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1. The spontaneous activation of delta-aminolaevulate synthetase in extracts from Rhodopseudomonas spheroides grown semi-anaerobically in the light requires oxygen and does not take place anaerobically in the dark. 2. Activation is completely prevented by azide or cyanide and is partially inhibited by chlorpromazine. These compounds inhibit markedly the succinoxidase activity of extracts. 3. NADH delays activation, but when it has been oxidized by the extract activation begins at the normal rate and complete activation occurs. By contrast both the rate and the extent of activation are markedly decreased by even small amounts of carboxylic acids. 4. The inhibitory effects of succinate and citrate on activation can be prevented by malonate and fluorocitrate respectively. 5. These results suggest that for activation to occur some endogenous compound has to be oxidized via the electron transport chain. 6. Activation occurs under anaerobic conditions in the light, probably by photo-oxidation.

1. delta-Aminolaevulate synthetase from Rhodopseudomonas spheroides grown semi-anaerobically undergoes a spontaneous activation during the first hour after the disruption of cells when homogenates are stored at 4 degrees . 2. After cultures of R. spheroides growing semi-anaerobically are oxygenated no activation of delta-aminolaevulate synthetase occurs in cell extracts. Cessation of activation in extracts is almost complete 10min. after oxygenation of cells has begun. 3. A heat-stable fraction of low molecular weight from semi-anaerobic cells reactivates delta-aminolaevulate synthetase in extracts of oxygenated cells and appears to contain a compound responsible for the spontaneous activation. 4. A heat-stable fraction of low molecular weight from oxygenated cells inhibits the spontaneous activation in extracts of semi-anaerobic cells. 5. The effect of oxygen on the rate of bacteriochlorophyll synthesis in R. spheroides may be mediated through alterations in the concentrations of a low-molecular-weight activator and inhibitor of delta-aminolaevulate synthetase.

1. Glycine decarboxylase and glycine-bicarbonate exchange activities were detected in extracts of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides and in rat liver mitochondria and their properties were studied. 2. The glycine decarboxylase activity from both sources is stimulated when glyoxylate is added to the assay system. 3. Several proteins participate in these reactions and a heat-stable low-molecular-weight protein was purified from both sources. 4. These enzyme activities increase markedly when R. spheroides is grown in the presence of glycine, glyoxylate, glycollate, oxalate or serine. 5. All the enzymes required to catalyse the conversion of glycine into acetyl-CoA via serine and pyruvate were detected in extracts of R. spheroides; of these glycine decarboxylase has the lowest activity. 6. The increase in the activity of glycine decarboxylase on illumination of R. spheroides in a medium containing glycine, and the greater increase when ATP is also present in the medium, probably accounts for the increased incorporation of the methylene carbon atom of glycine into fatty acids found previously under these conditions (Gajdos, Gajdos-Török, Gorchein, Neuberger & Tait, 1968). 7. The results are compared with those obtained by other workers on the glycine decarboxylase and glycine-bicarbonate exchange activities in other systems.

1. The anaerobic coproporphyrinogenase activity in an extract of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides is inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline, alphaalpha'-bipyridyl, flavins, 2,4-dinitrophenol and 1,4-naphthaquinone. These compounds have no effect on the aerobic coproporphyrinogenase activity. 2. On removal of small-molecular-weight material from a crude extract, the anaerobic system becomes very unstable; it can be stabilized by adding succinate. Now nicotinamide nucleotides, in addition to Mg(2+), ATP and methionine, are required for protoporphyrin to be formed. 3. A mechanism for the anaerobic reaction is proposed, based on the cofactor requirements and the effect of inhibitors. 4. The enzyme responsible for aerobic activity has been partially purified and some of its properties are reported. 5. A crude extract of Chromatium strain D also exhibits coproporphyrinogenase activity under anaerobic conditions in the presence of S-adenosylmethionine or ATP plus methionine. The requirement for other cofactors is variable.

1. Differences observed in earlier work between the enzymic chelation with protoporphyrin of Zn(2+) and Fe(2+) ions respectively have now been explained as being caused by the presence of peroxides in the ether used in the enzyme assay. The inhibitory effect of peroxides is established by the reducing agent, which is present in the assay for chelation of iron but not in that for zinc. There are now no reasons for the belief that two different enzymes catalyse formation of complexes with zinc and iron respectively. 2. Removal of lipid from both chromatophores and mitochondria markedly reduced chelatase activity. Activity could be partially restored by the addition of lipid fractions. Phosphatidic acid, but not phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine, actively stimulated the formation of zinc protoporphyrin and haem by chromatophores and mitochondrial preparations. 3. Lipid-containing extracts of chromatophores, and fractions thereof obtained by silicic acid chromatography, partially restored chelatase activity of Tween extracts of mitochondria. Thus, although both enzymes are considered to be lipoproteins, the identity of the lipids concerned is still uncertain. 4. A great number of organic solvents such as esters, ethers, ketones and, to a lesser extent, alcohols, stimulate enzymic chelation of both metals with protoporphyrin. A number of explanations for these findings are considered and it is suggested that organic solvents interact in some way with the enzyme lipoprotein, changing either its conformation or allowing closer contact between the enzyme and its substrates.

1. ATP, GTP, CTP and UTP at concentrations of 1mm markedly decrease the amount of coproporphyrin excreted by Rhodopseudomonas spheroides illuminated in a medium containing glycine, succinate and fumarate. 2. The effect of ATP is decreased if ethionine is also added to the medium. 3. Evidence is presented showing that ATP is taken up by the organisms from the medium. 4. ATP is shown to have a marked effect on the utilization of glycine. In the presence of ATP the incorporation of the methylene carbon atom of glycine into the fatty acid moieties of the phospholipids is greatly increased, and more of the carboxyl carbon atom is lost, probably as carbon dioxide. 5. ATP has little effect on the utilization of succinate or fumarate. 6. The possible significance of these results with regard to the control by ATP of porphyrin synthesis and excretion and glycine metabolism is discussed.