Surprising Finding on Hydrogen Production in Green Algae
Research from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have found out how the cells notice the absence of oxygen and have stated that when green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii “can’t breathe”, they get rid of excess energy through the production of hydrogen.
For this, green algae need the messenger molecule nitric oxide and the protein haemoglobin, which is commonly known from red blood cells of humans, with colleagues at the UC Los Angeles.
The research reveals that the green alga has what is known as”truncated” haemoglobin, the function of which was previously unknown. Happe’s team has deciphered its role in surviving in an oxygen-free environment.
When Chlamydomonas has no oxygen available, the algae transfer excess electrons to protons, creating hydrogen (H2). Hence, the biologists @ the University conclude that Chlamydomonas uses nitric oxide to pass on the ‘no oxygen’ signal within the cell, and that our haemoglobin is involved in this process.
