Partial purification and characterization of pyruvate kinase from the plant fraction of soybean root nodules

Comparative proteomics analysis of root and nodule mitochondria of soybean

Legumes perform symbiotic nitrogen fixation through rhizobial bacteroids housed in specialised root nodules. The biochemical process is energy-intensive and consumes a huge carbon source to generate sufficient reducing power. To maintain the symbiosis, malate is supplied by legume nodules to bacteroids as their major carbon and energy source in return for ammonium ions and nitrogenous compounds. To sustain the carbon supply to bacteroids, nodule cells undergo drastic reorganisation of carbon metabolism. Here, a comprehensive quantitative comparison of the mitochondrial proteomes between root nodules and uninoculated roots was performed using data-independent acquisition proteomics, revealing the modulations in nodule mitochondrial proteins and pathways in response to carbon reallocation. Corroborated our findings with that from the literature, we believe nodules preferably allocate cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvates towards malate synthesis in lieu of pyruvate synthesis, and nodule mitochondria prefer malate over pyruvate as the primary source of NADH for ATP production. Moreover, the differential regulation of respiratory chain-associated proteins suggests that nodule mitochondria could enhance the efficiencies of complexes I and IV for ATP synthesis. This study highlighted a quantitative proteomic view of the mitochondrial adaptation in soybean nodules.

Roots and Nodules Response Differently to P Starvation in the Mediterranean-Type Legume Virgilia divaricata

Virgilia divaricata is a tree legume that grows in the Cape Floristic Region (CFA) in poor nutrient soils. A comparison between high and low phosphate growth conditions between roots and nodules was conducted and evaluated for the plants ability to cope under low phosphate stress conditions in V. divaricata. We proved that the plant copes with low phosphate stress through an increased allocation of resources, reliance on BNF and enhanced enzyme activity, especially PEPC. Nodules had a lower percentage decline in P compared to roots to uphold its metabolic functions. These strategies partly explain how V. divaricata can sustain growth despite LP conditions. Although the number of nodules declined with LP, their biomass remained unchanged in spite of a plant decline in dry weight. This is achieved via the high efficiency of BNF under P stress. During LP, nodules had a lower % decline at 34% compared to the roots at 88%. We attribute this behavior to P conservation strategies in LP nodules that imply an increase in a metabolic bypass that operates at the PEP branch point in glycolysis. The enhanced activities of nodule PEPC, MDH, and ME, whilst PK declines, suggests that under LP conditions an adenylate bypass was in operation either to synthesize more organic acids or to mediate pyruvate via a non-adenylate requiring metabolic route. Both possibilities represent a P-stress adaptation route and this is the first report of its kind for legume trees that are indigenous to low P, acid soils. Although BNF declined by a small percentage during LP, this P conservation was evident in the unchanged BNF efficiency per weight, and the increase in BNF efficiency per mol of P. It appears that legumes that are indigenous to acid soils, may be able to continue their reliance on BNF via increased allocation to nodules and also due to increase their efficiency for BNF on a P basis, owing to P-saving mechanisms such as the organic acid routes.

Short-term supply of elevated phosphate alters the belowground carbon allocation costs and functions of lupin cluster roots and nodules

The legume Lupinus albus is able to survive under low nutrient conditions due to the presence of two specialized below ground organs for the acquisition of nitrogen and phosphate, respectively.In this regard, cluster roots increase phosphate uptake and root nodules acquire atmospheric N₂via biological nitrogen fixation(BNF). Although these organs normally tolerate low phosphate conditions, very little is known about their physiological and metabolic flexibility during short-term changes in phosphate supply. The aim of this investigation was therefore to determine the physiological and metabolic flexibility of these organs during short-term supply of elevated phosphate nutrition. L. albus was cultivated in sand culture for 4 weeks at 0.1 mM phosphate supply, and then supplied with 2 mM phosphate for 2 weeks. Short-term elevated phosphate supply caused increased allocation of carbon and respiratory costs to nodules, at the expense of cluster root function. This alteration was also reflected in the increase in nodule enzyme activities related to organic acid synthesis, such as Phosphoenol-pyruvate Carboxylase (PEPC), Pyruvate Kinase (PK), Malate Dehydrogenase(NADH-MDH) and Malic Enzyme (ME). In cluster roots, elevated phosphate conditions caused a decline in these organic acid synthesizing enzymes. Phosphate recycling via Acid Phosphatase (APase),declined in nodules with elevated phosphate supply, but increased in cluster roots. Our findings suggest that during short-term elevated phosphate supply, there is a great degree of physiological and metabolic flexibility in lupin nutrient acquiring structures, and that these changes are related to the altered physiology of these organs [corrected].

Phosphoenolpyruvate metabolism in Jerusalem artichoke mitochondria

We report here initial studies on phosphoenolpyruvate metabolism in coupled mitochondria isolated from Jerusalem artichoke tubers. It was found that: (1) phosphoenolpyruvate can be metabolized by Jerusalem artichoke mitochondria by virtue of the presence of the mitochondrial pyruvate kinase, shown both immunologically and functionally, located in the inner mitochondrial compartments and distinct from the cytosolic pyruvate kinase as shown by the different pH and inhibition profiles. (2) Jerusalem artichoke mitochondria can take up externally added phosphoenolpyruvate in a proton compensated manner, in a carrier-mediated process which was investigated by measuring fluorimetrically the oxidation of intramitochondrial pyridine nucleotide which occurs as a result of phosphoenolpyruvate uptake and alternative oxidase activation. (3) The addition of phosphoenolpyruvate causes pyruvate and ATP production, as monitored via HPLC, with their efflux into the extramitochondrial phase investigated fluorimetrically. Such an efflux occurs via the putative phosphoenolpyruvate/pyruvate and phosphoenolpyruvate/ATP antiporters, which differ from each other and from the pyruvate and the adenine nucleotide carriers, in the light of the different sensitivity to non-penetrant compounds. These carriers were shown to regulate the rate of efflux of both pyruvate and ATP. The appearance of citrate and oxaloacetate outside mitochondria was also found as a result of phosphoenolpyruvate addition.

Routes of pyruvate synthesis in phosphorus-deficient lupin roots and nodules

Here, nodulated lupins (Lupinus angustifolius (cv Wonga)) were hydroponically grown at low phosphate (LP) or adequate phosphate (HP). Routes of pyruvate synthesis were assessed in phosphorus (P)-starved roots and nodules, because P-starvation can enhance metabolism of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) via the nonadenylate-requiring PEP carboxylase (PEPc) route. Since nodules and roots may not experience the same degree of P stress, it was postulated that decreases in metabolic inorganic phosphorus (Pi) of either organ, should favour more pyruvate being synthesized from PEPc-derived malate. Compared with HP roots, the LP roots had a 50% decline in Pi concentrations and 55% higher ADP : ATP ratios. However, LP nodules maintained constant Pi levels and unchanged ADP : ATP ratios, relative to HP nodules. The LP roots had greater PEP metabolism via PEPc and synthesized more pyruvate from PEPc-derived malate. In nodules, P supply did not influence PEPc activities or levels of malate-derived pyruvate. These results indicate that nodules were more efficient than roots in maintaining optimal metabolic Pi and adenylate levels during LP supply. This caused an increase in PEPc-derived pyruvate synthesis in LP roots, but not in LP nodules.

Cytosolic pyruvate kinase: subunit composition, activity, and amount in developing castor and soybean seeds, and biochemical characterization of the purified castor seed enzyme

Antibodies against Brassica napus cytosolic pyruvate kinase (PKc) (EC 2.7.1.40) were employed to examine PKc subunit composition and developmental profiles in castor and soybean seeds. A 56-kDa immunoreactive polypeptide was uniformly detected on immunoblots of clarified extracts from developing castor endosperm or soybean embryos. Maximal PKc activities occurred early in castor oil seed (COS) and soybean development (7.1 and 5.5 (micromol of pyruvate produced/min) g(-1) FW, respectively) and were up to 25-fold greater than those of fully mature seeds. Time-course studies revealed a close correlation between extractable PKc activity and the relative amount of the immunoreactive 56-kDa PKc polypeptide. PKc from developing COS was purified 1,874-fold to homogeneity and a final specific activity of 73.1 (micromol of pyruvate produced/min) mg(-1) protein. Gel filtration and SDS-PAGE indicated that this PKc exists as a 230-kDa homotetramer composed of 56-kDa subunits. The mass fingerprint of tryptic peptides of the 56-kDa COS PKc subunit best matched three putative PK(c)s from Arabidopsis thaliana. The purified enzyme was relatively heat-stable and displayed a broad pH optimum of 6.4. However, more efficient substrate utilization (in terms of Vmax /Km for phosphoenolpyruvate or ADP) was observed at pH 7.4. Glutamate was the most effective inhibitor, whereas aspartate functioned as an activator by partially relieving glutamate inhibition. Together with our previous studies, the results: (1) allow a model to be formulated regarding the coordinate allosteric control of PKc and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by aspartate and glutamate in developing COS, and (2) provide further biochemical evidence that castor plant PKc exists as tissue-specific isozymes that exhibit substantial differences in their respective physical and regulatory properties.