pH Dependence of Photosynthesis and Photorespiration in Soybean Leaf Cells

The effect of pH on the kinetics of photosynthesis, O(2) inhibition of photosynthesis, and photorespiration was examined with mesophyll cells isolated from soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) leaves. At constant, subsaturating bicarbonate concentration (0.5 mm), O(2) inhibition of photosynthesis increased with increasing pH because high pH shifts the CO(2)-bicarbonate equilibrium toward bicarbonate, thereby reducing the CO(2) concentration. At constant, substrating CO(2) concentrations, cell photorespiration decreased with increasing pH. This was indicated by decreases in the CO(2) compensation concentration, O(2) inhibition of photosynthesis, and glycine synthesis. Km(CO(2)) values for isolated cell photosynthesis and in vitro ribulose-1, 5-diphosphate carboxylase activity decreased with increasing pH, while the Ki(O(2)) for both systems was similar at all pH values. The responses to pH of the corresponding kinetic constants of cell photosynthesis and in vitro RuDP carboxylase with respect to CO(2) and O(2) were identical. This provides additional evidence that the relative rates of photosynthesis and photorespiration in C(3) plants are determined by the kinetic properties of RuDP carboxylase.