ULTRASTRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION AND COMPOSITION OF CAROTENOIDS
IN THE EYESPOT IN THE MUTANT CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII
V.G. Ladygin,1,* G.A. Semenova 2
1 Institute of Basic Biological Problems RAS and
2 Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics RAS, Pushchino, Moscow region;
*e-mail: ladyginv@rambler.ru
Biogenesis of the ultrastructure of the eyespot in the chloroplasts of unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas
reinhardtii has been studied. We have found that the development of the structure of the eyespot correlates
with the accumulation of carotenoids. Depending on their accumulation, the eyespots form from 1 to 4 lines of
lipid-carotenoid globules. It has been shown that only carotenes are accumulated in the globules of the eyespots.
We first have found that the composition of carotenes in the eyespots of the mutants may vary due to the
changes in their composition in the membranes of chloroplasts.
Key words: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, mutants, chloroplast, eyespot, ultrastructure, carotenes, xanthophylls
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