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. 1989 Jun;90(2):385–387. doi: 10.1104/pp.90.2.385

Low Oxygen Inhibition of Photosynthesis Is Caused by Inhibition of Starch Synthesis 1

Thomas D Sharkey 1, Terry L Vassey 1
PMCID: PMC1061732  PMID: 16666779

Abstract

Photosynthesis of C3 plants is occasionally inhibited upon switching from normal to low partial pressure of O2. Leaves of Solanum tuberosum exhibited this effect reproducibly under saturating light and 700 microbars of CO2. We determined the partitioning of recent photosynthate between starch and sucrose and measured the concentration of hexose monophosphates in the stroma and cytosol after nonaqueous fractionation. The reduction in the rate of photosynthesis upon switching to low partial pressure of O2 was caused by reduced starch synthesis. The concentration of hexose monophosphates in the stroma fell and the glucose 6-phosphate to fructose 6-phosphate to fructose 6-phosphate ratio fell from 2.7 to 1.3, indicating an inhibition of phosphoglucoisomerase as described by K-J Dietz ([1985] Biochim Biophys Acta 839: 240-248). The concentration of hexose monophosphates in the cytosol increased, ruling out a sucrose synthesis limitation by reduced transport from the chloroplast as the explanation for low O2 inhibition of photosynthesis.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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