Effect of vanadium on growth, chlorophyll formation and iron metabolism in unicellular green algae

✍ Scribed by Hans-Ulrich Meisch; Hans-Joachim Bielig

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1975
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 606 KB
• Volume: 105
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0302-8933
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00447117

✦ Synopsis

In the presence of vanadium, growth of Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlorella pyrenoidosa was increased five to sixfold as determined by dry weight, when cultured under autotrophic conditions for 7 days. The stimulation by vanadium decreased with increasing stability towards hydrolysis of the iron(III)-compounds added. Pentavalent vanadium (20 mug V/1 as NH4VO3) was able to overcome completely a limited iron-deficiency in the algae following growth in presence of 1.8 - 10(-5) m ferric chloride. Vanadium did not alter the iron uptake into the algal cells. 90% of offered 48V was taken up by Scenedesmus obliquus during 5 days of growth, and 21% thereof were found in the chloroplast fraction. In presence of vanadium, the chlorophyll formation was stimulated in Scenedesmus obliquus. This stimulation by vanadium was found to be light-dependent but occurred to a certain extent in the dark also. The main porphyrin of the yellow mutant 211-11h/20 of Chlorella vulgaris was identified as protoporphyrin-IX. The formation of this compound was stimulated by vanadium within 10 days up to 83%. The role of vanadium in the biosynthesis of chlorophylls is discussed.