Research Results

The research paper titled "Discovery of a novel siphonaxanthin biosynthetic precursor in Codium fragile that accumulates only by exposure to blue-green light," authored by Associate Professor Ritsuko Fujii and a research group from Kobe Pharmaceutical University, Tokushima University, and the National Institute for Basic Biology, has been featured on the cover of FEBS Letters, a European Biochemical Societies journal published by John Wiley & Sons.

Codium fragile, a type of seaweed, inhabits coastal areas, undergoing photosynthesis using weak blue-green light during high tide and intense white light during low tide. In this process, a unique carotenoid called siphonaxanthin, bound to light-harvesting proteins, efficiently absorbs green light. While siphonaxanthin was previously hypothesized to be biosynthesized from lutein, a carotenoid found in the light-harvesting proteins of terrestrial plants like spinach, there was no experimental evidence to support this claim. Our study has revealed that when Codium fragile is exposed to intense blue-green light, a precursor of siphonaxanthin accumulates. We have successfully elucidated the chemical structure of this precursor. The significance of these findings has led to our research being featured on the cover of FEBS Letters.

Publications: FEBS Letters, 2022, 596, 1544-1555