Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mott, K. A.
Right arrow Articles by Woodrow, I. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mott, K. A.
Right arrow Articles by Woodrow, I. E.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Mott, K. A.
Right arrow Articles by Woodrow, I. E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 51, No. 90001, pp. 399-406, February 2000
© 2000 Oxford University Press

Modelling the role of Rubisco activase in limiting non-steady-state photosynthesis

Keith A. Mott1,3 and Ian E. Woodrow2

1 Biology Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322–5305, USA
2 School of Botany, The Unversity of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia

The roles of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and Rubisco activase in limiting the approach of photosynthesis to steady-state following a step increase from a low to a saturating value of photon flux density (PFD) are reviewed. This information, along with the effect of Rubisco on steady-state photosynthetic rate and the effect of Rubisco activase on maximum Rubisco activation state, is then used to construct a model to predict the optimum allocation of protein between Rubisco and Rubisco activase for plants exposed to different light environments. The model predicts that the distribution of protein that produces the maximum steady-state rate of photosynthesis does not produce the maximum activation rate for Rubisco or the maximum steady-state activation state. The latter conclusion may explain why Rubisco is rarely found to be fully activated in leaves, even at saturating PFD values. The former suggests that plants exposed to fluctuating PFD should allocate more protein to Rubisco activase than plants exposed to constant PFD. This aspect of the model is explored in more detail for lightflecks of differing duration.

Key words: Rubisco, Rubisco activase, photosynthesis, model, light, photon flux density.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.