Chemical Components of Red-Brown Material in Cyst of Scrippsiella Trochoidea (Dinophyceae)

Abstract

Marine dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea (Stein) Loeblich III was induced to form cyst under laboratory conditions. The cysts of dinoflagellate generally have red-brown material containing in cytoplasm. This present study attempted to examine the chemical components of this material. The results demonstrated that the red-brown material composed of fucoxanthin, 19’-hexanoyl fucoxanthin, diadinoxanthin and diatoxanthin. Furthermore, glutamic acid and glycine were found to be the dominant amino acid components of the red-brown material. The result was also revealed that the red-brown material was not composed of polysaccharides. The results from the observation of red-brown material after cyst germination suggested that the red-brown material may be useful for growth of vegetative cell after germination from cyst.