Carboxylating enzymes and carbonic anhydrase functions were suppressed by zinc deficiency in maize and chickpea plants

Maize and chickpea plants were grown in a controlled environment with 0.5 mu M Zn or without Zn and various photosynthetic reactions were studied. The chlorophyll level, the rate of photosynthesis and photosystem II activity, the activity of carboxylating enzymes and that of carbonic anhydrase were suppressed by Zn deficiency in both plant species. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) was quantified using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Growing plants in a medium without Zn caused a decrease in the total protein level and in the levels of large and small subunits of Rubisco.