Unique Carotenoids in the Terrestrial Cyanobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nostoc commune</Emphasis> NIES-24: 2-Hydroxymyxol 2′-Fucoside,Nostoxanthin and Canthaxanthin

Cyanobacteria produce some carotenoids. We identified the molecular structures, including the stereochemistry, of all the carotenoids in the terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc commune NIES-24 (IAM M-13). The major carotenoid was β-carotene. Its hydroxyl derivatives were (3R)-β-cryptoxanthin, (3R,3′R)-zeaxanthin, (2R,3R,3′R)-caloxanthin, and (2R,3R,2′R,3′R)-nostoxanthin, and its keto derivatives were echinenone and canthaxanthin. The unique myxol glycosides were (3R,2′S)-myxol 2′-fucoside and (2R,3R,2′S)-2-hydroxymyxol 2′-fucoside. This is only the second species found to contain 2-hydroxymyxol. We propose possible carotenogenesis pathways based on our identification of the carotenoids: the hydroxyl pathway produced nostoxanthin via zeaxanthin from β-carotene, the keto pathway produced canthaxanthin from β-carotene, and the myxol pathway produced 2-hydroxymyxol 2′-fucoside via myxol 2′-fucoside. This cyanobacterium was found to contain many kinds of carotenoids and also displayed many carotenogenesis pathways, while other cyanobacteria lack some carotenoids and a part of carotenogenesis pathways compared with this cyanobacterium.     

Binding and receptor down-regulation of a novel vasoconstrictor endothelin in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells

Binding of a novel endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor endothelin (ET) and the regulation of its receptor were studied in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells. 125I-labeled-ET bound to the cells was resistant to acid extraction and the majority of the acid-resistant compartment was extractable with chloroform/methanol with minimal degradation. Autoradiographic studies using electron microscopy revealed that the grains were predominantly localized in the plasma membranes, but some were adjacent to and within the lysosome. Pretreatment with ET resulted in a substantial reduction of ET receptor number without changing its binding affinity. ET-induced increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ levels [( Ca2+]i] was absent or attenuated in the ET-pretreated cells. These data suggest that tight association of ET with its receptor is due to a strong interaction of its hydrophobic domain with the membrane lipids and/or its internalization within cells and that down-regulation of ET receptor is functionally linked to decreased ET-induced [Ca2+]i response.     

Excitation relaxation dynamics of carotenoids constituting the diadinoxanthin cycle

Photosynthesis Research - Carotenoids (Cars) exhibit two functions in photosynthesis, light-harvesting and photoprotective functions, which are performed through the excited states of Cars....     

Identification of a gene required for cis-to-trans carotene isomerization in carotenogenesis of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

A disruptive mutant of the sll0033 gene of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 produced primarily cis carotenes and small amounts of all-trans carotenes, but no xanthophylls, under dark conditions. Under light conditions, however, it produced normal carotenoids, that were the same as those produced by wild-type cells grown under both light and dark conditions. When the mutant cells cultured under dark conditions were irradiated, cis-isomers of carotenes were converted to all-trans lycopene. These findings demonstrate that this gene, designated crtH, is involved in the isomerization of cis-carotenes to all-trans forms in dark conditions, and that cis-carotenes were also converted to all-trans forms under light conditions by photoisomerization.     

A Yellow Marine Chiamydomonas: Morphology and Pigment Composition

A unicellular yellow marine microorganism was isolated fromwater samples collected in Hachinohe Harbor, on the northerncoast of Japan, and Off Tsushima Island, on the western coastof Japan, and its structure and pigment composition were investigated.Light and electron microscopy indicated that the alga belongsto the genus Chlamydomonas and it is identified as C. parkeae. Pigment analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography revealedthe presence of 2,4-divinylprotochlorophyllide (DVP) as a thirdchlorophyll in addition to chlorophylls a and b. Such a pigmentcomposition has been reported previously only for some prasinophytesamong autotrophically grown algae. With respect to carotenoids,the alga contains, in addition to the carotenoids of higherplants (neoxanthin, violaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, ß-carotene),siphonaxanthin and siphonein (siphonaxanthin dodecenoate); thelatter have been detected previously only in marine benthiculvophycean algae and in some prasinophytes. However, the coexistenceof DVP, siphonein and siphonaxanthin in a single species hasnever been reported for either ulvophycean or prasinophyceanalgae. In addition to siphonaxanthin dodecenoate, the alga wasfound to contain two "siphoneins", siphonaxanthin decenate andsiphonaxanthin octanoate. ³ Present address: Nippon Roche Research Center, Kajiwara, Kamakura,Kanagawa, 247 Japan.     

Light-induced changes of carotenoid pigments in anaerobic cells of the aerobic photosynthetic bacterium,Roseobacter denitrificans (Erythrobacter species OCh 114): reduction of spheroidenone to 3,4-dihydrospheroidenone

Roseobacter denitrificans, previously named Erythrobacter species OCh 114, synthesized spheroidenone as a major carotenoid under aerobic dark conditions. When the dark-grown cells were subjected to illumination under anacrobic conditions, many unknown yellow pigments appeared and a considerable amount of spheroidenone disappeared. Absorption maxima of these pigments were blue-shifted from those of spheroidenone. The most abundant of the pigments was isolated, and its chemical structure was determined as 3,4-dihydrospheroidenone on spectroscopic and chemical evidence. Presumably, over-reduction of the photosynthetic apparatus interfered with normal photosynthetic electron transfer and resulted in photoreduction of C=C double bond at the 3,4-position of spheroidenone.     

Pigment Composition in the Reaction Center Complex from the Thermophilic Green Sulfur Bacterium, Chlorobium tepidum: Carotenoid Glucoside Esters, Menaquinone and Chlorophylls

Distribution of pigments in the reaction center (RC) complex,chlorosomes and chlorosome-free membranes prepared from thegreen sulfur bacterium, Chlorobium tepidum, was analyzed. TheRC complex contained approximately 40 molecules of bacteriochlorophyll(BChl) a per P840, half of which are estimated to be in theFenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) protein. Carotenes (2 molecules perP840) occupied only one third of the total carotenoids. Theremaining carotenoids (4 to 5 molecules per P840) were OH-chlorobacteneglucoside ester and OH-     

Absence of carotenes and presence of a tertiary methoxy group in a carotenoid from a thermophilic filamentous photosynthetic bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii.

We identified pigments in a thermophilic filamentous photosynthetic bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii strain HL08. We detected neither bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c nor carotenes in this bacterium cultured under the aerobic dark and the anaerobic light conditions, which may correspond to its lack of chlorosomes. In the cells cultured under the aerobic dark conditions, the carotenoids were derivatives of keto-gamma-carotene, and the major ones were methoxy-keto-myxocoxanthin and keto-myxocoxanthin glucoside fatty acid ester. Although the tertiary methoxy group at C-1' and the double bond at C-3',4' in the psi end group of carotenoid, such as spirilloxanthin, have only been found in purple bacteria, this was the first such report in other bacterial groups. The fatty acid moiety was composed of iso fatty acids, which were rare in the cellular lipids. In the cells cultured under the anaerobic light conditions, in addition to these keto-carotenoids, we also found non-oxidized carotenoids (derivatives of gamma-carotene). Concerning the esterifying alcohol of BChl a, we found a substantial amount of geranylgeraniol, although the major component was phytol. The existence of these pigments makes this bacterium unique among the known species in CHLOROFLEXACEAE.