Evolution of Chlorophyll Degradation: The Significance of RCC Reductase

S. Hörtensteiner; S. Rodoni; M. Schellenberg; F. Vicentini; O. I. Nandi; Y.-L. Qui; and Ph Matile

doi:10.1055/s-2000-9149

Plant Biology, Table of Contents

Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2000; 2(1): 63-67
DOI: 10.1055/s-2000-9149

Original Paper

Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ·New York

Evolution of Chlorophyll Degradation: The Significance of RCC Reductase

S. Hörtensteiner ¹ , S. Rodoni ¹ , M. Schellenberg ¹ , F. Vicentini ¹ , O. I. Nandi ² , Y-L. Qui ² , and Ph. Matile ¹

¹ Institut für Pflanzenbiologie, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
² Institut für Systematische Botanik, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Abstract

Abstract:

In angiosperms the key process of chlorophyll breakdown in senescing leaves is catalyzed by pheophorbide a oxygenase and RCC reductase which, in a metabolically channeled reaction, cleave the porphyrin macrocycle and produce a colourless primary catabolite, pFCC. RCC reductase is responsible for the reduction of the C20/C1 double bond of the intermediary catabolite, RCC. Depending on plant species, RCC reductase produces one of the two C1 stereoisomers, pFCC-1 or pFCC-2. Screening of a large number of taxa for the type of RCCR revealed that the isomer produced is uniform within families. It also revealed that type RCCR-2 is predominant; RCCR-1 seems to represent a recent derivation which in unrelated lineages has evolved independently from RCCR-2. A third type of pFCC was produced by RCCR from basal pteridophytes and some gymnosperms; its structure is unknown. Collectively, the data suggest that the pathway of chlorophyll breakdown is very conserved in vascular plants. RCCR appears to represent a decisive addition to the catabolic pathway: it allows terrestrial plants to metabolize the porphyrin part of the chlorophyll molecule to photodynamically inactive final products that are stored in the vacuoles of senescing mesophyll cells.

Abbreviations:

Chl: Chlorophyll FCC: Fluorescing chlorophyll catabolite pFCC: primary FCC NCC: Nonfluorescing chlorophyll catabolite PaO: Pheophorbide a oxygenase RCC: Red chlorophyll catabolite RCCR: RCC reductase

Key words:

Chlorophyll breakdown - evolution - RCC reductase - stereoisomeric catabolites

Full Text

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Ph. Matile

Institute of Plant Biology University of Zürich

Zollikerstrasse 107

8008 Zürich

Switzerland

Section Editor: T. Stuessy

Email: phibus@botinst.unizh.ch