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. 1975 Mar;55(3):463–467. doi: 10.1104/pp.55.3.463

Metabolism of δ-Aminolevulinic Acid in Red and Blue-Green Algae 1

Robert F Troxler a, Anne S Brown a
PMCID: PMC541639  PMID: 16659103

Abstract

δ-Aminolevulinic acid was incorporated in vivo into C-phycocyanin and B-phycoerythrin in two species of the Rhodophyta (Cyanidium caldarium, Porphyridium cruentum) and three species of the Cyanophyta (Anacystis nidulans, Plectonema boryanum, Phormidium luridum). Amino acid analysis of phycocyanin-14C from C. caldarium cells which had been incubated with δ-aminolevulinate-4-14C showed that 84% of the radioactivity incorporated was present in the phycocyanobilin chromophore and less than 16% of the radioactivity cochromatographed with amino acids. These results indicate that δ-aminolevulinate is utilized predominantly via the porphyrin pathway in C. caldarium. Conversely, analysis of phycocyanin-14C prepared from cells of A. nidulans, P. boryanum, and P. luridum which had been incubated with radiolabeled δ-aminolevulinate demonstrated that 85%, 81%, and 93%, respectively, of the radioactivity incorporated cochromatographed with amino acids. The ratio of incorporated radioactivity in amino acids and phycoerythrobilin was 40:60 in P. cruentum phycoerythrin obtained from cells which had been incubated with δ-aminolevulinate-4-14C. Succinate-2-3-14C appeared to be as good a carbon source of amino acids as did C4 and C5 of δ-aminolevulinate. These data demonstrate a major alternate route (other than the porphyrin pathway) of δ-aminolevulinate metabolism in red and blue-green algae. The factors responsible for the extent to which δ-aminolevulinate is utilized for synthesis of porphyrins and their derivatives and routes of δ-aminolevulinate catabolism in the organisms employed are discussed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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