Chlorophylle und Carotinoide der Chaetophorineae (Chlorophyceae; Ulotrichales)

In air-supplied inorganic liquid cultures, the highly differentiated green alga Fritschiella tuberosa forms only branched filaments with long slender cells. In nitrogen-deficient medium and with ageing of the cultures these cells become much shorter in length by subsequent formation of transverse walls. The chloroplasts of the slender cells contain the typical pigments of green algae. Together with the morphogenetic change to “short cells” secondary carotenoids are synthesized and stored in lipid droplets. Besides traces of lutein, violaxanthin and neoxanthin and reduced amounts of β-carotene, the following pigments have been demonstrated: Esters of astaxanthin (main pigment) and adonixanthin, canthaxanthin, echinenone and a Keto-α-carotinoid, which presumably is identical with α-doradexanthin, (3,3′-Dihydroxy-4-keto-α-Carotene) a pigment not known in plants until now. In nitrogen deficient cultures the chlorophylls are totally decomposed, the total-lipids increase by about 500%. By supplying nitrogen-deficient cultures with nitrogen and subsequent illumination regreening of the cells starts already 16 hrs later.