Chlorophyll c

Chlorophyll c refers to forms of chlorophyll found in certain marine algae, including the photosynthetic Chromista (e.g. diatoms and brown algae) and dinoflagellates.[1][2][3] These pigments are characterized by their unusual chemical structure, with a porphyrin as opposed to the chlorin (which has a reduced ring D) as the core; they also do not have an isoprenoid tail. Both these features stand out from the other chlorophylls commonly found in algae and plants.[2]

It has a blue-green color and is an accessory pigment, particularly significant in its absorption of light in the 447–520 nm wavelength region.[3] Like chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, it helps the organism gather light and passes a quanta of excitation energy through the light harvesting antennae to the photosynthetic reaction centre.[2]

Chlorophyll c can be further divided into chlorophyll c1, chlorophyll c2,[3] and chlorophyll c3,[4] plus at least eight other more recently found subtypes.[5]

  1. ^ Speer, B. R. "Photosynthetic Pigments". Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Blankenship RE (February 2002). Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis. Wiley-Blackwell.
  3. ^ a b c Dougherty RC, Strain HH, Svec WA, Uphaus RA, Katz JJ (May 1970). "The structure, properties, and distribution of chlorophyll c". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 92 (9): 2826–33. doi:10.1021/ja00712a037. PMID 5439971.
  4. ^ Fookes CJ, Jeffrey SW (1989). "The structure of chlorophyll c3, a novel marine photosynthetic pigment". J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. (23): 1827–28. doi:10.1039/C39890001827.
  5. ^ Zapata M, Garrido JL, Jeffrey SW (2006). "Chlorophyll c Pigments: Current Status". Chlorophylls and Bacteriochlorophylls: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration. 25: 39–53. doi:10.1007/1-4020-4516-6_3. ISBN 978-1-4020-4515-8.