Chlorophyll C Pigments And Their Distribution In The Chromophyte Algae

Abstract The presence of chlorophyll c is a basic characteristic of the Chromophyte algae. Two light-harvesting chlorophyll c species are known, c 1 and c 2, which differ from all other chlorophylls in being porphyrin rather than chlorin derivatives. Structural similarities to the known chlorophyll a precursors, Mg 2,4-divinyl pheophorphyrin a 5 monomethyl ester (Mg 2,4D) and protochlorophyllide a, suggest that chlorophyll c biosynthesis may occur as a closely related branch of the biosynthetic pathway to chlorophyll a.