Aerobic photosynthetic bacteria carotenoid

The Rhodospirillaceae and Chromatiaceae have the spirilloxanthin or the okenone pathway depending on the genus or species. All of the Ectothiorhodospiraceae have the spirilloxanthin pathway. The isorenieratene, the y-and -carotene, and the diapocarotene pathways are found specifically in the Chlorobiaceae, Chloroflexaceae, and Heliobacteriaceae, respectively. Aerobic photosynthetic bacteria mostly have the spirilloxanthin pathway, further most of these species have unusual carotenoids including non-photosynthetic carotenoids, such as carotenoid sulfates and carotenoic acids, which have no photosynthetic functions. 

Most of the aerobic photosynthetic bacteria so far desaibed have the spirilloxanthin pathway, further some also have unusual carotenoids as described below. 

Since aerobic photosynthetic bacteria contain many unusual carotenoids, it is difficult to list in this Table (See Table 9 and Fig. 13). These abbreviations are used in Tables 3-9. 

More than ten genera including about 30 species of aerobic photosynthetic bacteria have now been found (Table 9). They are distinguished from typical anaerobic photosynthetic bacteria in that they synthesize BChl only under the aerobic conditions and can not grow without even in the light. In some species, photosynthetic activities have been demonstrated. The low content of BChl, unique composition of carotenoids, and presence of non-... 

Saitoh S, Takaichi S, Shimada K and Nishimura Y (1995) Identification and subceUular distribution of carotenoids in the aerobic photosynthetic bacterium. Pseudomonas radiora strain MD-1. Plant Cell Physiol 36 819-823 Saitoh S, Suzuki T and Nishimura Y (1998) Proposal of Craurococcus roseus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Paracraurococcus ruber gen. nov., sp. nov., novel aerobic bacteriochlorophyU a-containing bacteria from soil. Int J Syst Bacterid 48 1043-1047... 

Erythrobacter species synthesize photosynthetic pigments including bacteriochlorophyll a and several carotenoids under highly aerobic conditions, but they can not grow anaerobically even in the light in contrast to typical photosynthetic bacteria [1]. 

Carotenoids in aerobically grown cells of Erythrobacter sp. OCh 114 have been identified [2]. Spheroidenone is dominant, and small amounts of 2,2 -diketospirilloxanthin and OH-spheroidenone are also found. All of these carotenoids are bound to a photosynthetic reaction center or light-harvesting complexes, whose properties are similar to those of the purple photosynthetic bacteria [1]. 

Iba, K. and Takamiya, K.-L, Action spectra for inhibition of light of accumulation of bacteriochlo-rophyll and carotenoid during aerobic growth of photosynthetic bacteria. Plant Cell. Physiol, 30, 471, 1989. 

Yurkov V, Gad on N. and Drews G (1993) The major part of polar carotenoids of the aerobic bacteria Roseococcus thiosulfatophilus RB3 and Erythromicrobium ramosum E5 is not bound to the bacteriochlorophyll o-complexes of the photosynthetic apparatus. Arch Microbiol 160 372-376... 

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