Biosynthesis chlorophyll

Bleaching Herbicides. Membrane-based modes of herbicidal action relevant to photosynthesis (37) include those of inhibitors of carotenoid biosynthesis, eg, norflura2on, diftmon, y -phenoxyben2amines inhibitors of chlorophyll biosynthesis, eg, oxadia2on, DTP or... 

Woodward s synthesis, 4, 416-419 Chlorophyll b, 4, 382 Chlorophyll c, 4, 382 Chlorophyll d, 4, 382 Chlorophylls, 4, 378 biosynthesis reviews, 1, 99 structure, 4, 370 substituents reactions, 4, 402 Chloroporphyrin e, 4, 404 Chloroprothixene pharmacology, 3, 942 Chloropyramine as antihistamine, 1, 177 Chloropyrifos synthesis, 2, 201 Chloropyrifos-ethyl as insecticide, 2, 516 Chloropyrifos-methyl as insecticide, 2, 516 Chloroquine, 1, 145 adsorption on nucleic acids, 1, 179 as antimalarial, 1, 173, 2, 517 Chloroquine, hydroxy-as antimalarial, 2, 517 Chlorosulfonyl isocyanate cycloaddition reactions... 

This chapter brings together information concerning structural features, spectral characteristics, distributions, and functions of major chlorophylls in photosynthetic organisms. Other topics discussed include biosynthesis and degradation in senescent plants and ripening fruits and potential biological properties of chlorophylls. 

The biosynthesis of the tetrapyrrole macrocycle and its branches leading to haem and chlorophylls has been covered in detail in several reviews - - and will be concisely described in this section. Tetrapyrrole biosynthesis occurs entirely in the plastids and is composed of several enzymatic steps starting from 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), which is the key precursor of porphyrins and the source of their carbon and nitrogen. 

Up to this point, the biosynthesis steps are identical for both chlorophyll and haem, bnt depending on which metal is inserted in the center of the porphyrin, the pathway branches to form one or another. The insertion of iron is followed by... 

Chlorophyll b occurs as an accessory pigment of the light-harvesting systems in land plants and green algae, and comprises one-third (or less) of total chlorophyll. The biosynthesis of chlorophyll b has been an area of active research particularly regarding its compartmentalization in chloroplast membranes, identification of the gene for chlorophyllide a oxidase, and characterization of the enzymes involved. ... 

In accordance with the structure of chlorophyll c, it is hypothesized that its biosynthesis comes from protochlorophyllide a by dehydrogenation of the side chain at C-17. Chlorophyll d should arise from chlorophyll a by oxidation of the C-3-vinyl residue, but at which stage of chlorophyll biosynthesis this occurs is unknown. The biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophylls seems to follow the same general pathway of higher plants, according to studies performed with chlorophylhde and bacterio-chlorophyU enzymes. ... 

Whereas the biosynthesis of chlorophylls a and b in higher plants has been described in detail, the synthesis and regulation of related substances found in less well-known algal groups and lower plants are largely unknown and will be areas of scientific interest in the future. Different and new types of chlorophylls and related substances have been reported and little is known about their possible biological... 

FIGURE 2.1.5 Biosynthesis steps of porphyrins from protoporphyrin IX to chlorophyll a. 

The whole process of chlorophyll disappearance in vascular plants is a complex multistep pathway, much as chlorophyll biosynthesis is, but for didactic reasons it can be abbreviated into two main stages. The first group of reactions produces greenish derivatives while the more advanced steps produce colorless compounds by an oxidative ring opening, analog to the oxygenolytic rupmre of the porphynoid macrocycle of haem. It is a very rapid process and despite considerable efforts, the detection of intermediates is difficult. ... 

Porra, R.J., Recent progress in porphyrin and chlorophyll biosynthesis, Photochem. PhotobioL, 65, 492, 1997. 

Rudiger, W., Biosynthesis of chlorophylls a and b the last steps, in Chlorophylls and Bacteriochlorophylls Biochemistry, Biophysics, Functions and Applications, 25, Grimm, B. et al., Eds., Springer, Dordrecht, 2006, chap. 14. 

Armstrong, G. and Apel, K., Molecular and genetic analysis of light-dependent chlorophyll biosynthesis. Methods EnzymoL, 291, 237, 1998. 

In tracing the evolutionary development of iron ligands it is of interest to examine the machinery employed by organisms which carry out reactions on those substances believed to have been present on the primitive Earth. Specific substrates acted on by this group include, besides ferrous iron itself, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen gas, methane and reduced nitrogen compounds. Species which perform photosynthesis may be presumed to have the capacity to synthesize protoporphyrin IX since this substance is an intermediate in chlorophyll biosynthesis (43). 

In the biosynthesis of the pigments oflife, uroporphyrinogen III (0-12) is formed by cyclotetramerization of the monomer porphobilinogen (0-11) (Scheme 0.4). Uroporphyrinogen III (0-12) acts as precursor of inter alia heme, chlorophyll, as well as vitamin B12 [13]. 

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