Baroja Fernández, Edurne

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https://academica-e.unavarra.es/handle/2454/48667

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Baroja Fernández

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Edurne

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Producción Agraria

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0000-0003-0049-6045

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1602

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2000 - 20042
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End date: 2009 × Subject: Starch biosynthesis ×

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Most of ADP-glucose linked to starch biosynthesis occurs outside the chloroplast in source leaves
    (National Academy of Sciences, 2004) Baroja Fernández, Edurne; Muñoz Pérez, Francisco José; Zandueta Criado, Aitor; Morán Zorzano, María Teresa; Viale Bailone, Alejandro M.; Alonso Casajús, Nora; Pozueta Romero, Javier; IdAB. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología / Agrobioteknologiako Institutua; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
    Sucrose and starch are end products of two segregated gluconeogenic pathways, and their production takes place in the cytosol and chloroplast of green leaves, respectively. According to this view, the plastidial ADP glucose (ADPG) pyrophosphorylase (AGP) is the sole enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of the starch precursor molecule ADPG. However, a growing body of evidences indicates that starch formation involves the import of cytosolic ADPG to the chloroplast. This evidence is consistent with the idea that synthesis of the ADPG linked to starch biosynthesis takes place in the cytosol by means of sucrose synthase, whereas AGP channels the glucose units derived from the starch breakdown. To test this hypothesis, we first investigated the subcellular localization of ADPG. Toward this end, we constructed transgenic potato plants that expressed the ADPG-cleaving adenosine diphosphate sugar pyrophosphatase (ASPP) from Escherichia coli either in the chloroplast or in the cytosol. Source leaves from plants expressing ASPP in the chloroplast exhibited reduced starch and normal ADPG content as compared with control plants. Most importantly however, leaves from plants expressing ASPP in the cytosol showed a large reduction of the levels of both ADPG and starch, whereas hexose phosphates increased as compared with control plants. No pleiotropic changes in photosynthetic parameters and maximum catalytic activities of enzymes closely linked to starch and sucrose metabolism could be detected in the leaves expressing ASPP in the cytosol. The overall results show that, essentially similar to cereal endosperms, most of the ADPG linked to starch biosynthesis in source leaves occurs in the cytosol.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphatase: a plastidial phosphodiesterase that prevents starch biosynthesis
    (National Academy of Sciences, 2000) Rodríguez López, Milagros; Baroja Fernández, Edurne; Zandueta Criado, Aitor; Pozueta Romero, Javier; IdAB. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología / Agrobioteknologiako Institutua
    A distinct phosphodiesterasic activity (EC 3.1.4) was found in both mono- and dicotyledonous plants that catalyzes the hydrolytic breakdown of ADPglucose (ADPG) to produce equimolar amounts of glucose-1-phosphate and AMP. The enzyme responsible for this activity, referred to as ADPG pyrophosphatase (AGPPase), was purified over 1,100-fold from barley leaves and subjected to biochemical characterization. The calculated Keq* (modified equilibrium constant) value for the ADPG hydrolytic reaction at pH 7.0 and 25°C is 110, and its standard-state free-energy change value (DG*) is 22.9 kcalymol (1 kcal 5 4.18 kJ). Kinetic analyses showed that, although AGPPase can hydrolyze several low-molecular weight phosphodiester bond-containing compounds, ADPG proved to be the best substrate (Km 5 0.5 mM). Pi and phosphorylated compounds such as 3-phosphoglycerate, PPi, ATP, ADP, NADP1, and AMP are inhibitors of AGPPase. Subcellular localization studies revealed that AGPPase is localized exclusively in the plastidial compartment of cultured cells of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), whereas it occurs both inside and outside the plastid in barley endosperm. In this paper, evidence is presented that shows that AGPPase, whose activity declines concomitantly with the accumulation of starch during development of sink organs, competes with starch synthase (ADPG:1,4-a-D-glucan 4-a- D-glucosyltransferase; EC 2.4.1.21) for ADPG, thus markedly blocking the starch biosynthesis.