Activation of sucrose-phosphate synthase by a protein factor/sucrose-phosphate phosphatase

The possible presence of a sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) activating/stabilizing factor (SAF) presumably lost during SPS purification was investigated. Rice leaf protein extracts were chromatographed in a DEAE-Sephacel column. SPS activity of previously purified rice enzyme was enhanced to different extent by aliquots of fractions from such column. The activating capacity could not be replaced by albumin, but was nullified by EDTA. When the fractions were boiled or treated with TCA, the activating capacity disappeared suggesting its proteinaceous nature. The presence of 10 microM okadaic acid had no effect on the stimulatory action of SAF on SPS denying the possibility to SAF to be a SPS-phosphatase. Although it overlaps somehow with sucrose synthase (SS) in DEAE-Sephacel fractions, the activating protein factor and SS eluted separately during Sephadex G-200 chromatography. The activating ability was saturable at a fixed SPS concentration and was able to enhance SPS activity from other plant sources. Simultaneous studies on the activities of SPS and sucrose-phosphate phosphatase (SPP), closely linked to SPS, allowed us to suggest that SAF could be SPP. The presence of SAF/SPP did not alter the affinity of SPS for its substrates but helped to reverse the Pi inhibition at low Fru-6-P concentrations. We conclude that SPS may possibly interact with SPP, contributing to a more effective sucrose synthesis.