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Gene structure of a chlorophyll a/c-binding protein from a brown alga: Presence of an intron and phylogenetic implications

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Abstract

ALaminaria saccharina genomic library in the phage EMBL 4 was used to isolate and sequence a full-length gene encoding a fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a/c-binding protein. Contrary to diatom homologues, the coding sequence is interrupted by an intron of about 900 bp which is located in the middle of the transit peptide. The deduced amino acid sequence of the mature protein is very similar to those of related proteins fromMacrocystis pyrifera (Laminariales) and, to a lesser extent, to those from diatoms and Chrysophyceae. Seven of the eight putative chlorophyll-binding amino acids determined in green plants are also present.

Alignments of different sequences related to the light-harvesting proteins (LHC) demonstrate a structural similarity among the three transmembrane helices and suggest a unique ancestral helix preceded by two β-turns. The β-turns are conserved in front of the second helices of the chlorophyll a/c proteins more so than in chlorophyll a/b proteins.

Phylogenetic trees generated from sequence data indicate that fucoxanthin-chlorophyll-binding proteins diverged prior to the separation of photosystem I and photosystem II LHC genes of green plants. Among the fucoxanthin-containing algae, LHC I or II families could not be distinguished at this time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Photorégulation et Dynamique des Membranes Végétales, CNRS-URA 1810, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d'Ulm, F-75230, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Lise Caron, Dominique Douady, Michelle Quinet-Szely & Claire Berkaloff

  2. Observatoire Océanologique de Roscoff, CNRS-UPR 4601, F-29680, BP 74, Roscoff Cedex, France

    Susan de Goër

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  1. Lise Caron
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  2. Dominique Douady
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  3. Michelle Quinet-Szely
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  4. Susan de Goër
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  5. Claire Berkaloff
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Correspondence to: L. Caron

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Caron, L., Douady, D., Quinet-Szely, M. et al. Gene structure of a chlorophyll a/c-binding protein from a brown alga: Presence of an intron and phylogenetic implications. J Mol Evol 43, 270–280 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02338835

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02338835

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