Changes of RuBisCO Content and Protease Activity during the Life Span of Tobacco Leaf

담배잎의 일생에 있어서 RuBisCO 함량과 Protease활성의 변동

Changes in the amount of ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oygenase(=RuBisCO) protein, namely fraction I protein, and the protease activity were determined in the 10th leaf of tobacco(Nicotiana tabacum, var. Ky-57) from 10 days after emergence through senescence at 5 days interval. The amount of RuBisCO per deveined leaf rapidly increased during the early growing season, reached a maximal quantity at the around 20 days after leaf emergence, when the leaf has gone through its most rapid expansion, and began gradually to decrease till 30 days after leaf emergence, thereafter significantly declined to 45 days that the leaf has been dried up partly. The pattern of the ratio of RuBisCO protein to soluble protein in quantity changed similar to that of RuBisCO contents in a leaf, that was 43%, 60%, and 21% at the around 10 days, 20 days, and 45 days, respectively. And RuBisCO contents was linearly correlated with the concentration of chlorophyll(r=0.98) throughout the life span of the leaf. So, it was assumed that the leaf color can be a useful indicator for judging whether RuBisCO contents higher or not in tobacco leaves without homogenization. On the other hand, the protease activities for degradation of casein were assayed at pH 5.5. 7.0. and 8.5 with crude extracts desalted on Sephadex G-25. The highest caseolytic activity was found at pH 5.5 throughout the life sawn of the leaf. Also, the activity at 5.5 became gradually to increase from 30 days after leaf emergence, when RuBisCO protein had became to disappear and remarkably increased in the last stage of senescence, although nitrogen contents of the leaf had reached low levels. The caseolytic activity at pH 5.5 was in negative correlation with RuBisCO contents throughout the life span of the leaf, but not in lineality between them. In other words, the caseolytic activity increased in a rapid exponential manner when RuBisCO contents had reached some low levels. These results showed that the leaf age, namely harvesting time, is a very important factor for the production of the tobacco leaf containing higher RuBisCO protein. It was concluded that the practical harvesting time is between 20 days and 30 days after the leaf emergence from the present results.