Photosynthetic Carbon Metabolism in Isolated Maize Bundle Sheath Strands

Photosynthetically active bundle sheath strands capable of assimilating up to 8 micromoles CO(2) per milligram chlorophyll per hour have been isolated from fully expanded leaves of Zea mays L. Mesophyll cell contamination of the preparations was negligible, as evidenced by light and electron microscopy and by a high ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b in the strands. Ribose 5-phosphate markedly stimulated the rate of photosynthetic (14)CO(2) fixation by the isolated strands. In contrast, both pyruvate and phosphoenolpyruvate had a comparatively small stimulatory effect on bundle sheath (14)CO(2) fixation. After 5 minutes of photosynthesis in (14)C-bicarbonate, 95% of the incorporated (14)C was found in compounds other than C(4)-dicarboxylic acids, most notably in 3-phosphoglycerate and sugar phosphates. A similar distribution of (14)C was observed in the presence of exogenous ribose 5-phosphate. Extracts of bundle sheath strands contained high specific activities of "malic" enzyme, phosphoglycolate phosphatase, hydroxypyruvate reductase, and ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase, whereas the specific activities of NADP(+)-malate dehydrogenase and phosphopyruvate carboxylase were extremely low. These results indicate that the Calvin cycle occurs in the bundle sheath cells of maize.