Acidiphilium Rubrum Research Articles

Naturally zinc-containing bacteriochlorophyll a ([Zn]-BChl a) protects the photosynthetic apparatus of Acidiphilium rubrum from copper toxicity damage

In almost all photosynthetic organisms the photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) are Mg2+ containing complexes, but Mg2+ may be exchanged against other metal ions when these are present in toxic concentrations, leading to inactivation of photosynthesis. In this report we studied mechanisms of copper toxicity to the photosynthetic apparatus of Acidiphilium rubrum, an acidophilic purple bacterium that uses Zn2+ instead of Mg2+ as the central metal in the BChl molecules ([Zn]-BChl) of its reaction centres (RCs) and light harvesting proteins (LH1). We used a combination of in vivo measurements of photosynthetic activity (fast fluorescence and absorption kinetics) together with analysis of metal binding to pigments and pigment-protein complexes by HPLC-ICP-sfMS to monitor the effect of Cu2+ on photosynthesis of A. rubrum. Further, we found that its cytoplasmic pH is neutral. We compared these results with those obtained from Rhodospirillum rubrum, a purple bacterium for which we previously reported that the central Mg2+ of BChl can be replaced in vivo in the RCs by Cu2+ under environmentally realistic Cu2+ concentrations, leading to a strong inhibition of photosynthesis. Thus, we observed that A. rubrum is much more resistant to copper toxicity than R. rubrum. Only slight changes of photosynthetic parameters were observed in A. rubrum at copper concentrations that were severely inhibitory in R. rubrum and in A. rubrum no copper complexes of BChl were found. Altogether, the data suggest that [Zn]-BChl protects the photosynthetic apparatus of A. rubrum from detrimental insertion of Cu2+ (trans-metallation) into BChl molecules of its RCs.

PROKARYOTIC DIVERSTY OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE PONDS IN ORE ENRICHMENT PLANT

The biodiversity of acidophilic prokaryotes was determined in three AMD ponds (pH 2.7-6.5) in Turkey (İzmir-Halıköy antimony ore enrichment plant) using 16S rRNA cloning and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis methods. Water samples were taken two times in March 2014 and June 2015. The microbial diversity identified includes species such as Acidiphilium angustum, Acidocella sp., Ferroplasma acidiphilum, Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus, Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans, Acidiphilium rubrum, Thiomonas sp., Acidiphilium multivorum, Acidiphilium cryptum, Ferrovum myxofaciens, Acidocella aluminiidurans with the used techniques. In addition to, it has been determined that biodiversity is variable in the operating mine pools. Aciditihobacillus ferriphilus, Acidiphilium angustum, and Acidiphilium rubrum are new records for Turkey.

A Diverse Microbial Community Supports Larval Development and Survivorship of the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae).

Laboratory microcosm experiments were conducted to evaluate effects of bacteria isolated from senescent white oak leaves on the growth and survivorship of larval Aedes albopictus (Skuse). Larvae hatched from surface-sterilized eggs were reared in microcosms containing individual bacterial isolates, combined isolates (Porphyrobacter sp., Enterobacter asburiae, Acidiphilium rubrum, Pseudomonas syringae, and Azorhizobium caulinodans), a positive control containing a microbial community from an infusion of white oak leaves, and a negative control consisting of sterile culture media. Experiments were conducted for 21 d after which microcosms were deconstructed, larval survivorship was calculated, and bacteria contained in pupae, and adults that developed were quantified to determine rates of transstadial transmission. Positive control microcosms containing diverse microbial communities had an average (±SE) pupation rate of 89.3 (±5.8)% and average larval survivorship of 96.0 (± 2.3)%. Pupation in microcosms with bacterial isolates only occurred twice among all experimental replications; average larval survivorship ranged from 19 to 56%, depending on treatment. Larval growth was not found to be dependent on bacterial isolate density or isolate species, and larval survivorship was dependent on bacterial isolate density, not on isolate species. Potential mechanisms for failed development of larvae in microcosms with bacterial isolates are discussed. Bacterial isolates alone did not support larval development. High larval survivorship in positive control microcosms suggests that a diverse microbial community is required to complete larval development. Additional studies are needed to evaluate larval growth and survivorship on nonbacterial microbes, such as fungi and protozoa.

Diversity of acidophilic prokaryotes at two acid mine drainage sites in Turkey.

The biodiversity of acidophilic prokaryotes in two acidic (pH 2.8-3.05) mine drainage (AMD) sites (Balya and Çan) in Turkey was examined using a combined cultivation-based and cultivation-independent approach. The latter included analyzing microbial diversity using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), terminal restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism (`T-RFLP), and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Numbers of cultivatable heterotrophic acidophilic bacteria were over an order of magnitude greater than those of chemolithotrophic acidophiles in both AMD ponds examined. Isolates identified as strains of Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans, Acidiphilium organovorum, and Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum were isolated from the Balya AMD pond, and others identified as strains of Leptospirillum ferriphilum, Acidicapsa ligni, and Acidiphilium rubrum from Çan AMD. Other isolates were too distantly related (from analysis of their 16S rRNA genes) to be identified at the species level. Archaeal diversity in the two ponds appeared to be far more limited. T-RFLP and qPCR confirmed the presence of Ferroplasma-like prokaryotes, but no archaea were isolated from the two sites. qPCR generated semiquantitative data for genera of some of the iron-oxidizing acidophiles isolated and/or detected, suggesting the order of abundance was Leptospirillum > Ferroplasma > Acidithiobacillus (Balya AMD) and Ferroplasma > Leptospirillum > Acidithiobacillus (Çan AMD).

Exchange and complementation of genes coding for photosynthetic reaction center core subunits among purple bacteria.

A mutant of the phototrophic species belonging to the β-proteobacteria, Rubrivivax gelatinosus, lacking the photosynthetic growth ability was constructed by the removal of genes coding for the L, M, and cytochrome subunits of the photosynthetic reaction center complex. The L, M, and cytochrome genes derived from five other species of proteobacteria, Acidiphilium rubrum, Allochromatium vinosum, Blastochloris viridis, Pheospirillum molischianum, and Roseateles depolymerans, and the L and M subunits from two other species, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas palustris, respectively, have been introduced into this mutant. Introduction of the genes from three of these seven species, Rte. depolymerans, Ach. vinosum, and Psp. molischianum, restored the photosynthetic growth ability of the mutant of Rvi. gelatinosus, although the growth rates were 1.5, 9.4, and 10.7 times slower, respectively, than that of the parent strain. Flash-induced kinetic measurements for the intact cells of these three mutants showed that the photo-oxidized cytochrome c bound to the introduced reaction center complex could be rereduced by electron donor proteins of Rvi. gelatinosus with a t1/2 of less than 10 ms. The reaction center core subunits of photosynthetic proteobacteria appear to be exchangeable if the sequence identities of the LM core subunits between donor and acceptor species are high enough, i.e., 70% or more.

Novel gut bacterial fauna of <i>Gryllotalpa africana</i> Beau. (Orthoptera : Gryllotalpidae)

Gryllotalpa africana (Beauvois) is a successful group of detritus feeder therefore it is an important both for their roles in carbon cycling in the environment and converting organic decaying material in to biofuel. Hence, bacterial diversity and relationship were explored from the mole cricket G.africana (Beau) to show ideal symbiotic association. The analysis and characterization of gut micro biota of G.africana (Beau) revealed the presence of 10 species and two genera of bacteria viz. Acidiphilium rubrum, Dienococcus proteolyticus, Sporosarcina ureae, Micrococcus varians, Micrococcus kristinae, Acetobactrium, Alcaligenes eutrophus, Micrococcus roseus, Micrococcus lylae, Sporosarcina, Citrobacter amalonaticus and Corynebacterium xerosis. All the species and genera were confirmed by observing their morphological features of the colony and various biochemical tests. These results indicate that the presence of mole cricket specific bacterial lineages implies relationship of gut microbes and their host mole cricket. The outcome of this work indicted that the gut bacterial fauna of G.africana shows the species-rich with greater diverse communities which might be providing resistance to invasion of pathogenic bacteria. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v6i1.5949

A bchD (Magnesium Chelatase) Mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides Synthesizes Zinc Bacteriochlorophyll through Novel Zinc-containing Intermediates

Heme and bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl) biosyntheses share the same pathway to protoporphyrin IX, which then branches as follows. Fe(2+) chelation into the macrocycle by ferrochelatase results in heme formation, and Mg(2+) addition by Mg-chelatase commits the porphyrin to BChl synthesis. It was recently discovered that a bchD (Mg-chelatase) mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides produces an alternative BChl in which Mg(2+) is substituted by Zn(2+). Zn-BChl has been found in only one other organism before, the acidophilic Acidiphilium rubrum. Our objectives in this work on the bchD mutant were to 1) elucidate the Zn-BChl biosynthetic pathway in this organism and 2) understand causes for the low amounts of Zn-BChl produced. The bchD mutant was found to contain a Zn-protoporphyrin IX pool, analogous to the Mg-protoporphyrin IX pool found in the wild type strain. Inhibition of ferrochelatase with N-methylprotoporphyrin IX caused Zn-protoporphyrin IX and Zn-BChl levels to decline by 80-90% in the bchD mutant, whereas in the wild type strain, Mg-protoporphyrin IX and Mg-BChl levels increased by 170-240%. Two early metabolites of the Zn-BChl pathway were isolated from the bchD mutant and identified as Zn-protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester and divinyl-Zn-protochlorophyllide. Our data support a model in which ferrochelatase synthesizes Zn-protoporphyrin IX, and this metabolite is acted on by enzymes of the BChl pathway to produce Zn-BChl. Finally, the low amounts of Zn-BChl in the bchD mutant may be due, at least in part, to a bottleneck upstream of the step where divinyl-Zn-protochlorophyllide is converted to monovinyl-Zn-protochlorophyllide.

Fluorescence measurement by a streak camera in a single-photon-counting mode

We describe here a recently developed fluorescence measurement system that uses a streak camera to detect fluorescence decay in a single photon-counting mode. This system allows for easy measurements of various samples and provides 2D images of fluorescence in the wavelength and time domains. The great advantage of the system is that the data can be handled with ease; furthermore, the data are amenable to detailed analysis. We describe the picosecond kinetics of fluorescence in spinach Photosystem (PS) II particles at 4-77 K as a typical experimental example. Through the global analysis of the data, we have identified a new fluorescence band (F689) in addition to the already established F680, F685, and F695 emission bands. The blue shift of the steady-state fluorescence spectrum upon cooling below 77 K can be interpreted as an increase of the shorter-wavelength fluorescence, especially F689, due to the slowdown of the excitation energy transfer process. The F685 and F695 bands seem to be thermally equilibrated at 77 K but not at 4 K. The simple and efficient photon accumulation feature of the system allows us to measure fluorescence from leaves, solutions, single colonies, and even single cells. The 2D fluorescence images obtained by this system are presented for isolated spinach PS II particles, intact leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana, the PS I super-complex of a marine centric diatom, Chaetoceros gracilis, isolated membranes of a purple photosynthetic bacterium, Acidiphilium rubrum, which contains Zn-BChl a, and a coral that contains a green fluorescent protein and an algal endosymbiont, Zooxanthella.

The Photosystem of Rhodobacter sphaeroides Assembles with Zinc Bacteriochlorophyll in a bchD (Magnesium Chelatase) Mutant

A Rhodobacter sphaeroides bchD (magnesium chelatase) mutant was studied to determine the properties of its photosystem in the absence of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl). Western blots of reaction center H, M, and L (RC H/M/L) proteins from mutant membranes showed levels of 12% RC H, 32% RC L, and 46% RC M relative to those of the wild type. Tricine-SDS-PAGE revealed 52% light-harvesting complex alpha chain and 14% beta chain proteins compared to those of the wild type. Pigment analysis of bchD cells showed the absence of BChl and bacteriopheophytin (BPhe), but zinc bacteriochlorophyll (Zn-BChl) was discovered. Zn-BChl binds to light-harvesting 1 (LH1) and 2 (LH2) complexes in place of BChl in bchD membranes, with a LH2:LH1 ratio resembling that of wild-type cells under BChl-limiting conditions. Furthermore, the RC from the bchD mutant contained Zn-BChl in the special pair and accessory BChl binding sites, as well as carotenoid and quinone, but BPhe was absent. Comparison of the bchD mutant RC absorption spectrum to that of Acidiphilium rubrum, which contains Zn-BChl in the RC, suggests the RC protein environment at L168 contributes to A. rubrum special pair absorption characteristics rather than solely Zn-BChl. We speculate that Zn-BChl is synthesized via the normal BChl biosynthetic pathway, but with ferrochelatase supplying zinc protoporphyrin IX for enzymatic steps following the nonfunctional magnesium chelatase. The absence of BPhe in bchD cells is likely related to Zn2+ stability in the chlorin macrocycle and consequently high resistance of Zn-BChl to pheophytinization (dechelation). Possible agents prevented from dechelating Zn-BChl include the RC itself, a hypothetical dechelatase enzyme, and spontaneous processes.

Energy and electron transfer in the photosynthetic reaction center complex of Acidiphilium rubrum containing Zn-bacteriochlorophyll a studied by femtosecond up-conversion spectroscopy

A photosynthetic reaction center (RC) complex was isolated from a purple bacterium, Acidiphilium rubrum. The RC contains bacteriochlorophyll a containing Zn as a central metal (Zn-BChl a) and bacteriopheophytin a (BPhe a) but no Mg-BChl a. The absorption peaks of the Zn-BChl a dimer (P Zn), the accessory Zn-BChl a (B Zn), and BPhe a (H) at 4 K in the RC showed peaks at 875, 792, and 753 nm, respectively. These peaks were shorter than the corresponding peaks in Rhodobacter sphaeroides RC that has Mg-BChl a. The kinetics of fluorescence from P Zn *, measured by fluorescence up-conversion, showed the rise and the major decay with time constants of 0.16 and 3.3 ps, respectively. The former represents the energy transfer from B Zn * to P Zn, and the latter, the electron transfer from P Zn to H. The angle between the transition dipoles of B Zn and P Zn was estimated to be 36° based on the fluorescence anisotropy. The time constants and the angle are almost equal to those in the Rb. sphaeroides RC. The high efficiency of A. rubrum RC seems to be enabled by the chemical property of Zn-BChl a and by the L168HE modification of the RC protein that modifies P Zn.

2P347 Photosynthetic energy and electron transfer in the reaction center complex of Acidiphilium rubrum containing Zn-bacteriochlorophyll a(43. Photosynthesis,Poster Session,Abstract,Meeting Program of EABS & BSJ 2006)

2P347 Photosynthetic energy and electron transfer in the reaction center complex of Acidiphilium rubrum containing Zn-bacteriochlorophyll a(43. Photosynthesis,Poster Session,Abstract,Meeting Program of EABS & BSJ 2006)

亜鉛置換型のバクテリオクロロフィル（Zn-BChl）を持つ紅色光合成細菌Acidiphilium rubrum反応中心のフェムト秒蛍光分光

亜鉛置換型のバクテリオクロロフィル（Zn-BChl）を持つ紅色光合成細菌Acidiphilium rubrum反応中心のフェムト秒蛍光分光

Excited states of analogue models of M-bacteriochlorophylls (M = Mg, Zn) in the photosynthetic reaction center: a time-dependent density functional theory study

Using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), the excited states of the analogue model Mg -bacteriochlorophyll b - imidazole ( BChl -Im) dimer (P) for a special pair in the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) of Rhodopseudomonas (Rps.) viridis were examined. The calculated low-lying excited states and optimal geometries are in good agreement with experimental data. The order of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies of P, the monomeric "accessory" BChl -Im (B), and bacteriopheophytin b ( H ) indicates the possibility of the light-induced electron transfer from P to H via B. The Im ligand of B destabilizes Goutermann's four-orbitals of BChl by 0.3-0.4 eV. With no energetic difference in the LUMOs between H and BChl , the Im ligands of P and B play an important role in providing a greater energetic gradient to the LUMOs along with the pathway for the excited-electron transfer in RC, resulting in the reduced reverse electron transfer from H to P (via B). Thus it is expected that the asymmetric Mg -Im interactions will directly affect the pathway of the excited-electron transfer. Using the deformed heterodimer (P') formed by the BChl halves with and without Im as the primary donor model, its cation radical P'+ was calculated as to whether the experimental asymmetric spin-density distribution can reproduce. The excited states of the analogue model Zn - BChl -Im dimer for a special pair in RC of the recently discovered Acidiphilium rubrum were also examined for a comparison with P.

Isolation and phylogenetic characterization of acidophilic microorganisms indigenous to acidic drainage waters at an abandoned Norwegian copper mine

The biodiversity of culturable acidophilic microbes in three acidic (pH 2.7-3.7), metal-rich waters at an abandoned subarctic copper mine in central Norway was assessed. Acidophilic bacteria were isolated by plating on selective solid media, and dominant isolates were identified from their physiological characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequences. The dominant iron-oxidizing acidophile in all three waters was an Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans-like eubacterium, which shared 98% 16S rDNA identity with the type strain. A strain of Leptospirillum ferrooxidans was obtained from one of the waters after enrichment in pyrite medium, but this iron oxidizer was below detectable levels in the acidic waters themselves. In two sites, there were up to six distinct heterotrophic acidophiles, present at 10(3) ml(-1). These included Acidiphilium-like isolates (one closely related to Acidiphilium rubrum, a second to Acidiphilium cryptum and a third apparently novel isolate), an Acidocella-like isolate (96% 16S rDNA identity to Acidocella facilis) and a bacterium that shared 94.5% 16S rDNA identity to Acidisphaera rubrifaciens. The other numerically significant heterotrophic isolate was not apparently related to any known acidophile, with the closest match (96% 16S rDNA sequence identity) to an acetogen, Frateuria aurantia. The results indicated that the biodiversity of acidophilic bacteria, especially heterotrophs, in acidic mine waters may be much greater than previously recognized.

Ultrastructure of the acidophilic aerobic photosynthetic bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum.

The ultrastructure of cells of Acidiphilium rubrum, which is an acidophilic aerobic photosynthetic bacterium containing zinc-complexed bacteriochlorophyll a, was studied by electron microscopy with the rapid substitution technique. Thin-section electron microscopy indicated that any type of internal photosynthetic membranes was not present in this organism despite a relatively high content of the photopigment. The majority of cells had poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate granules and electron-dense spherical bodies identified as being polyphosphate granules. When the organism was grown chemotrophically with 0.1% FeSO(4), it produced another group of electron-dense granules that were associated with the inner part of the cytoplasmic membrane. An energy-dispersive X-ray analysis showed that these membrane-bound, electron-dense granules contained iron.

Magnetic circular dichroism properties of reaction center complexes isolated from the zinc-bacteriochlorophyll a-containing purple bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum.

Reaction center (RC) complexes isolated from a Zn-bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) a-containing purple bacterium, Acidiphilium rubrum, were characterized by absorption, circular dichroism, and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy. The oxidized-minus-reduced difference spectra indicated that, in this RC, the Zn-BChl a is the primary electron donor. The molecular structure of the donor was examined by measuring the ratio of the MCD intensity of the Faraday B-term (B) to the dipole strength (D). In the Q(y) region, B/D for the donor was about half those of bacteriopheophytin a and the accessory Zn-BChl a, indicating that the primary electron donor is a dimer. The magnitude of bleach of the Q(x) band was half that observed in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, suggesting the cation is localized on a single Zn-Bchl a. The absorption intensity of the higher-energy Q(y) exciton band was approximately 28% of that of the lower-energy band, and the exciton splitting was approximately 570 cm(-1), smaller than that in Rb. sphaeroides. These results indicate that, in A. rubrum, the primary electron donor is a Zn-BChl a dimer but that the interaction between the two molecules is rather weak. On the basis of these results, an adaptive strategy for changes in BChl a species is discussed from an evolutionary perspective.

Magnesium Insertion by Magnesium Chelatase in the Biosynthesis of Zinc Bacteriochlorophyll a in an Aerobic Acidophilic Bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum

To elucidate the mechanism for formation of zinc-containing bacteriochlorophyll a in the photosynthetic bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum, we isolated homologs of magnesium chelatase subunits (bchI, -D, and -H). A. rubrum bchI and -H were encoded by single genes located on the clusters bchP-orf168-bchI-bchD-orf320-crtI and bchF-N-B-H-L as in Rhodobacter capsulatus, respectively. The deduced sequences of A. rubrum bchI, -D, and -H had overall identities of 59. 8, 40.5, and 50.7% to those from Rba. capsulatus, respectively. When these genes were introduced into bchI, bchD, and bchH mutants of Rba. capsulatus for functional complementation, all mutants were complemented with concomitant synthesis of bacteriochlorophyll a. Analyses of bacteriochlorophyll intermediates showed that A. rubrum cells accumulate magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester without detectable accumulation of zinc protoporphyrin IX or its monomethyl ester. These results indicate that a single set of magnesium chelatase homologs in A. rubrum catalyzes the insertion of only Mg(2+) into protoporphyrin IX to yield magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester. Consequently, it is most likely that zinc-containing bacteriochlorophyll a is formed by a substitution of Zn(2+) for Mg(2+) at a step in the bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis after formation of magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethyl ester.

Accumulation of Fe, Cr and Ni Metals inside Cells of Acidophilic Bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum that Produces Zn-Containing Bacteriochlorophyll a

The accumulations of metals were studied in cells of aerobic acidophilic proteobacterium Acidiphilium rubrum; this spices uses Zn, instead of Mg as the central atom of bacteriochlorophyll in its photosynthetic apparatus. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) of the cell surfaces gave peaks of P, S, Si and Mg. Transmission electron micrograph images showed a high density globule of 0.11 fan in diameter in each 1.1 x 0.3 fan cell. An EDX analysis of the black precipitate that was collected after the centrifugation of disrupted cells showed high amounts of the heavy metals Fe, Cr, Ni and traces of K, Ca, P, Si and Al in the order of atomic content. An X-ray powder diffraction analysis indicated that Fe, Cr and Ni exist as alloys. The metal accumulations interpret the high tolerance of this bacterium to the toxic heavy metals abundant in acidic growth medium. Zn seems to specifically exist as Zn-bacteriochlorophyll a in this organism, because no significant accumulation of Zn was detected on the cell surface, black precipitate, or cytoplasmic membranes.

Nucleotide Sequences of Genes Coding for Photosynthetic Reaction Centers and Light-Harvesting Proteins of Acidiphilium rubrum and Related Aerobic Acidophilic Bacteria

The nucleotide sequences of the puf operons of the Zn-bacteriochlorophyll a (Zn-BChl a)-containing photosynthetic aerobic bacteria, Acidiphilium rubrum and Acidiphilium angustum, were determined. The nucleotide sequences of the pufL and -M of Acidiphilium cryptum, Acidiphilium multivorum, and Acidiphilium organovorum were also determined. The puf operons of A. rubrum and A. angustum contained pufB, -A, -L, -M, and -C as seen in other purple bacteria with an unknown gene directly upstream of pufB. Comparing the deduced amino acid sequences of the puf genes of the Acidiphilium species with those of other purple bacteria showed that His L168, which is highly conserved in other bacteria, is replaced by a glutamic acid in the Acidiphilium species. The three-dimensional structures of the reaction centers of Blastochloris (Rhodopseudomonas) viridis and Rhodobacter sphaeroides suggest that this residue locates closely to a special pair of bacteriochlorophylls and may be involved in the stabilization and function of "Zn-BChl a". The relative content of charged amino acid residues in the L and M subunit is a little lower in A. rubrum (10% of total) than in B. viridis (12%), and the tendency is more pronounced in the cytochrome subunit: 12.5% in A. rubrum and 18.8% in B. viridis.

クロロフィルの中心金属はマグネシウムだけか?

Except for metal-free chlorophylls (pheophytins) functioning as primary electron acceptors in purple bacteria and in photosystem II of higher plants, all the naturally occurring chlorophylls have been believed to be magnesium complexes. To clarify the reason for the choice of Mg as the central metal of chlorophylls, we have systematically studied the absorption, fluorescence and redox properties of metallo-substituted chlorophylls, and concluded that Zn-substituted chlorophylls may act as both antenna and primary electron donor of photosystems. Quite recently, we discovered novel photosynthesis using Zn-containing bacteriochlorophyll a in an acidophilic bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum. This finding indicates an unexpectedly wide variability of photosynthesis.