Peridinin is a light-harvesting apocarotenoid, 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 ...

and found in the peridinin-chlorophyll-protein (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 ...

s, best studied in '' Amphidinium carterae''.

Biological significance

Peridinin is an apocarotenoid

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 in ...

. 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 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 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 fl ...

(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 flow ...

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

References

{{Carotenoids Apocarotenoids Epoxides Acetate esters Furanones