Unique origin and lateral transfer of prokaryotic chlorophyll-b and chlorophyll-d light-harvesting systems

Min Chen*, Roger G. Hiller, Christopher J. Howe, Anthony W D Larkum

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    54 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    pcb genes, encoding proteins binding light-harvesting chlorophylls, were cloned and sequenced from the Chl d-containing cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina, and the Chl b-containing cyanobacterium, Prochloron didemni. Both organisms contained two tandem pcb genes. Peptide fingerprinting confirmed the expression of one of the A. marina pcb genes. Phylogenetic tree reconstruction using distance-matrix and maximum-likelihood methods indicated a single origin of the pcb gene family, whether occurring in Chl b-containing or Chl d-containing organisms. This may indicate widespread lateral transfer of the Pcb protein-based light-harvesting system.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)21-28
    Number of pages8
    JournalMolecular Biology and Evolution
    Volume22
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2005

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