1 Chlorophylls in Microalgae: Occurrence …
9
Chlorophyll a
Heme
Protoporphyrin IX
Mg Protoporphyrin IX
Fig. 1.2 Molecular structure of chlorophyll a, heme, protoporphyrin, and Mg protoporphyrin
other pathway is the phytylation of protochlorophyllide to yield protochlorophyll a,
which is subsequently reduced photochemically to yield chlorophyll a.
The light dependent and independent pathways have been further confirmed.
The algae chloroplasts ancestor came with two distinct nonhomologous enzymes
for the reduction of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide: light dependent (LPOR)
and the light independent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (DPOR) that can be
active in the dark (Schulz and Senger 1993, Armstrong 1998, Reinbothe et al. 2010).
Both are genetically encoded, and while LPOR is encoded by the nuclear gene por
(Hunsperger et al. 2015), DPOR is encoded by the genes chlL, chlN, and chlB in the
chloroplast genome (Suzuki and Bauer 1992, Li et al. 1993) in all photosynthetic
eukaryotes and is active just when its substrate, the protochlorophyllide molecule,
absorbs light (Shui et al. 2009, Hunsperger et al. 2015). According to Bogorad (1976)
in the microalgae Chlorella, chlorophyll a can normally be produced via protochlorophyllide a. According to Kirk and Tilney-Bassett (1978) and Armstrong (1998) the
9
Chlorophyll a
Heme
Protoporphyrin IX
Mg Protoporphyrin IX
Fig. 1.2 Molecular structure of chlorophyll a, heme, protoporphyrin, and Mg protoporphyrin
other pathway is the phytylation of protochlorophyllide to yield protochlorophyll a,
which is subsequently reduced photochemically to yield chlorophyll a.
The light dependent and independent pathways have been further confirmed.
The algae chloroplasts ancestor came with two distinct nonhomologous enzymes
for the reduction of protochlorophyllide to chlorophyllide: light dependent (LPOR)
and the light independent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (DPOR) that can be
active in the dark (Schulz and Senger 1993, Armstrong 1998, Reinbothe et al. 2010).
Both are genetically encoded, and while LPOR is encoded by the nuclear gene por
(Hunsperger et al. 2015), DPOR is encoded by the genes chlL, chlN, and chlB in the
chloroplast genome (Suzuki and Bauer 1992, Li et al. 1993) in all photosynthetic
eukaryotes and is active just when its substrate, the protochlorophyllide molecule,
absorbs light (Shui et al. 2009, Hunsperger et al. 2015). According to Bogorad (1976)
in the microalgae Chlorella, chlorophyll a can normally be produced via protochlorophyllide a. According to Kirk and Tilney-Bassett (1978) and Armstrong (1998) the