Abstract
The degree of light limitation of growth is the primary controlling factor of chlorophyll synthesis during photoautotrophic growth of Chlorella. The chlorophyll content of the cells increases when light is limiting for growth as occurs in dense cultures, or in cultures under low incident light, or when the light is used less efficiently through partial inhibition of photosynthesis by 3-(p-chlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea. The chlorophyll content decreases when light is not limiting for growth, as occurs in cells in high light intensity and in dilute suspensions. The initial lag in rate of chlorophyll synthesis in a freshly inoculated culture can be attributed to light at first not being growth limiting, and then becoming growth limiting as the cell suspension becomes denser. Continuous culture experiments support the above conclusions by showing that under steady state conditions the chlorophyll content is inversely related to the relative available light.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Beale S. I. The biosynthesis of delta-aminolevulinic acid in Chlorella. Plant Physiol. 1970 Apr;45(4):504–506. doi: 10.1104/pp.45.4.504. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Carell E. F., Price C. A. Porphyrins and the iron requirement for chlorophyll formation in Euglena. Plant Physiol. 1965 Jan;40(1):1–7. doi: 10.1104/pp.40.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GRANICK S. The structural and functional relationships between heme and chlorophyll. Harvey Lect. 1948 1949;Series 44:220–245. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sargent M. C. EFFECT OF LIGHT INTENSITY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC MECHANISM. Plant Physiol. 1940 Apr;15(2):275–290. doi: 10.1104/pp.15.2.275. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shugarman P. M., Appleman D. Chlorophyll Synthesis in Chlorella II. Effect of Glucose and Light Intensity on the Lag Phase. Plant Physiol. 1966 Dec;41(10):1701–1708. doi: 10.1104/pp.41.10.1701. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shugarman P. M., Appleman D. Chlorophyll synthesis in chlorella I. Occurrence of a lag phase on initiation of a dilute culture. Plant Physiol. 1966 Dec;41(10):1695–1700. doi: 10.1104/pp.41.10.1695. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shugarman P. M., Appleman D. Natural Variations in the Physiological Characteristics of Growing Chlorella Cultures. Plant Physiol. 1965 Jan;40(1):81–84. doi: 10.1104/pp.40.1.81. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]