Abstract
In higher plants, chlorophyll a is converted to chlorophyl b through 7-hydroxymethyl chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b returns to chlorophyll a again through 7-hydroxymethyl chlorophyll a. This conversion system is called chlorophyll cycle.
With the aim of identifying the enzymes and the regulatory factors that are involved in chlorophyll cycle, we screened EMS-mutagenized Arabidopsis thaliana, and we isolated a mutant that accumulated 7-hydroxymethyl chlorophyll a. We named this mutant hmc1. This mutant showed remarkably slow growth, and accumulated 7-hydroxymethyl chlorophyll a more than 10 times in its early developmental stage compared with those in wild type. We also found that this mutant accumulated more 7-hydroxymethyl chlorophyll a with an increasing leaf age. Currently, analysis of the mutant and fine mapping of hmc1 mutant is being undertaken.
