A specific c-type cytochrome maturation system is required for oxygenic photosynthesis.
Oxygenic photosynthesis is an important bioenergetic process that maintains the Earth's atmosphere and allows carbon fixation. A critical enzyme in this process, the cytochrome b(6)f complex, differs from other protein complexes of the same family by an unusual covalently attached cofactor chemically defined as a c' heme. We have identified a set of pioneer proteins that carry the biogenesis of this c' heme and started their characterization. They are encoded by the genomes of all organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis, whatever their phylogenetic distances. These proteins are thus among the few that distinguish photosynthetic cells evolving oxygen from other types of living cells.
Kuras
Richard
R
Physiologie Membranaire et Moléculaire du Chloroplaste, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7141, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Université Paris 6, France.
Saint-Marcoux
Denis
D
Wollman
Francis-André
FA
de Vitry
Catherine
C
D020418:Algal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000502:physiology*; D045346:Cytochrome b6f Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism*; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011485:Protein Binding; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D020418:Algal Proteins; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D006418:Heme; D045346:Cytochrome b6f Complex