title: Chloroplastic genomes of Ginkgo biloba and Chlamydomonas moewusii contain a chlB gene encoding one subunit of a light-independent protochlorophyllide reductase.
abstract: We have cloned and sequenced a Chlamydomonas moewusii chloroplastic DNA fragment that includes a 563 amino-acid open reading frame (ORF563, chlB) presenting 89% amino-acid homology with ORF513 from Marchantia polymorpha. It is also homologous to ORF510 from Pinus thunbergii but includes two insertions absent in both M. polymorphia and P. thunbergii. The derived polypeptide is 54% similar to the product of bchB from Rhodobacter capsulatus, identified as one subunit of a light-independent NADH-protochlorophyllide reductase. We also isolated and sequenced an homologous chloroplastic gene from the gymnosperm Ginkgo biloba. Northern hybridizations performed on RNA isolated from synchronized Chlamydomonas eugametos cells showed higher expression between the tenth hour of light and the eighth hour of darkness, peaking during the first 2 h of darkness.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biochimie, Faculté des Sciences et de Génie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Richard
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellemare
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002696:Chlamydomonas / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000201:enzymology*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry; D015870:Gene Expression; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008027:Light; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; C023886:protochlorophyllide reductase