Effect of nicotine on biosynthesis of C50 carotenoids in Halobacterium cutirubrum
- 1 September 1976
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Canadian Journal of Biochemistry
- Vol. 54 (9) , 824-829
- https://doi.org/10.1139/o76-118
Abstract
The major carotenoids in pigmented extreme halophiles are the hydroxylated C50 red pigments bacterioruberine (major, 84%) and monoanhydrobacterioruberin (minor, 14%). When cells of H. cutirubrum were grown in the presence of nicotine they accumulated lycopene and bisanhydrobacterioruberin; maximal accumulation (80% lycopene, 20% bisanhydrobacteriorubierin) occurred at 3 mM nicotine. Removal of nicotine resulted in the reformation of monoanhydrobacterioruberin and bacterioruberin at the expense of lycopene and bisanhydrobacterioruberin. Thus nicotine does not inhibit the addition of the 2 extra isoprene units plus 2 hydroxyl groups (at C-1 and C1'') to a C40 carotenoid skeleton. It does inhibit the hydration steps at C3" and C3"'' that convert bisanhydrobacterioruberin to monoanhydrobacterioruberin and finally bacterioruberin. These results indicate that the C50 carotenoids are formed from a C40 carotene, lycopene.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: