Effects of light and external solutes on the catabolism of nuclear-encoded stromal proteins in intact chloroplasts isolated from pea leaves.

The catabolism of nuclear-encoded stromal proteins was investigated in intact chloroplasts isolated mechanically from pea (Pisum sativum) leaves. Glutamine synthetase, phosphoribulokinase, and nitrite reductase (quantified by immunoblotting) were more rapidly degraded in the light than in the dark. Furthermore, the degradation rates depended on exogenously supplied metabolites. For example, 2-oxoglutarate accelerated the catabolism of all three enzymes in chloroplasts incubated in the light, whereas oxaloacetate stabilized glutamine synthetase and at the same time destabilized the other two enzymes.