Molecular Biology Commons^™

Genetic Analyses Of Photopigment Biosynthesis In Eubacteria: A Guiding Light For Algae And Plants, David Bollivar, Carl E. Bauer, Jon Y. Suzuki

David Bollivar

A wide variety of macrocyclic tetrapyrrole compounds are synthesized by cells for use in diverse cellular processes. As shown in Fig. 1, this pathway includes the synthesis of closed tetrapyrrole compounds that contain metals, such as cobalt-containing cobalamin (vitamin B12), nickel-containing methanogenesis coenzyme F430, copper-containing pigment turacin, iron-containing heme and siroheme, and magnesium-containing chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls. Also synthesized by this pathway are a variety of open macrocyclic compounds such as the family of bilins that are used as a source of light-harvesting pigments in cyanobacteria, red algae, and cryptophytes as well as the chromophore that is covalently attached to phytochrome …