Mechanism of reductive photoactivation of enzymes of C4 pathway.

ABSTRACT

Light, besides initiating primary photochemical processes, alters the redox state of soluble components in chloroplast. The present review attempts to cover the mechanism of reductive photoactivation of enzymes of photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle using key enzymes as examples. The reduced soluble components — ferredoxin, thioredoxin and NADPH, in turn, cause the reduction of disulphides to dithiols of chloroplastic enzymes. NADP-malate dehydrogenase is subject to activation by light through changes in NADPH/NADP. The key enzyme of C4 photosynthesis-PEP carboxylase, though cytosolic, has been shown to be activated by disulphide/sulphhydryl interconversion by reductants generated in light through chloroplast electron transport flow. Pyruvate Pi dikinase activity is controlled by the adenylate energy charge. It remains unclear how light controls the activation of cytosolic enzymes.