Recovery of pure B-phycoerythrin from the microalga Porphyridium cruentum. |
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Authors: | R Bermejo Román J M Alvárez-Pez F G Acién Fernández E Molina Grima |
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Affiliation: | Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Jaen University, E.U.P. of Linares, Linares 23700, Spain. |
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Abstract: | Phycoerythrin is a major light-harvesting pigment of red algae and cyanobacteria that is widely used as a fluorescent probe and analytical reagent. In this paper, B-phycoerythrin and R-phycocyanin in native state, from the red alga Porphyridium cruentum were obtained by an inexpensive and simple process. The best results of this purification procedure were scaled up by a factor of 13 to a large preparative level using an anionic chromatographic column of DEAE cellulose. Gradient elution with acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.5) was used. In these conditions both 32% of B-phycoerythrin and 12% of R-phycocyanin contained in the biomass of the microalgae was recovered. B-phycoerythrin was homogeneous as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), yielding three migrating bands corresponding to its three subunits, consistent with the (alpha beta)(6)gamma subunit composition characteristic of this biliprotein and the spectroscopic characterization of B-PE (UV-visible absorption and emission spectroscopy; steady-state and polarization fluorescence), is accompanied. Finally, a preliminary cost analysis of the recovery process is presented. |
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