著者
小林 正美 秋山 満知子 木瀬 秀夫 高市 真一 嶋田 敬三 伊藤 繁 平石 明 渡辺 正 若尾 紀夫
出版者
日本鉱物科学会
雑誌
鉱物学雜誌 (ISSN:04541146)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.26, no.2, pp.117-120, 1996-05-31 (Released:2009-08-11)
参考文献数
7
被引用文献数
1 2

Except for metal-free chlorophylls (pheophytins) functioning as primary electron acceptors in purple bacteria and in photosystem II of higher plants, all the naturally occurring chlorophylls have been believed to be magnesium complexes. To clarify the reason for the choice of Mg as the central metal of chlorophylls, we have systematically studied the absorption, fluorescence and redox properties of metallo-substituted chlorophylls, and concluded that Zn-substituted chlorophylls may act as both antenna and primary electron donor of photosystems. Quite recently, we discovered novel photosynthesis using Zn-containing bacteriochlorophyll a in an acidophilic bacterium Acidiphilium rubrum. This finding indicates an unexpectedly wide variability of photosynthesis.