Purification and properties of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from green leaves of maize
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylate was isolated from green leaves of maize (Zea mays L.) by a procedure including fractionation with ammonium sulphate, chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and preparative electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. The specific activity of the electrophoretically homogeneous enzyme was 23 U/mg. Its molecular weight was about 405 000, pH optimum was within the range 7.9 to 8.3, Km for phosphoenolpyruvate was 1.05 . 10-3 and the apparent Km for the magnesium ions was 8.0 . 10-4M. The enzyme was inhibited by malate, aspartate, citrate, pyruvate, ATP and ADP and chloride ions. It was strongly activated by glycine and glucose 6-phosphate and to a lesser degree by glucose 1-phosphate and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate; no activation by orthophosphate and 3-phosphoglycerate was observed.