Eijiro Yakushiji

Isolation of water-soluble chlorophyll protein from the leaves of Chenopodium album

Abstract 1. 1. A water-soluble, photosensitive chlorophyll protein was obtained from the leaves of Chenopodium album . 2. 2. The substance, purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and column chromatography, showed a single-peaked sedimentation pattern on ultracentrifugal analysis. 3. 3. The native chlorophyll protein (prepared in the dark) showed absorption bands at 277, 429 and 667 mμ. Irradiation caused a marked change of the spectrum. New peaks appeared at 362, 399, 567 and 743 mμ. 4. 4. The chlorophyll protein contained chlorophylls a and b . The irradiated protein had three additional pigments which were not found in the native one.

Water-soluble chlorophyll protein of Brassica oleracea var. Botrys (cauliflower)

Abstract A water-soluble chlorophyll protein was prepared from Brassica oleracea var. Botrys (cauliflower) and purified by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and by chromatography on a DEAE-cellulose column. The chlorophyll protein contained chlorophylls a and b in the ratio 6:1, and no carotenoids. The molecular weight, determined by means of gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, was 78000. The chlorophyll protein showed absorption peaks at 273, 340, 384, 420, 438, 465, 628, 674 and 700 nm. Since the three bands at 384, 420 and 438 nm all have approximately the same height, the spectrum is different from that of chlorophyll a in organic solvents. The fluorescence of the chlorophyll protein showed a peak at 683 nm, with shoulders at 706 and 745 nm at room temperature, and peaks at 685, 706 and 744 nm at the temperature of liquid N2. An apo-protein was prepared by removing the chlorophylls with 2-butanone and purified by precipitation with (NH4)2SO4. The apo-protein thus prepared had an absorption band at 273 nm but none at longer wavelengths. The apo-protein could be combined with chlorophylls, forming a chlorophyll protein which had spectral characteristics similar to those of the original.

Crystallization of water-soluble chlorophyll-proteins from Lepidium virginicum

Water-soluble chlorophyll-proteins were prepared from leaves of Lepidium virginicum, by means of ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S-200. After intensive purification the chlorophyll-proteins were crystallized by dialysis against an ammonium sulfate solution.

Purification and Properties of Cytochrome b-562.5 from Ulva pertusa

Cytochrome b-562.5 (Ulva pertusa) was extracted from a green alga, U. pertusa, by homogenization of the thalli in phosphate buffer solution. Purification was carried out by acrinol treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex column chromatographies, and Sephadex gel filtration. Cytochrome b-562.5 has absorption maxima at 562.5 (alpha), 530.5 (beta), 429 (gamma), and 326 nm (delta) in the reduced form and at 537, 415 (gamma), and 275 nm in the oxidized form. The alpha-band of the reduced form is asymmetric with a shoulder at 560 nm, at liquid nitrogen temperature this band splits into two distinct peaks at 562 and 556.5 nm. The absorption maxima of the pyridine ferrohemochrome appear at 556 (alpha), 523 (beta), and 418 nm (gamma). The cytochrome does not combine with carbon monoxide or cyanide. The preparation of the cytochrome shows little peroxidase activity. The cytochrome is oxidized by ferricyanide and reduced by cysteine, ascorbate, and hydrosulfite. Autoxidation of the cytochrome was found to be very slow. The midpoint potential (Em) of the cytochrome was determined by equilibration with the ferro- and ferri-EDTA system to be +0.20 V at pH7.0. The molecular weight of the cytochrome was estimated by Sephadex gel filtration to be 23x10(3).

Studies on the cytochromef ofBryopsis maxima in vivo andin vitro

Cytochromec (553.7Bryopsis maxima) isolated fromB. maxima had absorption maxima at 553.7, 523.0, 417.1 and 317.5 nm in its reduced form. Isosbestic points in the reduced minus oxidized difference spectrum were located at 561, 543, 528, 511, 436, 411 and 334 nm. The purified protein exhibited a molecular weight of 10,700. The midpoint potential for the cytochromec was estimated to be 372±5 mVin vitro at pH 7.0 and 365±5 mVin vivo.In vivo 80% of the cytochromec was in the reduced form. This cytochrome was located only in chloroplasts indicating that it functions in the photosynthetic electron transport as cytochromef. Chloroplasts contained one molecule of this cytochrome per 360 molecules of chlorophyll.The magnitude of the chemically induced absorbance changes for the cytochromoesin vivo were much smaller than the light-induced absorbance change at 561 nm. It is concluded that the light-induced 561 nm absorbance change characteristic of this alga is not mainly attributable to the redox reaction of cytochromesb andf in the chloroplasts.