Peridinin is a light-harvesting

apocarotenoid Apocarotenoids are organic compounds which occur widely in living organisms. They are derived from carotenoids by oxidative cleavage, catalyzed by carotenoid oxygenases. Examples include the vitamin A retinoids retinal, retinoic acid, and retinol; a ...

, a

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

associated with

chlorophyll Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...

and found in the

peridinin-chlorophyll-protein The peridinin-chlorophyll-protein complex (PCP or PerCP) is a soluble molecular complex consisting of the peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein bound to peridinin, chlorophyll, and lipids. The peridinin molecules absorb light in the blue-green wavelengt ...

(PCP)

light-harvesting complex A light-harvesting complex consists of a number of chromophores which are complex subunit proteins that may be part of a larger super complex of a photosystem, the functional unit in photosynthesis. It is used by plants and photosynthetic bacteri ...

dinoflagellate The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...

s, best studied in ''

Amphidinium carterae ''Amphidinium carterae'' is a species of dinoflagellates. It was first described by Edward M. Hulburt in 1957, and was named in honour of the British phycologist Nellie Carter-Montford. The type locality is Great Pond, Barnstable County, Mas ...

''.

Biological significance

Peridinin is an

that some organisms use in

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

. Many photosynthetic

s use peridinin, which absorbs blue-green light in the 470-550nm range, outside the range accessible to

molecules. The

peridinin-chlorophyll-protein complex The peridinin-chlorophyll-protein complex (PCP or PerCP) is a soluble molecular complex consisting of the peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein bound to peridinin, chlorophyll, and lipids. The peridinin molecules absorb light in the blue-green wavelengt ...

is a specialized molecular complex consisting of a boat-shaped protein molecule with a large central cavity that contains peridinin, chlorophyll, and lipid molecules, usually in a 4:1 ratio of peridinin to chlorophyll.

Spectral characteristics

* Absorption maximum: 483 nm * Emission maximum: 676 nm * Extinction coefficient (ε): 1.96 x 10⁶M⁻¹cm⁻¹ * A₄₈₃/A₂₈₀ ≥ 4.6

Applications

Peridinin chlorophyll (PerCP) is commonly used in

immunoassays An immunoassay (IA) is a biochemical test that measures the presence or concentration of a macromolecule or a small molecule in a solution through the use of an antibody (usually) or an antigen (sometimes). The molecule detected by the immunoass ...

such as

fluorescence-activated cell sorting Flow cytometry (FC) is a technique used to detect and measure physical and chemical characteristics of a population of cells or particles. In this process, a sample containing cells or particles is suspended in a fluid and injected into the flo ...

(FACS) and

flow cytometry Flow cytometry (FC) is a technique used to detect and measure physical and chemical characteristics of a population of cells or particles. In this process, a sample containing cells or particles is suspended in a fluid and injected into the flo ...

. The fluorophore is covalently linked to proteins or antibodies for use in research applications.

References

{{Carotenoids Apocarotenoids Epoxides Acetate esters Furanones