Studies on the pyrenoids in green algae Chloromonas lineage-Fine structure, photosynthetic metabolism, and molecular evolution-

Eiko Morita

doi:10.5685/plmorphol.15.76

Eiko Morita

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Keywords: Pyrenoid, Chloromonas, Chlamydomonas, Rubisco, rbcL, CO2-concentrating mechanism

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2003 Volume 15 Issue 1 Pages 76-83

DOI https://doi.org/10.5685/plmorphol.15.76

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Published: 2003 Received: - Available on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010 Accepted: - Advance online publication: - Revised: -
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Date of correction: June 28, 2010 Reason for correction: - Correction: PDF FILE Details: -

Date of correction: June 28, 2010 Reason for correction: - Correction: KEYWORD Details: Wrong : Key words: Pyrenoid, Chloromonas, Chlamydomonas, Rubisco, rbcL, CO2-concentrating mechanism
Right : Pyrenoid, Chloromonas, Chlamydomonas, Rubisco, rbcL, CO2-concentrating mechanism

Date of correction: June 28, 2010 Reason for correction: - Correction: CITATION Details: Wrong : E
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Kuchitsu, K., Tsuzuki, M., Miyachi, S.(1991)Polypeptide composition and enzyme activities of the pyrenoid and its regulation by CO2 concentration in unicellular green algae. Can. J. Bot. 69: 1062-1069.
Morita, E., Abe, T., Tsuzuki, M., Fujiwara, S., Sato, N., Hirata, A., Sonoike, K., Nozaki, H.(1998)Presence of CO2-concentrating mechanism in some species of the pyrenoid-less free-living algal genus Chloromonas(Volvocales Chlorophyta). Planta 204: 269-276.
Morita, E., Abe, T., Tsuzuki, M., Fujiwara, S., Sato, N., Hirata, A., Sonoike, K., Nozaki, H.(1998)Role of pyrenoids in the CO2-concentrating mechanism: comparative morphology, physiology and molecular phylogenetic analysis of closely related strain of Chlamydomonas and Chloromonas(Volvocales). Planta 208: 365-372.
Nozaki, H., Onishi, K., Morita, E.(2002)Differences in pyrenoid morphology are correlated with differences in the rbcL genes of members of the Chloromonas lineage(Volvocales, Chlorophyceae). J Mol. Evol. 55: 414-430.
Okada, M.(1992)Recent studies on the composition and the activity of algal pyrenoids. In Progrss in phycological research, vol. 8. Edited by F. E. Round, D. J. Chapman. Biopress, Bristol, pp 117-138.
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Starr, R. C. Zeikus, J. A(1993)UTEX-the culture collection of algae at the University of Texas at Austin. J. Phycol. 29(Suppl. 2): 1-106.
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Date of correction: June 28, 2010 Reason for correction: - Correction: PDF FILE Details: -

Abstract

Summary: Pyrenoids are electron-dense bodies found in the chloroplast stroma in most eukaryotic algae. The matrix of the pyrenoids consists mainly of Rubisco(ribulose1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase), a CO2-fixing enzyme in photosynthesis. Green algal genus Chloromonas is traditionally distinguished from Chlamydomonas by the absence of pyrenoids, but molecular phylogenetic studies demonstrated that Chloromonas and several species of Chlamydomonas constitute a closely related group“Chloromonas lineage”. In this lineage, various ultrastructural types of pyrenoids are present and these morphological differences are associated with the degree of inorganic carbon concentration inside the cells, which is related to the CO2-concentrating mechanism(a mechanism for increasing photosynthetic affinity for CO2). Analysis of rbcL(Rubisco large subunit)gene sequences of Chloromonas lineage and 45 other green algae showed that the proteins encoded by the rbcL genes have a much higher level of amino acid substitution in members of Chloromonas lineage than they did in other algae. Amino acid residues at the antra-dimer interface of Rubisco large subunit have an especially higher level of amino acid substitution. These kinds of specific substitutions were not observed in the proteins encoded by other chloroplast genes that we analyzed: atpB and psaB.

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