Distribution of plastocyanin and soluble plastidic cytochrome c in various classes of algae

Several eukaryotic algae belonging to the main taxonomic classes have been cultured autotrophically in liquid medium supplemented with or depleted of copper to assay their ability to form plastocyanin or exchange it against plastidic cytochrome c-553. Most Chlorophyceae are able to substitute cytochrome c-533 for plastocyanin with some exceptions like Haematococcus or Dunaliella, which can only synthesize plastocyanin. Also within the Chlorella group, about half of the 28 strains assayed cannot synthesize cytochrome c-553 under copper deficiency. Species of Chrysophyceae, Xanthophyceae, and Rhodophyceae, on the other hand, cannot synthesize plastocyanin even when a comparatively high copper concentration (10μM) is available.