RUBISCO: structure and mechanism.

CONTENTS PERSPECTIVES AND OVERVIEW 1 1 9 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND GENETIC ASPECTS 120 Photosynthesis and Photorespiration 120 Synthesis and Assembly . . . . . ..... ... . . ... . . . . . . . . . . .. .. 121 CHEMICAL MECHANISM 122 Activation-the Ternary Complex of Enzyme, CO" and Mg( II) 122 Overall Carboxylation Reaction . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Partial Reactions and Reaction Intermediates 124 THREE·DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE 126 Overall Structure of Rubisco as Revealed by Protein Crystallography 126 Structural Diff erences Between the L2and LsSs-Type Rubisco: a Function of the Small Subunit 129 The Active Site . . . . . . . . ....... . . . . . . . . . . . ...... ...... . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Binding of Phosphorylated Compounds to Rubisco 1 32 Conformational Changes During Catalysis 1 3 5 STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION 1 36 Activation .. . .. 1 36 Enolization . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . ........ ........ 137 Carboxylation 138