Pea chloroplast glutathione reductase: purification and characterization

Glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2) was purified from intact pea (Pisum sativum) chloroplasts by a method which includes affinity chromatography on ADP-agarose. Fractions from the affinity column which had glutathione reductase activity consisted of polypeptides of 60 and 32 kilodaltons. Separation of the proteins by electrophoresis on native gels showed that glutathione reductase activity was associated with 60 kilodalton polypeptides and not with the 32 kilodalton polypeptides. Antibodies to spinach whole leaf glutathione reductase (60 kilodaltons) cross-react with the chloroplast 60 kilodalton glutathione reductase but not the 32 kilodalton polypeptides. In the absence of dithiothreitol the 60 kilodalton polypeptides showed a shift in apparent molecular weight on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels to 72 kilodaltons. Dithiothreitol did not alter the activity of the chloroplast enzyme. Chloroplast glutathione reductase is relatively insensitive to NADPH.