Photorespiratory rates in wheat and maize as determined by o-labeling

A method was devised to quantify short-term photorespiratory rates in terrestrial plants using (18)O-intermediates of the glycolate pathway, specifically glycolate, glycine, and serine. The pathway intermediates were isolated and analyzed on a GC/MS to determine molecular percent (18)O-enrichment. Rates of glycolate synthesis were determined from (18)O-labeling kinetics of the intermediates, derived rate equations, and nonlinear regression techniques. Glycolate synthesis in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a C(3) plant, and maize (Zea mays L.), a C(4) plant, was stimulated by high O(2) concentrations and inhibited by high CO(2) concentrations. The synthesis rates were 7.3, 2.1, and 0.7 micromoles per square decimeter per minute under a 21% O(2) and 0.035% CO(2) atmosphere for leaf tissue of wheat, maize seedlings, and 3-month-old maize, respectively. Photorespiratory CO(2) evolution rates were estimated to be 27, 6, and 2%, respectively, of net photosynthesis for the three groups of plants under the above atmosphere. The results from maize tissue support the hypothesis that C(4) plants photorespire, albeit at a reduced rate in comparison to C(3) plants, and that the CO(2)/O(2) ratio in the bundle sheath of maize is higher in mature tissue than in seedling tissue. The pool size of the three photorespiratory intermediates remained constant and were unaffected by changes in either CO(2) or O(2) concentrations throughout the 10-minute labeling period. This suggests that photorespiratory metabolism is regulated by other mechanism besides phosphoglycolate synthesis by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, at least under short-term conditions. Other mechanisms could be alternate modes of synthesis of the intermediates, regulation of some of the enzymes of the photorespiratory pathway, or regulation of carbon flow between organelles involved in photorespiration. The glycolate pool became nearly 100% (18)O-labeled under an atmosphere of 40% O(2). This pool failed to become 100% (18)O-enriched under lower O(2) concentrations.