Acetohydroxy acid synthase activity in Chlorella emersonii under auto- and heterotrophic growth conditions

Dorit Landstein, David M. Chipman, Shoshana Arad, Ze've Barak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) activity was studied in the green unicellular alga Chlorella emersonii. This activity and its regulation was compared in the algae grown autotrophically and heterotrophically on glucose in the dark. No evidence for the existence of more than one enzyme was found. The activity in crude extracts from either heterotrophically or autotrophically grown cells showed a Km for pyruvate of 9 millimolar, a 22-fold preference for 2-ketobutyrate over pyruvate as the second substrate, 50% inhibition by 0.5 millimolar valine, and 50% inhibition by 0.3 micromolar sulfometuron methyl (SMM). Spontaneous mutants of the alga resistant to SMM were isolated, which appeared to be single gene mutants containing SMM-resistant AHAS activity. Hence, AHAS appears to be the sole direct target site of SMM in C. emersonii. The fact that the mutants had equivalent SMM resistance under auto- and heterotrophic conditions further supports the conclusion that the same enzyme functions under both physiological regimes. The addition of valine and isoleucine leads to partial relief of SMM inhibition of biomass increase, but not of SMM inhibition of cell division.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)614-620
Number of pages7
JournalPlant Physiology
Volume94
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1990

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Genetics
  • Plant Science

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