Abstract
Protoplasts obtained from sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) cell suspensions were found to be highly intact and to retain a high rate of O2 consumption. If the protoplasts were taken up and expelled through a fine nylon mesh, all the protoplasts were ruptured, leaving the fragile amyloplasts largely intact. Distribution of enzymes of glycolysis in plastids and soluble phase of sycamore protoplasts indicated that the absolute maximum activity for each glycolytic enzyme under optimum conditions exceeded the estimates of the maximal rate at which sycamore cells oxidize triose phosphate. Passage of protoplasts through the fine nylon mesh produced a 3-5-fold decrease in O2 consumption. However, addition of saturating amounts of respiratory substrates and ADP restored an O2 consumption equal to that observed with uncoupled intact protoplasts. Taken together, these results demonstrated that neither the overall capacity of the glycolytic enzymes in sycamore cells nor the availability of respiratory substrates for the mitochondria is ultimately responsible for determining the rate of uncoupled respiration in sycamore cells.