THE LIGHT-HARVESTING CHLOROPHYLL A-C-BINDING PROTEIN OF DINOFLAGELLATES - A PUTATIVE POLYPROTEIN

The principle light-harvesting chlorophyll a-c-binding protein of Amph idinium carterae of 19 kDa is encoded as a polyprotein translated from a 6.1 kb mRNA. The cDNA sequences indicate that each derived polypept ide is contiguous with the next and that the mature peptides are forme d by cleavage at a C-terminal arginine residue. Comparison of the amin o-acid sequences shows the Amphidinium protein to be most closely rela ted to the fucoxanthin-chlorophyll-protein (Fcp) of Phaeodactylum and less related to the chlorophyll a-b-binding (Cab) proteins including t hose from Englena.