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Articles

Photosynthetic Carbon Metabolism of Isolated Corn Chloroplasts ¹

^a Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02154

Chloroplasts have been isolated from 4- to 6-day-old corn (Zea mays) leaves capable of assimilating 45 micromoles CO₂ per milligram chlorophyll per hour. The effects of various factors such as inorganic phosphate, reducing agents, inhibitors, intermediates of the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle, organic acids, and oxygen on the photosynthetic rate and on the distribution of ¹⁴C within the products by these chloroplasts were determined. The photosynthetic carbon metabolism of the corn plastids appeared to be similar to that already observed in spinach and pea chloroplasts. It was concluded that the corn plastids can fix CO₂ at meaningful rates via the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle of Calvin without the operation of a cycle involving the C-4 compounds, malate and aspartate.

³ Present address: Department of Biology, Nanyang University, Singapore.

⁴ Present address: Chemisches Institut, Technische Hochschule, München 805, Weihenstephan, Germany.

¹ This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the United States Atomic Energy Commission, AT (30-1)3447.