Molecular properties of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from C3, C 3-C 4 intermediate, and C 4 Flaveria species

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase; EC 4.1.1.31) from Flaveria trinervia Mohr (C4), F. floridana Johnston (C3-C4), and F. cronquistii Powell (C3) leaves were compared by electrotransfer blotting/enzyme-linked immunoassay (Western-blot analysis), mobility of the native enzyme in polyacrylamide gels and in isoelectric focusing (IEF) gels, peptide mapping, and in-vitro translation of RNA isolated from each plant. The PEPCases from the C3 and C3-C4 plants were very similar to each other in terms of electrophoretic mobilities on gels and isoenzyme patterns on IEF gels, and identical in peptide mapping. Quantitative differences were noted, however, in that the C3-C4 intermediate plant contained more PEPCase overall and that the relative activity of individual isoenzymes shifted between the C3 and C3-C4 intermediate PEPCases. The PEPCase from the C4 plant had a different isoenzyme pattern, a different peptide map, and was far more abundant than the other two enzymes. Western blot analysis demonstrated the cross-reactivity of PEPCases from all three Flaveria species with antibody raised against maize PEPCase. The results provide evidence, at the molecular level, that supports the view of C3-C4 intermediate species as C3-like plants with some C4-like photosynthetic characteristics, but there are differences from the C3 plant in the quantity and properties of the PEPCase from the C3-C4 intermediate plant.