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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Non-invasive Assay for Chlorophyll Biosynthesis Kinetics Determination during Early Stages of Arabidopsis De-etiolation
Published on: January 12, 2024
The major route for chlorophyll synthesis includes [3,8-divinyl]-chlorophyllide a reduction in Arabidopsis thaliana
Nozomi Nagata1, Ryouichi Tanaka, Ayumi Tanaka
1Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan. nagata@lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp
Abstract:
In most reviews on Chl biosynthesis, Chl is described as being synthesized via the route involving the reduction of [3,8-divinyl]-protochlorophyllide a. However, the possibility remains that the conversion of the divinyl form of the Chl intermediate to its monovinyl form takes place at other enzymatic steps. To determine the actual route of Chl biosynthesis, we examined the substrate specificity of the formerly named [3,8-divinyl]-protochlorophyllide a 8-vinyl reductase (DVR) in vitro. In addition, we investigated the accumulation of various Chl intermediates in etiolated seedlings in vivo. Collectively, these studies indicate that [3,8-divinyl]-chlorophyllide a is the major substrate of DVR.
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