Influence of vitamin B12 and light on the formation of chlorosomes in green- and brown-colored Chlorobium species

Abstract

The specific Bchl a and c content of the vitamin B12-dependent Chlorobium limicola strain 1230 decreased strongly under vitamin B12 limitation. In comparison to a regularly grown culture (20 μg vitamin B12/l) the specific Bchl c content of a B12-limited culture was reduced to 20% and the specific Bchl a content to 42%. By ultrathin sections it could be clearly demonstrated that B12-deficient cells contained no chlorosomes. After the addition of vitamin B12 to a deficient culture, chlorosomes were formed and the Bchl a and c content increased again to the level of regularly grown cells. The brown-colored Chlorobium phaeobacteroides strain 2430 (type strain) and the extremely low-light-adapted strain MN1 were compared with respect to the influence of light on the formation of chlorosomes and the Bchl e and carotenoid content. By ultrathin sections it could be demonstrated that strain MN1 produced two-fold larger chlorosomes. Chlorosome dimensions of strain MN1 decreased with increasing light intensities. The number of chlorosomes per cell in both strains did not change with different light intensities. Strain MN1 formed twice as much Bchl e as the type strain when grown at 30 or below 1 μmol · m-2 · s-1. Under comparable light conditions strain MN1 formed 14–57% more carotenoids than the type strain. Low light intensities aaused the carotenoid content to increase by 25% in strain 2430 in comparison to high light intensity.