Aliphatic hydrocarbons algae

The apochlorotic alga (protozoan) Prototheca zopfli is able to degrade aliphatic hydrocarbons (Walker and Pore 1978 Koenig and Ward 1983). 

Some exogenous volatile compounds were fotmd in marine algae, whereas endogenous aliphatic hydrocarbons are originally fotmd in algae [13],... 

The biosynthesis of hydrocarbons occurs by the microsomal elongation of straight chain, methyl-branched and unsaturated fatty acids to produce very long-chain fatty acyl-CoAs (Figure 11.1). The very long chain fatty acids are then reduced to aldehydes and converted to hydrocarbon by loss of the carboxyl carbon. The mechanism of hydrocarbon formation has been controversial. Kolattukudy and coworkers have reported that for a plant, an algae, a vertebrate and an insect, the aliphatic aldehyde is decarbonylated to the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide, and that this process does not require cofactors (Cheesbrough and Kolattukudy, 1984 1988 Dennis and Kolattukudy, 1991,1992 Yoder et al., 1992). In contrast, the Blomquist laboratory has presented evidence that the aldehyde is converted to hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide in a process that... 

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