PMID:22900140

Citation	Valmalette, JC, Dombrovsky, A, Brat, P, Mertz, C, Capovilla, M and Robichon, A (2012) Light- induced electron transfer and ATP synthesis in a carotene synthesizing insect. Sci Rep 2:579
Abstract	A singular adaptive phenotype of a parthenogenetic insect species (Acyrthosiphon pisum) was selected in cold conditions and is characterized by a remarkable apparition of a greenish colour. The aphid pigments involve carotenoid genes well defined in chloroplasts and cyanobacteria and amazingly present in the aphid genome, likely by lateral transfer during evolution. The abundant carotenoid synthesis in aphids suggests strongly that a major and unknown physiological role is related to these compounds beyond their canonical anti-oxidant properties. We report here that the capture of light energy in living aphids results in the photo induced electron transfer from excited chromophores to acceptor molecules. The redox potentials of molecules involved in this process would be compatible with the reduction of the NAD+ coenzyme. This appears as an archaic photosynthetic system consisting of photo-emitted electrons that are in fine funnelled into the mitochondrial reducing power in order to synthesize ATP molecules.
Links	PubMed PMC3420219 Online version:10.1038/srep00579
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Annotations

Gene product	Qualifier	GO Term	Evidence Code	with/from	Aspect	Extension	Notes	Status
ACYPI:D5K775	Contributes to	GO:0016166: phytoene dehydrogenase activity	ECO:0000247:	PMID:20431015	F		Enzyme present in Acyrthosiphon pisium resembles Phytoene Dehydrogenase in unrelated taxa, genus Phycomyces. This gene encoding for this enzyme was acquired through horizontal gene transfer (Supplemental Fig. 1)	complete

References

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