Studies on uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase from Chlorella kessleri (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta)

Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (UroD) (EC 4.1.1.37) is an enzyme from the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway, in which chlorophyll is the main final product in algae. This is the first time that a study on UroD activity has been performed in a green alga (Chlorella). We isolated and partially purified the enzyme from a Chlorella kessleri (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) strain (Copahue, Neuquén, Argentina), and describe for the first time some of its properties. In C. kessleri, the decarboxylation of uroporphyrinogen III occurs in two stages, via 7 COOH and then 6 and 5 COOH intermediates, with the decarboxylation of the 7 COOH compound being the rate-limiting step for the reaction. Cultures in the exponential growth phase showed the highest specific activity values. The most suitable conditions to measure UroD activity in C. kessleri were as follows: 0.23-0.3 mg protein/mL, approximately 6-8 micromol/L uroporphyrinogen III, and 20 min incubation time. Gel filtration chromatography and Western blot assays indicated that UroD from C. kessleri is a dimer of approximately 90 kDa formed by species of lower molecular mass, which conserves enzymatic activity.