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Metabolism and Enzymology

Immunocytochemical Localization of Nitrite Reductase in Green Algae ¹

Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba 14071, Spain, Departement Biologie, Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium

The distribution of nitrite reductase (EC 1.7.7.1) in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Monoraphidium braunii, Chlorella fusca, and Scenedesmus obliquus was studied by immunoelectron microscopy. The labeling of ultrathin cryosections was performed with anti-nitrite reductase antibodies followed by gold-labeled goat anti-rabbit antibodies. In C. reinhardtii sections, gold label was mainly associated with the pyrenoid, tonoplast, and plasmalemma. Significant labeling was also detected in the thylakoid region. In all other organisms, label density was lower but distributed in the same locations, except that the plasmalemma of S. obliquus was not significantly labeled. From estimates of the relative volume of different cell regions, we found that approximately 80% of the total enzyme is located in the chloroplastic region (thylakoids plus pyrenoid) of C. reinhardtii, M. braunii, and C. fusca, and 97% in the case of S. obliquus.