Abstract
Intact mesophyll cells were isolated from tea (Camellia sinensis) leaves using an enzymatic (macerozyme) technique. About 15% of the leaf cells on a chlorophyll basis from 1 or 2 grams of leaves could be isolated in 3 hours. The optimal concentration of sorbitol was 1.0 M in the case of single cells isolated from immature leaves and 0.4 M in the case of mature leaves. Cells were slightly stable when stored at 0°C. Cells isolated from immature leaves showed higher photosynthetic activity (20-30 μmoles/mg chl/hr) than that of cells isolated from mature leaves (6-10 μmoles/mg chl/hr). Photosynthetic rate of cells (immature leaves) was saturated at 5 mM of bicarbonate and the Km(CO2) for cell photosynthesis was about 40 μM. The light intensity at maximal velocity of CO2 fixation was about 40 klx. The optimal pH for CO2 fixation was 7.8 and the optimal temperature was between 30 and 35°C. These results were discussed in relation to leaf photosynthesis.
