrial genome of Euglena gracilis

Mitochondrial DNA from Euglena gracilis has been investigated in its chemical and physical properties. Its G + C content is equal to 25%; its buoyant density in a CsCl density gradient (1.690 g/cm3) is higher, by 5 mg/cm3, than expected for a bacterial DNA having the same base composition. The buoyant densities of denatured and renatured DNA are higher than that of native DNA by 10-12 mg/cm3 and 6 mg/cm3, respectively. The melting temperature, Tm, is 77 degrees C in standard saline citrate; the first derivative of the melting curve shows a striking multimodality. Degradation of the DNA by micrococcal nuclease indicates that about 40% of the DNA is formed by stretches lower than 10% in G + C. In all its properties the mitochondrial DNA from Euglena gracilis is strikingly similar to that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Amino acid incorporation into protein by ribosomes bound to chloroplast thylakoid membranes: formation of discrete products

A system which incorporates amino acids into proteins of chloroplast membranes of Chlamydomonas reinhardti is described. It consists of chloroplast ribosomes bound to thylakoid membranes and cell extract. mRNA is present in this thylakoid-ribosome complex, since neither initiation nor RNA synthesis seems to be required for amino acid incorporation. Incorporation requires ATP, GTP and a soluble portion of cell extract. It is inhibited by chloramphenicol, but not cycloheximide. Most incorporated radioactivity remains bound to the membranes. Although a large portion of this labeled membrane-bound protein occurs as nascent polypeptides, a portion appears at least four products of discrete molecular weights. The major in vitro product migrates as a polypeptide of 23 000 daltons. We conclude that a portion of chloroplast membrane proteins is not only made within the chloroplast, but directly on the membranes. We had previously observed that release of membrane-bound ribosomes is partially dependent on puromycin, and concluded that some membrane-bound ribosomes were attached to the membranes through nascent protein chains. Thus, our results suggest that some chloroplast membrane proteins are inserted into the membranes as they are synthesized. This chloroplast membrane amino acid incorporation system offers a promising tool for studying biosynthesis of membrane proteins, and how they become inserted into chloroplast thylakoids to form functional membranes.

Composition, quaternary structure, and catalytic properties of D-ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase from Euglena gracilis

D-Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase has been purified in one step by sedimenting extracts of autotrophically-grown Euglena gracilis into a linear 0.2-0.8 M sucrose density gradient. The resultant product was pure by the criteria of disc electrophoresis in gels polymerized from 5 or 7.5% acrylamide and sedimentation. The molecular weight of the enzyme estimated by density gradient centrifugation and electrophoresis in gels polymerized from various concentrations of acrylamide was 5.25 X 10(5). The S20,W was 16.4 S. Dissociation and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate established that the enzyme was composed of two types of subunits (mr 50,000 and 15,000). The oligomeric structure was visualized through negative staining and transmission electron microscopy leading to a model for the quaternary structure. Although the enzyme was moderately unstable, the estimated maximal specific activity was 1.6 mumol CO2 fixed min-1 mg protien-1 at 30 degrees C and pH 8.0 Km values were 2.2 m M, 15. 1 MUM and 0.63 mM for Mg2+, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate, and CO2, respectively, when measured under air. 6-Phospho-D-gluconate was a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (Ki = 0.04 mM). Oxygen was a competitive inhibitor with respect to CO2 suggesting that the enzyme was also an oxygenase. The latter was confirmed by experiments showing a molar equivalence between ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-dependent oxygen consumption and phosphoglycerate production.

The glycolate pathway and photosynthetic competence in euglena

The development of glycolate pathway enzymes has been determined in relation to photosynthetic competence during the regreening of Euglena cultures. Phosphoglycolate phosphatase and glycolate dehydrogenase rapidly reached maximal levels of activity but the complete development of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase and concomitant photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation were not attained until 72 hours of illumination. Specific inhibitors of protein synthesis showed that the formation of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase in both division-synchronized and regreening cultures was prevented by both cycloheximide and d-threo-chloramphenicol, whereas phosphoglycolate phosphatase formation was only inhibited by d-threo-chloramphenicol but not by l-threo-chloramphenicol or cycloheximide. Since cycloheximide prevented ribulose diphosphate carboxylase synthesis and photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation without affecting phosphoglycolate phosphatase synthesis during regreening, it was concluded that photosynthetic competence was not necessary for the development of the glycolate pathway enzymes. The inhibition of phosphoglycolate phosphatase synthesis by d-threo-chloramphenicol but not by l-threo-chloramphenicol or cycloheximide shows that the enzyme was synthesized exclusively on chloroplast ribosomes, whereas protein synthesis on both chloroplast and cytoplasmic ribosomes was required for the formation of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase. Although light is required for the development of both Calvin cycle and glycolate pathway enzymes during regreening it is concluded that the two pathways are not coordinately regulated.

Chloroplast and cytoplasmic ribosomes of Euglena: selective binding of dihydrostreptomycin to chloroplast ribosomes

Dihydrostreptomycin binds preferentially to chloroplast ribosomes of wild-type Euglena gracilis Klebs var. bacillaris Pringsheim. The K(diss) for the wild-type chloroplast ribosome-dihydrostreptomycin complex is 2 x 10(-7) M, a value comparable with that found for the Escherichia coli ribosome-dihydrostreptomycin complex. Chloroplast ribosomes isolated from the streptomycin-resistant mutant Sm(1) (r)BNgL and cytoplasmic ribosomes from wild-type have a much lower affinity for the antibiotic. The K(diss) for the chloroplast ribosome-dihydrostreptomycin complex of Sm(1) (r) is 387 x 10(-7) M, and the value for the cytoplasmic ribosome-dihydrostreptomycin complex of the wild type is 1,400 x 10(-7) M. Streptomycin competes with dihydrostreptomycin for the chloroplast ribosome binding site, and preincubation of streptomycin with hydroxylamine prevents the binding of streptomycin to the chloroplast ribosome. These results indicate that the inhibition of chloroplast development and replication in Euglena by streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin is related to the specific inhibition of protein synthesis on the chloroplast ribosomes of Euglena.

The Effect of Light on the Synthesis of Mitochondrial Enzymes in Division-synchronized Euglena Cultures

The development of the mitochondrial enzymes fumarase and succinate dehydrogenase has been followed in Euglena cultures division-synchronized by 14-hour light periods alternating with 12-hour dark periods. The activity of both enzymes was unaltered over the light phase, doubled in early dark phase, and thereafter remained constant over the rest of the cycle. The increase in enzyme activity in early dark phase probably represented de novo enzyme synthesis because it was prevented by the addition of cycloheximide at a concentration known to inhibit protein synthesis on Euglena cytoplasmic ribosomes.When division-synchronized cultures were darkened in early light phase, a doubling of both fumarase and succinate dehydrogenase activity resulted, showing that light was repressing enzyme synthesis. The addition of acetate did not have a similar effect to darkening cultures: enzyme activity being unaltered over the light phase of the cycle. Enzyme expression was also unaffected by the addition of 3-(3,4 dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, a potent inhibitor of photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation. The addition of 6-methylpurine (an inhibitor of transcription) at the beginning of the light phase inhibited enzyme increase in early dark phase, but when added at a later stage of the light phase (hour 8), increase in enzyme activity in early dark phase was unaffected. We concluded that transcription for these enzymes occurs in early light phase but light exerts a post-transcriptional control so that enzyme synthesis does not result until cells enter the dark phase of the cell cycle.

The chloroplast and cytoplasmic ribosomes of euglena: I. Stability of chloroplast ribosomes prepared by an improved procedure

A new isolation procedure has resulted in an improved yield of stable 68S chloroplast ribosomes from Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris. Chloroplasts are isolated by suspending the cells in buffer I (sorbitol, 250 mm; sucrose, 250 mm; Ficoll, 2.5% [w/v]; magnesium acetate, 1 mm; bovine serum albumin, 0.01% [w/v]; mercaptoethanol, 14 mm; N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid, pH 7.6, 5 mm) and passing through a French press at less than 1500 pounds per square inch. The crude chloroplasts are purified by three washings with buffer II (sorbitol, 150 mm; sucrose, 150 mm; Ficoll, 2.5% [w/v]; magnesium acetate, 1 mm; bovine serum albumin, 0.01% [w/v]; mercaptoethanol, 14 mm; N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid, pH 7.6, 5 mm). Stable 68S chloroplast ribosomes are obtained when the isolated chloroplasts are resuspended in ribosome buffer (tris-HCI, pH 7.6, 10 mm; magnesium acetate, 12 mm; KCI, 60 mm) containing spermidine, 0.5 mm; mercaptoethanol, 14 mm; sucrose, 8% (w/w), passed through a French press at 4000 pounds per square inch and extracted with either 0.1% (w/v) sodium deoxycholate or 1.0% (v/v) Triton X-100. At 0 to 4 C in ribosome buffer, the purified 68S chloroplast monosome forms a 53S particle while the 35S particle, an expected product of monosome dissociation, cannot be detected. Spermidine and mercaptoethanol prevent the formation of 53S particles from 68S monosomes. The purified 53S particles derived from 68S monosomes contain 23S RNA as well as a significant amount of 16S RNA, suggesting that this particle may not be a true ribosomal subunit.

Mitochondrial and cytoplasmic ribosomes. Distinguishing characteristics and a requirement for the homologous ribosomal salt-extractable fraction for protein synthesis

1. Mitochondrial and cytoplasmic ribosomes of Euglena gracilis differ in their total RNA and protein content. 2. Mitochondrial ribosomes dissociate to subunits at higher Mg(2+) concentrations than do cytoplasmic ribosomes. 3. A separable 5S RNA is obtained from cytoplasmic and chloroplast ribosomes, but not from mitochondrial ribosomes. 4. For protein-synthesizing activity with a natural mRNA, mitochondrial ribosomes use tRNA from any cell compartment and are partly active with supernatant enzymes from cytoplasm. Cytoplasmic ribosomes are partly active with enzymes and tRNA from mitochondria or chloroplasts. 5. Both mitochondrial and cytoplasmic ribosomes show high specificity for the homologous salt-extractable ribosomal fraction for protein-synthesizing activity.

The Chloroplast and Cytoplasmic Ribosomes of Euglena: II. Characterization of Ribosomal Proteins

Cytoplasmic and chloroplast ribosomal proteins were isolated from Euglena gracilis and analyzed on polyacrylamide gels. Cytoplasmic ribosomes appear to contain 75 to 100 proteins ranging in molecular weight from 10,200 to 104,000, while chloroplast ribosomes appear to contain 35 to 42 proteins with molecular weights ranging from 9,700 to 57,900. This indicates that the cytoplasmic ribosomes are similar in composition to other eucaryotic ribosomes, while chloroplast ribosomes have a protein composition similar to the 70S procaryotic ribosome. The kinetics of light-induced labeling of cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins during chloroplast development has been determined, and the results are compared with the kinetics of ribosomal RNA synthesis.

Malate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in division synchronized cultures of euglena

Sucrose density gradient centrifugation of broken cell suspensions of autotrophically grown Euglena gracilis Klebs. has allowed the separation of chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes. Chlorophyll was taken as a marker for chloroplasts, fumarase and succinate dehydrogenase for mitochondria, and glycolate oxidoreductase for peroxisomes. Peaks of malate dehydrogenase (l-malate-NAD oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.37) activity were found in the mitochondrial and peroxisomal fractions. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis showed specific isoenzymes in the mitochondrial and peroxisomal fractions and a third isoenzyme in the supernatant. The mitochondrial isoenzyme which had a Km (oxaloacetate) of 30mum was inhibited by oxaloacetate concentrations above 0.17 mm, an inhibition of 50% being given by 0.9 mm oxaloacetate. The peroxisomal isoenzyme had a Km (oxaloacetate) of 24 mum, was inhibited by oxaloacetate concentrations above 0.13 mm, 50% inhibition being given by 0.25 mm oxaloacetate. Malate dehydrogenase activity in the supernatant did not show inhibition by increasing oxaloacetate concentration, the Km (oxaloacetate) being 91 mum.In division synchronized cultures of Euglena, all three isoenzymes of malate dehydrogenase were synthesized over the light phase of the cycle. Darkening light phase cultures did not affect malate dehydrogenase activity. The addition to cultures of cycloheximide at a concentration previously shown to inhibit protein synthesis on Euglena cytoplasmic ribosomes completely inhibited increase in malate dehydrogenase activity over the cell cycle. Malate dehydrogenase activity was unaffected by the addition of chloramphenicol in amounts known to inhibit preferentially protein synthesis on 70S ribosomes.