What color is chlorophyllide?

Answer 1

If an enzyme name is shown in bold, there is experimental evidence for this enzymatic activity.

Locations of Mapped Genes:

Superclasses:Biosynthesis → Cofactors, Prosthetic Groups, Electron Carriers Biosynthesis → Porphyrin Compounds Biosynthesis → Chlorophyll Biosynthesis → Chlorophyllide a Biosynthesis

Some taxa known to possess this pathway include : Arabidopsis thaliana col

Summary:

General Background

Chlorophyll is a green photosynthetic pigment found in photosynthetic plants, algae, and bacteria. Its name is derived from ancient Greek: chloros = green and phyllon = leaf. Chlorophyll absorbs mostly in the blue and, to a lesser extent, red portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, hence its intense green color. There are several variants of chlorophyll (for example, see chlorophyll cycle for the biosynthesis of chlorophyll b and bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis for the biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophyll a). This pathway describes the formation of chlorophyllide a, an important intermediate in the biosynthesis of all chlorophylls.

About This Pathway

The biosynthetic pathway of chlorophylls begins with the condensation of eight molecules of 5-amino-levulinate (ALA, originating from L-glutamate) to uroporphyrinogen-III, the first cyclic tetrapyrrole (see tetrapyrrole biosynthesis I). This compound is then sequentially converted to protoporphyrin IX, which is the branch-point intermediate to hemes and chlorophylls. The incorporation of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX occurs at the next step, resulting in the formation of Mg-protoporphyrin (MgP). A methyl transferase subsequently converts MgP into magnesium-protoporphyrin IX 13-monomethyl ester (MgPMME), which is the substrate for a cyclase reaction, involving molecular oxygen. The cyclase forms divinyl protochlorophyllide a, an intermediate that contains a fifth ring (ring E), characteristic of all chlorophylls. Finally, a combined action by 3,8-divinyl protochlorophyllide 8-vinyl reductase and protochlorophyllide reductase//NADPH dehydrogenase results in the light-dependent formation of chlorophyllide a.

This biosynthetic pathway, which occurs in all aerobic photosynthetic organisms, has been described through genetic analysis of bacterial mutants and in vitro reconstitution of individual reactions [Suzuki97, Von95, Beale99, Ouchane04].

Anaerobic phototrophic bacteria possess a very similar pathway. However, the cyclase found in these organisms does not require molecular oxygen. A variant of the pathway found in anaerobic bacteria is described in chlorophyllide a biosynthesis II.

Citations: [Nagata05]

Unification Links: MetaCyc:CHLOROPHYLL-SYN , PlantCyc:CHLOROPHYLL-SYN

Answer 2

Chlorophyllide is typically a dark green color. It is a pigment involved in photosynthesis and can be found in plant cells.