Abstract
Bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c in whole cells of Chlorobium tepidum grown at 46 °C changed into bacteriopheophytin (BPhe) c within 10 days after reaching full growth. When a small amount of C. tepidum cells in which BChl c had been completely pheophytinized were transferred to a new culture medium, normal growth was observed after a short lag phase, and the absorption spectrum of the growing cells showed the presence of a normal amount of BChl c. During the growth of C. tepidum in the new culture, the BChl c concentration was nearly proportional to the cell density measured by turbidity (OD640). These results indicate that C. tepidum can survive even when BChl c has been completely pheophytinized and that BChl c is newly synthesized in such cells when transferred to a new culture medium. In partly pheophytinized cells, upon excitation of BPhe c at 550 nm the fluorescence emission spectrum showed maxima at 775 and 810 nm, which correspond to emissions from BChl c and BChl a, respectively. This indicates energy transfer from BPhe c to BChl c and BChl a. In cells in which BChl c was completely pheophytinized, fluorescence measurements were indicative of direct energy transfer from BPhe c to baseplate BChl a. These findings suggest that when BChl c in C. tepidum cells is pheophytinized, the product (BPhe c) remains in the chlorosomes and continues to work as a light-harvesting pigment.
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Received: 2 October 1998 / Accepted: 22 April 1999
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Tokita, S., Hirota, M., Frigaard, NU. et al. Pheophytinization of bacteriochlorophyll c and energy transfer in cells of Chlorobium tepidum. Arch Microbiol 172, 40–44 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002030050737
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002030050737