Abstract
ONE of the Chlorella mutants described by Claes (strain 5/520)1 synthesizes in the dark certain poly-cis-isomers, which are described in the literature as protetrahydrolycopene2 and prolycopene3. In the algal cells the stereoconfiguration is sensitive to light. If oxygen is present, the procarotenes are isomerized in blue but not in red light, yielding the trans-forms in the cells. In this case light absorbed by the carotenes is presumed to be responsible for their isomerization.
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Claes, H., Z. Naturforsch., 11 b, 260 (1956); 12 b, 401 (1957).
Trombly, H. H., and Porter, J. W., Arch. Biochem., 43, 443 (1953).
Zechmeister, L., Le Rosen, A., Schroeder, W. A., Polgar, A., and Pauling, L., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 65, 1940 (1943).
Claes, H., Z. Naturforsch., 13 b, 222 (1958).
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CLAES, H., NAKAYAMA, T. Isomerization of Poly-cis-carotenes by Chlorophyll in vivo and in vitro . Nature 183, 1053 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/1831053a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1831053a0
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