Abstract
The supposed photoreceptor for phototaxis, the paraflagellar body (PFB), was isolated from the flagellate Euglena gracilis. The proteins within the PFB were solubilized and separated by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). Fluorescence spectroscopy of the PFB proteins before and after FPLC showed the presence of both flavins and pterins as chromophoric groups, which was also confirmed by fluorescence spectra of the chromophores extracted by methanol. Ultraviolet radiation strongly increased pterin fluorescence and reduced flavin fluorescence, indicating that there is an effective energy transfer from pterins to flavins, which is disturbed by ultraviolet radiation. These results explain the inhibition of photoorientation by ultraviolet radiation in Euglena reported earlier, which is neither due to DNA damage nor the involvement of photodynamic responses.
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