Carbonic anhydrases in higher plants and aquatic microorganisms |
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Authors: | Dieter Sültemeyer Claudia Schmidt Heinrich P Fock |
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Institution: | Fachbereich Biologie, Univ. Kaiserslautern, Postfach 3049, D-6750 Kaiserslautern, Germany. |
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Abstract: | At physiological pH-values CO2 and HCO?3are the dominant inorganic carbon species and the interconversion between both is catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase (EC 4.2.1.1). This enzyme is widely distributed among photosynthetic organisms. In the first part of the review, the similarities and the differences of carbonic anhydrases from plants and animals are briefly described. In the second part recent advances in molecular biology to understand the structure of carbonic anhydrase from higher terrestrial plants as well as its involvement in photosynthetic CO2 fixation are summarized. Lastly, the review deals with the presence of carbonic anhydrase in aquatic organisms including cyanobacteria, microalgae, macroalgae and angiosperms. Evidence for the presence of extracellular and intracellular isozymes in these organisms are discussed. The properties and function(s) of carbonic anhydrase during the operation of the inorganic carbon concentrating mechanism are also described. |
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Keywords: | Aquatic angiosperms carbonic anhydrase Cyanobacteria inorganic carbon concentrating mechanism macroalgae microalgae photosynthesis Rubisco terrestrial plants |
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