Open Access

ARTICLE

A study of chlorophyll-like and phycobilin pigments in the C endosymbiont of the apple- snail Pomacea canaliculata

ISRAEL A. VEGA^*1,2, FEDERICO A. DELLAGNOLA¹, JORGE A. HURST³, MARTÍN S. GODOY¹ AND ALFREDO CASTRO-VAZQUEZ^1,2

1. Laboratorio de Fisiología (IHEM-CONICET), and Departamento de Morfología y Fisiología (Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo), Casilla de Correo 33, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina.
2. Instituto de Ciencias Básicas - Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Padre Jorge Contreras 1300. Parque Gral. San Martín, 5500 Mendoza.
3. Departamento de Química Biológica. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Present address: Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Labardén 200, B1642HYD Buenos Aires.

*Address correspondence to: Israel A. Vega. Area Fisiología. IHEM-CONICET. Casilla de Correo 33, (5500) Mendoza, Argentina. Phone/fax: +54 261 449 4117 E-mail:

BIOCELL 2012, 36(2), 47-55. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2012.36.047

Abstract

Pigments present in the brown-greenish C morph of an intracellular endosymbiont of Pomacea canaliculata were investigated. Acetone extracts of the endosymbiotic corpuscles showed an absorption spectrum similar to that of chlorophylls. Three fractions obtained from silica gel column chromatography of the acetone extracts (C_I , C_II and C_III ), were studied by positive ion fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB–MS) and hydrogen-nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR). Results indicated the presence of (1) a sterol in the yellow colored C_I fraction; (2) a mixture of pheophorbides a and b in the major green fraction, C_II; and (3) a modified pheophorbide a in the smaller green fraction, C_III . Aqueous extracts of the C endosymbiont did not show evidence of the occurrence of C-phycocyanin, allophycocyanin or phycoerithrin (light absorption, fluorescence emission, and electrophoresis of the protein moieties) while cyanobacterial cells (Nostoc sp.) showed evidence of C-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin. The possible phylogenetic and functional significance of the pigments present in the C endosymbiont is discussed.

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