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PubMed1992

Proline transport in Staphylococcus aureus: a high-affinity system and a low-affinity system involved in osmoregulation.

L-Proline enhanced the growth of Staphylococcus aureus in high-osmotic-strength medium, i.e., it acted as an osmoprotectant. Study of the kinetics of L-[14C]proline uptake by S. aureus NCTC 8325 revealed high-affinity (Km = 1.7 microM; maximum rate of transport [Vmax] = 1.1 nmol/min/mg [dry weight]) and low-affinity (Km = 132 microM; Vmax = 22 nmol/min/mg [dry weight]) transport systems. Both systems were present in a proline prototrophic variant grown in the absence of proline, although the Vmax of the high-affinity system was three to five times higher than that of the high-affinity system in strain 8325. Both systems were dependent on Na+ for activity, and the high-affinity system was stimulated by lower concentrations of Na+ more than the low-affinity system. The proline transport activity of the low-affinity system was stimulated by increased osmotic strength. The high-affinity system was highly specific for L-proline, whereas the low-affinity system showed a broader substrate specificity. Glycine betaine did not compete with proline for uptake through either system. Inhibitor studies confirmed that proline uptake occurred via Na(+)-dependent systems and suggested the involvement of the proton motive force in creating an Na+ gradient. Hyperosmotic stress (upshock) of growing cultures led to a rapid and large uptake of L-[14C]proline that was not dependent on new protein synthesis. It is suggested that the low-affinity system is involved in adjusting to increased environmental osmolarity and that the high-affinity system may be involved in scavenging low concentrations of proline.

Biological Transport↗
PubMed2003

Arginine, ornithine, and proline interconversion is dependent on small intestinal metabolism in neonatal pigs.

We have previously shown that arginine deficiency is exacerbated by the removal of dietary proline in orally, but not parenterally, fed piglets. Therefore, we hypothesized that the net interconversions of proline, ornithine, and arginine primarily occur in the small intestine of neonatal piglets. Ten intragastrically fed piglets received either intraportal (IP) or intragastric (IG) primed, constant infusions of [guanido-(14)C]arginine and [U-(14)C]ornithine + [2,3-(3)H]proline. By infusing amino acid isotopes via the stomach compared with the portal vein, we isolated small intestinal first-pass metabolism in vivo. During IP infusion, fractional net conversions (%) from proline to ornithine (0), ornithine to arginine (11 +/- 6), and ornithine to proline (5 +/- 1) were lower (P < 0.05) than during IG infusion (39 +/- 8, 18 +/- 6, and 42 +/- 12, respectively); we speculate that these data are due to the localization of ornithine aminotransferase to the gut. The balance of these conversions indicated a large synthesis of arginine (70.0 micromol. kg(-1). h(-1)) by the gut, with a corresponding degradation of ornithine (70.8 micromol. kg(-1). h(-1)) and no change in proline balance. Gut synthesis of arginine from proline (48.1 micromol. kg(-1). h(-1)) was 50% of its requirement, whereas proline synthesis from arginine (33.0 micromol. kg(-1). h(-1)) amounted to 10% of its requirement. Overall, arginine synthesis is more dependent on the gut than proline synthesis. In situations in which gut metabolism is compromised, such as during parenteral nutrition or gastrointestinal disease, arginine and proline are individually indispensable because their biosyntheses are negligible.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Proline inhibition of a sea anemone alarm pheromone response.

1. L-proline, by itself or in animal tissue extracts, inhibits the response of the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima to the alarm phermone, anthopeurine. 2. The effect of proline is mediated by a receptor that is specific for the structure and configuration of the part of the L-proline molecule containing the carboxyl and imino groups. 3. Proline inhibition is competitive, in the sense that the effects of a given proline concentration can be overridden by an increase in anthopeurine concentration. 4. The magnitude of proline inhibition increases with proline concentration and decreases as the duration of exposure to proline increases. 5. Neither the final conducting system mediating the alarm response nor the responding muscles are inhbited by proline. Inhibition presumably occurs at or soon after the level of anthopleurine receptors. 6. Proline inhibition may resolve the potential conflict between Anthopleura's mutually exclusive feeding and alarm pheromone responses.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Vacuolar functions are involved in stress-protective effect of intracellular proline in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Proline protects yeast cells from damage caused by various stresses. A yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant with high levels of intracellular proline grown in a minimal medium accumulated proline in its vacuole, but when grown in a nutrient medium, accumulated proline mainly in the cytosol. To understand the role of the proline pool in the vacuole, we examined the stress-protective effect of proline in proline-accumulating yeast cells deficient in vacuolar functions. The disruption of PEP3 encoding a vacuolar membrane protein required for vacuolar biogenesis caused hypersensitivity to heat shock and ethanol stresses, probably due to disappearance of normal vacuoles. The vph1-disrupted cells lacking vacuolar-ATPase activity showed resistance to heat shock without any change in proline localization, but showed severe growth defects in an ethanol-containing medium. These results indicate that vacuolar functions are involved in the stress-protective effect of proline in S. cerevisiae. Also, it appears that excess proline is transported to the vacuole in an ATP-independent manner.

Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport↗
PubMed1983

A high hepatic concentration of free proline does not induce collagen synthesis in rat liver.

It has been reported that the concentration of free proline in the liver can be a limiting factor in the synthesis of hepatic collagen, and there has also been found to be a good correlation between the free proline and the amount of collagen in cirrhotic human livers. Since ethanol retards the breakdown of proline, it might be expected that ethanol-induced liver cirrhosis could be produced by the effect of ethanol on the hepatic proline level. In the present study the hepatic free proline level was increased more than three-fold by the administration of proline-rich diet to the rats used in the experiment. Administration of ethanol to the animals did not further increase the concentration of free proline of the liver. The high free proline level had no effect on the collagen formation, nor on the structure of the liver. It can therefore be assumed that the increased free proline levels observed in cirrhotic livers did not induce an increased collagen accumulation, and are a consequence of an altered proline metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Effect of ethanol on hepatic proline-metabolizing enzymes in the rat.

The effects of short- and long-term ethanol administration on the hepatic content of free proline and on the activity of hepatic enzymes that catalyze the formation and degradation of proline were determined in the rat. The short-term oral administration of ethanol in a dose of 5.5 gm/kg body weight resulted in no changes in hepatic free proline content or in hepatic proline oxidase activity. By contrast, the feeding of ethanol for a period of 1 month resulted in an increase in the total hepatic content of free proline. The hepatic activity of proline exidase was also increased by long-term ethanol feeding while the activities of arginase, ornithine aminotransferase, delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase, delta 1-pyrroline-5-dehydrogenase, and glutamate dehydrogenase remained unchanged. The increase in the hepatic pool of free proline in association with an increase in proline oxidase activity suggests that long-term ethanol administration results in an increased turnover of proline in the liver, in which the increase in synthesis is greater than the increase in degradation. An effect of long-term ethanol feeding in increasing proline degradation mya be a cause for the increased oxygen consumption and urea production found in the liver after long-term ethanol ingestion.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Conformational change and membrane association of the PutA protein are coincident with reduction of its FAD cofactor by proline.

The PutA protein is both the put repressor and a membrane-bound enzyme with proline and delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase activities. The conditions required for association of purified PutA protein with membrane vesicles suggested that a redox switching mechanism might determine the proportion of PutA protein functioning as a dehydrogenase (Wood, J. M. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 373-377). The FAD cofactor was released from the PutA protein with 1 M KBr at neutral pH. The apoprotein retained delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase and DNA binding but not proline dehydrogenase activity. Reconstitution with FAD fully restored proline dehydrogenase activity. Proline at a concentration of 0.11 mM caused half-maximal bleaching of the FAD in PutA. Chymotryptic digestion of the PutA protein in the presence and absence of proline demonstrated that the persistence of a 119-kDa protein fragment was characteristic of the reduced protein. Identical digestion patterns were obtained from the apoprotein in the presence and absence of proline. The quantity of the 119-kDa fragment produced varied with proline concentration, yielding a midpoint of 0.056 mM proline. The fraction of PutA protein associated with membrane vesicles was also a function of proline concentration, yielding a titration midpoint of 0.10 mM proline. Membrane binding was thus coincident with both flavin reduction and a change in protein conformation.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1991

Growth of the Maize Primary Root at Low Water Potentials : III. Role of Increased Proline Deposition in Osmotic Adjustment.

Seedlings of maize (Zea mays L. cv WF9 x Mo 17) growing at low water potentials in vermiculite contained greatly increased proline concentrations in the primary root growth zone. Proline levels were particularly high toward the apex, where elongation rates have been shown to be completely maintained over a wide range of water potentials. Proline concentration increased even in quite mild treatments and reached 120 millimolal in the apical millimeter of roots growing at a water potential of -1.6 megapascal. This accounted for almost half of the osmotic adjustment in this region. Increases in concentration of other amino acids and glycinebetaine were comparatively small. We have assessed the relative contributions of increased rates of proline deposition and decreased tissue volume expansion to the increases in proline concentration. Proline content profiles were combined with published growth velocity distributions to calculate net proline deposition rate profiles using the continuity equation. At low water potential, proline deposition per unit length increased by up to 10-fold in the apical region of the growth zone compared to roots at high water potential. This response accounted for most of the increase in proline concentration in this region. The results suggest that osmotic adjustment due to increased proline deposition plays an important role in the maintenance of root elongation at low water potentials.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1982

Regulation of proline catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO.

Mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa deficient in the utilization of L-proline as the only carbon and nitrogen source have been found to be defective either in proline dehydrogenase activity or in both proline dehydrogenase and delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase activities of the bifunctional proline degradative enzyme. The latter type of mutants was unable to utilize L-ornithine, indicating that a single delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase activity is involved in the degradation of ornithine and proline. Proline dehydrogenase and delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase activities were strongly and coordinately induced by proline. It was excluded that delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate acted as an inducer of the bifunctional enzyme and it was shown that the low level induction observed during growth on ornithine was due to the intracellular formation of proline. The formation of the proline degradative enzyme was shown to be subject to catabolite repression by citrate and nitrogen control.

1-Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed2005

Exploring the proline-dependent conformational change in the multifunctional PutA flavoprotein by tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy.

The multifunctional PutA flavoprotein regulates proline utilization in Escherichia coli by switching from a cytosolic DNA-binding protein to a membrane-bound enzyme with proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH) activities. The transformation of PutA from a transcriptional repressor of the proline utilization (put) regulon to a peripheral membrane associated enzyme is mediated by a proline-dependent conformational change. Previously, limited proteolysis of PutA indicated that the conformational change involves a flexible domain of unknown function (residues 141-262) which is nearby the FAD-binding and PRODH active sites (residues 263-610). Here, we extend our understanding of the proline-dependent conformational change in PutA by investigating the intrinsic Trp fluorescence spectroscopic properties of a truncated PutA protein which contains residues 86-601 (PutA86-601) and only four Trp residues. The addition of proline to wild-type PutA86-601 decreases Trp fluorescence by 36%, indicating a substantial conformational change. An apparent rate constant of 0.59 +/- 0.06 s(-)(1) was determined for the fluorescence change by stopped-flow fluorescence measurements. The limiting rate constant for proline reduction of the FAD cofactor in PutA is 133 +/- 6 s(-)(1), demonstrating that FAD reduction precedes the conformational transition observed by Trp fluorescence. The nonreducing ligand l-tetrahydro-2-furoic acid mimics the decrease in Trp fluorescence induced by proline, indicating that both FAD reduction and ligand binding contribute to the observed conformational change in PutA86-601. W194 and W211, which are located in the flexible domain, were replaced by Phe in the PutA86-601 mutants W194F, W211F, and W194F/W211F to determine which residue is involved in the observed fluorescence change. Analysis of the PutA86-601 mutants indicated that W211 is the primary molecular marker of the conformational change caused by proline. Altogether, this work shows that the switching of PutA from a transcriptional repressor to a membrane-bound protein involves W211 in a flexible domain near the PRODH active site and occurs on a time scale that is >10-fold slower than the turnover number of PutA.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed2006

Tomato QM-like protein protects Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells against oxidative stress by regulating intracellular proline levels.

Exogenous proline can protect cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from oxidative stress. We altered intracellular proline levels by overexpressing the proline dehydrogenase gene (PUT1) of S. cerevisiae. Put1p performs the first enzymatic step of proline degradation in S. cerevisiae. Overexpression of Put1p results in low proline levels and hypersensitivity to oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide and paraquat. A put1-disrupted yeast mutant deficient in Put1p activity has increased protection from oxidative stress and increased proline levels. Following a conditional life/death screen in yeast, we identified a tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) gene encoding a QM-like protein (tQM) and found that stable expression of tQM in the Put1p-overexpressing strain conferred protection against oxidative damage from H2O2, paraquat, and heat. This protection was correlated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduction and increased proline accumulation. A yeast two-hybrid system assay was used to show that tQM physically interacts with Put1p in yeast, suggesting that tQM is directly involved in modulating proline levels. tQM also can rescue yeast from the lethality mediated by the mammalian proapoptotic protein Bax, through the inhibition of ROS generation. Our results suggest that tQM is a component of various stress response pathways and may function in proline-mediated stress tolerance in plants.

Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins↗
PubMed1980

Proline: an essential intermediate in arginine degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Results of studies on proline-nonutilizing (Put-) mutants of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicate that proline is an essential intermediate in the degradation of arginine. Put- mutants excreted proline when grown on arginine or ornithine as the sole nitrogen source. Yeast cells contained a single enzyme, delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) dehydrogenase, which is essential for the complete degradation of both proline and arginine. The sole inducer of this enzyme was found to be proline. P5C dehydrogenase converted P5C to glutamate, but only when the P5C was derived directly from proline. When the P5C was derived from ornithine, it was first converted to proline by the enzyme P5C reductase. Proline was then converted back to P5C and finally to glutamate by the Put enzymes proline oxidase and P5C dehydrogenase.

Arginine↗
PubMed2006

Oxygen reactivity of PutA from Helicobacter species and proline-linked oxidative stress.

Proline is converted to glutamate in two successive steps by the proline utilization A (PutA) flavoenzyme in gram-negative bacteria. PutA contains a proline dehydrogenase domain that catalyzes the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent oxidation of proline to delta1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) and a P5C dehydrogenase domain that catalyzes the NAD+-dependent oxidation of P5C to glutamate. Here, we characterize PutA from Helicobacter hepaticus (PutA(Hh)) and Helicobacter pylori (PutA(Hp)) to provide new insights into proline metabolism in these gastrointestinal pathogens. Both PutA(Hh) and PutA(Hp) lack DNA binding activity, in contrast to PutA from Escherichia coli (PutA(Ec)), which both regulates and catalyzes proline utilization. PutA(Hh) and PutA(Hp) display catalytic activities similar to that of PutA(Ec) but have higher oxygen reactivity. PutA(Hh) and PutA(Hp) exhibit 100-fold-higher turnover numbers (approximately 30 min(-1)) than PutA(Ec) (<0. 3 min(-1)) using oxygen as an electron acceptor during catalytic turnover with proline. Consistent with increased oxygen reactivity, PutA(Hh) forms a reversible FAD-sulfite adduct. The significance of increased oxygen reactivity in PutA(Hh) and PutA(Hp) was probed by oxidative stress studies in E. coli. Expression of PutA(Ec) and PutA from Bradyrhizobium japonicum, which exhibit low oxygen reactivity, does not diminish stress survival rates of E. coli cell cultures. In contrast, PutA(Hp) and PutA(Hh) expression dramatically reduces E. coli cell survival and is correlated with relatively lower proline levels and increased hydrogen peroxide formation. The discovery of reduced oxygen species formation by PutA suggests that proline catabolism may influence redox homeostasis in the ecological niches of these Helicobacter species.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2007

The organic osmolytes betaine and proline are transported by a shared system in early preimplantation mouse embryos.

Betaine and proline protect preimplantation mouse embryos against increased osmolarity and decreased cell volume, implying that they may function as organic osmolytes. However, the transport system(s) that mediates their accumulation in fertilized eggs and early embryos was unknown, and previously identified mammalian organic osmolyte transporters could not account for their transport. Here, we report that there is a single saturable transport component shared by betaine and proline in 1-cell mouse embryos. A series of inhibitors had nearly identical effects on both betaine and proline transport by this system. In addition, K(i) values for reciprocal inhibition of betaine and proline transport were approximately 100-300 microM, similar to K(m) values ( approximately 200-300 microM) for their transport, and both had similar maximal transport rates (V(max)). The K(i) values for inhibition of betaine and proline transport by dimethylglycine were similar ( approximately 2 mM), further supporting transport of both substrates by a single transport system. Finally, betaine and proline transport each required Na(+)- and Cl(-). These data were consistent with a single, Na(+)- and Cl(-)-requiring, betaine/proline transport system in 1-cell mouse embryos. While betaine was only transported by a single saturable system, we found an additional, less conspicuous proline transport route that was betaine-insensitive, Na(+)-sensitive, and inhibited by alanine, leucine, cysteine, and methionine. Furthermore, we showed that betaine, like proline, is present in the mouse oviduct and thus could serve as a physiological substrate. Finally, accumulation of both betaine and proline increased with increasing osmolarity, consistent with a possible role as organic osmolytes in early embryos.

Alanine↗
PubMed1991

Proline in alpha-helix: stability and conformation studied by dynamics simulation.

Free-energy simulations have been used to estimate the change in the conformational stability of short polyalanine alpha-helices when one of the alanines is replaced by a proline residue. For substituting proline in the middle of the helix the change in free energy of folding (delta delta G degrees) was calculated as 14 kJ/mol (3.4 kcal/mol), in excellent agreement with the one available experimental value. The helix containing proline was found to be strongly kinked; the free energy for reducing the angle of the kink from 40 degrees to 15 degrees was calculated, and found to be small. A tendency to alternate hydrogen bonding schemes was observed in the proline-containing helix. These observations for the oligopeptide agree well with the observation of a range of kink angles (18-35 degrees) and variety of hydrogen bonding schemes, in the rare instances where proline occurs in helices in globular proteins. For substituting proline at the N-terminus of the helix the change in free energy of folding (delta delta G degrees) was calculated as -4 kJ/mol in the first helical position (N1) and +6 kJ/mol in the second helical position (N2). The observed frequent occurrence of proline in position N1 in alpha-helices in proteins therefore has its origin in stability differences of secondary structure. The conclusion reached here that proline may be a better helix former in position N1 than (even) alanine, and thus be a helix initiator may be testable experimentally by measurements of fraction helical conformation of individual residues in oligopeptides of appropriate sequence. The relevance of these results in regards to the frequent occurrence of proline-containing helices in certain membrane proteins is discussed.

Alanine↗
PubMed1998

A conserved proline-rich sequence between the N-terminal signal-anchor and catalytic domains is required for assembly of functional cytochrome P450 2C2.

In cytochrome P450 2C2, the region which links the N-terminal signal anchor with the catalytic domain contains a highly conserved proline-rich region with the sequence, 30-PPGPTPFP-37. Mutation of proline-30 or proline-33 diminished activities of the mutants expressed in COS-1 cells (Chen, C., and Kemper, B. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 28697-28611). Substitution of alanine, proline, or arginine for glycine-32 abolished laurate hydroxylase activity of the proteins expressed in COS-1 cells, which suggests that this residue is also functionally important. To determine the basis for the decreased activity in COS-1 cells, the activities and spectral properties of mutant proteins expressed in insect cells and bacteria were determined. Substitution of alanine for either proline-30 or -33 resulted in reduced expression in insect cells of functional cytochrome P450 hemoprotein and an increase in the expression of inactive cytochrome P420. In contrast, substitution of alanine for proline-31, -35, or -37 resulted in hemoproteins with spectra similar to cytochrome P450 2C2 so that the amount of cytochrome P450 expressed in insect cells correlated with the activities of the mutants in COS-1 cells. The laurate hydroxylase activities per nanomole of cytochrome P450 in insect microsomes were similar for wild type and all mutants, indicating that, once folded, the catalytic activity of membrane-bound cytochrome P450 was not affected by the mutations. Expression in bacteria resulted in diminished expression of cytochrome P450 for all mutants, with the greatest decrease for the proline-30 and -33 mutants, and increased cytochrome P420. In contrast to the insect cell studies, the proline-30 and -33 mutants were inactive, while the other mutants had specific activities 30-70% of cytochrome P450 2C2. These data are consistent with a role for the proline-rich region in efficient assembly of cytochrome P450 2C2 in eukaryotic cells. Mutations of this region also may affect the conformational integrity of the proteins, which was revealed by assays of solubilized bacterially expressed proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Automated carboxy-terminal sequence analysis of polypeptides containing C-terminal proline.

Proteins and peptides can be sequenced from the carboxy-terminus with isothiocyanate reagents to produce amino acid thiohydantoin derivatives. Previous studies in our laboratory have focused on automation of the thiocyanate chemistry using diphenyl phosphoroisothiocyanatidate (DPP-ITC) and pyridine to derivatize the C-terminal amino acid to a thiohydantoin and sodium trimethylsilanolate for specific hydrolysis of the derivatized C-terminal amino acid (Bailey, J. M., Nikfarjam, F., Shenoy, N. S., and Shively, J. E. (1992) Protein Sci. 1, 1622-1633). A major limitation of this approach was the inability to derivatize C-terminal proline. We now describe chemistry based on the DPP-ITC/pyridine reaction which is capable of derivatizing C-terminal proline to a thiohydantoin. The reaction of DPP-ITC/pyridine with C-terminal proline rapidly forms an acyl isothiocyanate which is capable of forming a quaternary amine containing thiohydantoin. Unlike formation of peptidylthiohydantoins with the other 19 commonly occurring amino acids in which cyclization to a thiohydantoin is concomitant with loss of a proton from the amide nitrogen, proline has no amide proton and as a result the newly formed proline thiohydantoin contains an unprotonated ring nitrogen. This cyclic structure if left unprotonated will regenerate C-terminal proline during the cleavage reaction. However, if protonated by the addition of acid, the proline thiohydantoin ring is stabilized and can be readily hydrolyzed to proline thiohydantoin and a shortened peptide by the addition of water vapor or alternatively by sodium or potassium trimethylsilanolate, the reagent normally used for the cleavage reaction. By introducing vaporphase trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) for the protonation reaction and water vapor for the hydrolysis reaction we have been able to automate the chemistry required for derivatization of C-terminal proline.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetic Anhydrides↗
PubMed1998

Proline suppresses Rubisco activity in higher plants.

Seedlings of Brassica juncea, Sesbania sesban, and Oryza sativa exposed to salt stress accumulated proline to levels as high as 4- to 20-fold over those of controls. Because chloroplasts are the major site for synthesis of stress induced proline accumulation, in vitro studies were conducted to see how the over-accumulation of this solute influences the activity of the major chloroplastic enzyme Ribulose 1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) purified from the above plant species. Surprisingly, proline (believed to be a compatible solute) suppressed the activity of Rubisco significantly even when present at a concentration as low as 100 mM. The extent of this inhibition in Rubisco activity increased with an increase in the concentration of proline. Irrespective of the plant species from which Rubisco was purified, its activity declined by about 50% in the presence of 1 M proline. Rubisco from all three plant species was sensitive to NaCl and proline accelerated salt induced suppression in its activity. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report wherein a negative effect of proline (which is believed to protect enzymes under stress) has been clearly demonstrated. This perturbing effect of proline on Rubisco from higher plant species belonging to three distinct families cautions targeting of gene(s)/gene products for over-production of proline into chloroplasts.

Brassica↗