Research articles
ScienceAsia 47 (2021): 469-477 |doi:
10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2021.062
Rhodomonas PE545 fluorescence is increased by
glycerol
Chanoknard Karnjanapaka, I-Shuo Huangb, Preyanut Jaroensuka, Sutaporn Bunyajetponga,*,
Paul V. Zimbac, F. Gerald Plumleya,d
ABSTRACT: Phycobilins are photosynthetic pigments found in three ecologically important groups of algae: cyanobacteria, red algae, and cryptophytes. These compounds are covalently attached to proteins, which can be technically difficult
to analyze compared with other photosynthetic pigments (e.g., chlorophylls and carotenoids). In this study, glycerol
was demonstrated to uncouple PE545 (phycoerythrin 545), the phycobilin complex of Rhodomonas spp., from its role as
a light-harvesting pigment: the fluorescence signal was increased 15?34 times, and ETR (electron transport rate) was
no longer light-dependent at high light intensities. Glycerol induced fluorescence provided a simple and inexpensive
protocol to ascertain the pool size of autofluorescent PE545 as well as total PE545 cell content in Rhodomonas. 20?30%
glycerol was optimal for monitoring increased PE545 fluorescence with a stable signal for at least 1 h after glycerol
addition. A substantial portion of PE545 passed through different-sized filter pads in cells with added glycerol, which
suggests that glycerol may facilitate extraction of this pigment-protein complex from R. salina, a process that can be
difficult under certain growth conditions. However, at high concentrations and/or after extended periods of contact,
glycerol reduced recovery of PE545, suggesting destruction of the compound. In another approach, we found that
PE545 can be recovered from acetone-extracted cells using low concentrations of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) in low
pH buffers. The finding provides samples for analyses of both chlorophylls and carotenoids in acetone and PE545
from the cell pellet. Rhodomonas spp. plays an important role in nature; hence methods presented here should help
determine its natural abundance and distribution.
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| a |
Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 Thailand |
| b |
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062 USA |
| c |
Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412 USA |
| d |
Aquatic Resources Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 Thailand |
* Corresponding author, E-mail: sutaporn.b@chula.ac.th
Received 5 Dec 2020, Accepted 27 May 2021
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