Identification of genes encoding photoconvertible (Class I) water-soluble chlorophyll-binding proteins from Chenopodium ficifolium

To date, Chenopodium album WSCP ( CaWSCP ) is the only cloned gene encoding a Class I WSCP. In this study, we identified two cDNAs encoding Chenopodium ficifolium Class I WSCPs, CfWSCP1 , and CfWSCP2 .

Sequence analyses revealed that the open reading frames of CfWSCP1 and CfWSCP2 were 585 and 588 bp, respectively. Furthermore, both CfWSCPs contain cystein2 and cystein30, which are essential for the chlorophyll-binding ability of CaWSCP. Recombinant CfWSCP1 and CfWSCP2, expressed in Escherichia coli as hexa-histidine fusion proteins (CfWSCP1-His and CfWSCP2-His), formed inclusion bodies; however, we were able to solubilize these using a buffer containing 8 M urea and then refold them by dialysis.