Plant tetrapyrroles are the most abundant biomolecules on the earth and are cofactors of many apoproteins essential for plant function. The four end-products sirohaem, chlorophyll, haem and phytochromobilin are synthesized by a common branched pathway, which is tightly regulated to ensure a continuous supply to the cognate apoproteins. This may induce strong competition between different branches of the pathway for common substrates. In addition, the intermediates, which are phototoxic, must not be allowed to accumulate in the cell. The major control points are during the synthesis of the initial precursor, ALA (5-aminolaevulinic acid), and at the branch points for the insertion of metal ions into the porphyrin macrocycle. A recent study has also suggested that tetrapyrroles are involved in the communication between the chloroplast and the nucleus, strengthening the necessity for tight regulation. However, intermediates remain difficult to quantify mainly due to their low content and the different properties of the intermediates. In this paper, we summarize the regulation of this pathway and we detail why it is important to have an accurate method for the determination of tetrapyrroles in plants.
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Conference Article|
August 01 2005
Regulation of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in higher plants
M. Moulin;
M. Moulin
1Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, U.K.
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A.G. Smith
A.G. Smith
1
1Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email as25@cam.ac.uk).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
April 28 2005
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2005 The Biochemical Society
2005
Biochem Soc Trans (2005) 33 (4): 737–742.
Article history
Received:
April 28 2005
Citation
M. Moulin, A.G. Smith; Regulation of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in higher plants. Biochem Soc Trans 1 August 2005; 33 (4): 737–742. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0330737
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