Photosynthesis Research

, Volume 46, Issue 3, pp 445–453 | Cite as

Light-regulated pigment interconversion in pheophytin/chlorophyll-containing complexes formed during plant leaves greening

  • Nikolay V. Ignatov
  • Felix F. Litvin
Regular Paper
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Accepted:

Abstract

Upon illumination of etiolated maize leaves the photoconversion of protochlorophyllide Pchlide 655/650 into chlorophyllide Chlide 684/676 was observed. It was shown that chlorophyllide Chlide 684/676 in the dark is transformed into pheophytin Pheo 679/675 and chlorophyll Chl 671/668 by means of two parallel reactions, occurring at room temperature: Chlide 684/676. The formed pheophytin Pheo 679/675 was unstable and in the dark was transformed into chlorophyll Chl 671/668 in a few seconds: Pheo 679/675 → Chl 671/668. The last reaction is reversed by the light: Chl/668 Pheo 679/675. Thus, on the whole in the greening etiolated leaves this process occurs according to the following scheme:

The observed light-regulated interconversion of Mg-containing and Mg-free chlorophyll analogs is activated by ATP and inhibited by AMP.

Key words

biosynthesis of pheophytin a and chlorophyll a etiolated leaves pheophytin/chlorophyll interconversion 

Abbreviations

Chl-

chlorophyll

Chlide-

chlorophyllide

Pchlide-

protochlorophyllide

Pheo-

pheophytin

PS II RC-

Photosystem II reaction centres. Abbreviations for native pigment forms: the first number after the pigment symbol corresponds to the maximum position of the low-temperature fluorescence band (nm), the second number to the maximum position of the longwave absorption band

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Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1995

Authors and Affiliations

  • Nikolay V. Ignatov
    • 1
  • Felix F. Litvin
    • 1
  1. 1.Biology DepartmentMoscow State UniversityMoscowRussia

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