The tail of chlorophyll: Fates for phytol.

Timothy P Durrett, Ruth Welti

The Journal of biological chemistry 2021 Jan-Jun

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Understanding the pathways involved in chlorophyll breakdown provides a molecular map to the color changes observed in plant life on a global scale each fall. Surprisingly, little is known about the fate of phytol, chlorophyll's 20-carbon branched-chain tail, during this process. A recent study from Gutbrod et al. provides evidence using physiological, genetic, and exquisitely sensitive analytical approaches that phytenal is an intermediate in plant phytol catabolism. These insights and techniques open the door to further investigation of this complicated metabolic system, with implications for plant health and agriculture. Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.