Bacteriochlorophyll c formation via the C5 pathway of 5‐aminolevulinic acid synthesis in Chloroflexus aurantiacus

摘要

>Biosynthesis of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in Chloroflexus aurantiacus, a thermophilic bacterium forming bacterioclorophyll c, is shown to proceed via the C₅ pathway by demonstrating (1) the specific labeling of its chlorin ring with [1-13C] glutamate and (2) the enzyme activity to produce ALA from glutamate in a cell-free extract. From the phylogenetic distribution it is suggested that ALA synthase distributed in some aerobic eubacteria could be monophyletic in origin.