Isolation and Characterization of Carotenoid-rich Lipid Globules from Peridinium foliaceum

Carotenoid-rich oil globules were isolated from the cytoplasm of the binucleate dinoflagellate, Peridinium foliaceum. These orange globules were collected from ruptured cells by ultracentrifugation on a sucrose density gradient, and checked for purity by electron microscopy. The osmiophilic globules were assayed for lipid (including pigment) and protein content. The lipid to protein ratio was 1.39:1, with a calculated density of the globules of 1.05 grams per cubic centimeter. The lipids were composed of hydrocarbon, wax ester (phytyl ester), triglyceride, and polar (no phospholipid) fractions. The biochemical composition indicated that the globules function as a reservoir of energy-rich components in the cell. Microspectrophotometric observations were consistent with pigment analyses which demonstrated that the globules were carotenoid-rich. In addition to β-carotene, γ-carotene, and canthaxanthin, the carotenogenic precursors: phytoene, phytofluence, ζ-carotene and β-zeacarotene were isolated from the globules. Corrected fluorescence maxima of phytoene and phytofluene in hexane were recorded at 340 and 490 nanometers, respectively. Carotenes constituted 3.3% of the total oil globule lipid. The possibility of an extraplastidic carotenogenic enzyme system in P. foliaceum is discussed.