Chlorophyll d in an Epiphytic Cyanobacterium of Red Algae

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 303; no. 5664; p. 1633
• Main Authors: Murakami, Akio, Miyashita, Hideaki, Iseki, Mineo, Adachi, Kyoko, Mimuro, Mamoru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 12.03.2004; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Acaryochloris marina; Algae; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Brevia; Chemical properties; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll - analysis; Chlorophylls; Critical Reading; Cyanobacteria - chemistry; Cyanobacteria - classification; Cyanobacteria - isolation & purification; Cyanophyta; Data lines; Environmental Research; Fluorescence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic aspects; Heterocyclic compounds, pigments; Line spectra; Marinas; Marine; Molecular Biology; Observation; Other biological molecules; Photosynthesis; Physiological aspects; Pigments; Red algae; Research universities; Rhodophyta; Rhodophyta - microbiology; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Technical Assistance; Tetrapyrrolic pigments; Thallus; Universities; Japan; Spectral data; Rhodophyta; Chlorophyll; Photosynthetic pigment; Algae; Cyanobacteria; Bacteria; Structure function relationship; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1095459

Murakami et al identify the source of chlorophyll (Chl) d in red algae as an epiphytic cyanobacterium living on the thalli of the red algae. Their findings show that Chl d is not a constituent of red algae, leading them to propose the correction of the general consensus regarding the distribution of Chl pigments in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. Chl d biosynthesis is monophyletic in the clade of Acaryochloris and does not occur in eukaryotes.