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. 1981 Sep;68(3):755–761. doi: 10.1104/pp.68.3.755

Physiological Rates of Starch Breakdown in Isolated Intact Spinach Chloroplasts 1

Mark Stitt 1, Hans W Heldt 1
PMCID: PMC425976  PMID: 16661994

Abstract

Starch breakdown with rates above 10 μatom carbon per mg chlorophyll per hour has been monitored in spinach chloroplasts and compares favorably with the rates in whole leaves. Intact starch-loaded chloroplasts were prepared from protoplasts to avoid rupture during mechanical homogenization and rapid centrifugation. Particular attention was paid to the identification of all the products of starch degradation and to measuring the actual rates of their accumulation. The products of starch breakdown included triose phosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate, CO2, glucose, and some maltose. Comparison of the rates of metabolism of added glucose and of the conversion of starch to phosphorylated intermediates showed that starch phosphorolysis was the major pathway leading to phosphorylated endproducts. From the results, the relative contribution of phosphorolysis and hydrolysis to starch breakdown and the contribution of glycolysis and the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle can be estimated. Phosphate has a large influence on the metabolism of the chloroplast in the dark.

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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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