Abstract
Although chlorophyll synthesis in Spring and its degradation in Autumn are undoubtedly the most colorful manifestations of life on Earth, chlorophyll catabolism remained an enigma until about fifteen years ago. Contrary to expectation, chlorophyll breakdown in vascular plants rapidly leads to colorless degradation products and only fleetingly involves colored intermediates, which result from enzymatic oxidative opening of the chlorophyll macrocycle. This key oxygenolytic step in higher plants is rapidly followed by an enzymatic reduction to form short-lived fluorescent catabolites. These latter tetrapyrroles isomerize rapidly in an acid-catalyzed chemical step to colorless tetrapyrrolic catabolites. The colorless and non-fluorescent bilanones finally accumulate in the vacuoles of the degreened plant tissues. This chapter outlines the structural features of chlorophyll catabolites from natural sources and the biochemistry of chlorophyll breakdown.
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Kräutler, B., Hörtensteiner, S. (2006). Chlorophyll Catabolites and the Biochemistry of Chlorophyll Breakdown. In: Grimm, B., Porra, R.J., Rüdiger, W., Scheer, H. (eds) Chlorophylls and Bacteriochlorophylls. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 25. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4516-6_17
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