Research
Biologists reveal chlorophyll-building enzyme's structure for first time and clarify its mechanism
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- Researchers from Osnabrück University, the Center Algatech in Třeboň and other partners report the first determination of the structure of the enzyme chlorophyll synthase.
- The work also clarifies how the enzyme works mechanistically.
- Chlorophyll synthase plays an important role in producing chlorophyll, the pigment that makes plants green and is key to photosynthesis.
Why it matters
The structure and mechanism of chlorophyll synthase give science readers a molecular-level basis for how chlorophyll is produced, which underpins research on photosynthesis.
Who’s affected
- plant biologists and photosynthesis researchers
- structural biologists and biochemists
Plants are green because of a pigment that is key to photosynthesis: chlorophyll. In its production, the enzyme chlorophyll synthase plays an important role. As part of an international collaboration, researchers from Osnabrück University, the Center Algatech in Třeboň and the…