WORLDTECHResearchers reveal structure of chlorophyll-building enzyme for the first time
Biologists have revealed the structure of chlorophyll synthase, an enzyme that helps produce chlorophyll, and clarified how it works, according to Phys.org.
Enzyme's structure and working mechanism
According to Phys.org, the researchers have, for the first time, shown what chlorophyll synthase looks like and clarified its mechanism. The enzyme takes part in producing chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green colour and is key to photosynthesis.
The work was carried out as an international collaboration involving Osnabrück University, the Center Algatech in Třeboň and the University of Sheffield. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.
Single-source account
Phys.org is the only outlet that has reported these findings so far, and the account here draws on that report alone. The verified information does not go into the enzyme's specific structural features or the individual steps of the mechanism.
Open questions
- Which structural features of chlorophyll synthase did the researchers identify?
- What are the steps of the enzyme's mechanism as described in the published study?