Green genes gleaned

A recent paper by Ayumi Tanaka and colleagues identifying an Arabidopsis thaliana gene for 3,8-divinyl(proto)chlorophyllide 8-vinyl reductase brings a satisfying conclusion to the hunt for genes encoding enzymes for the steps in the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. Now, at least in angiosperm plants represented by Arabidopsis, genes for all 15 steps in the pathway from glutamyl-tRNA to chlorophylls a and b have been identified.