Lycopene

The cyanobacterium Gloeobacter violaceus PCC 7421 uses bacterial-type phytoene desaturase in carotenoid biosynthesis.

Tsuchiya T, Takaichi S, Misawa N, Maoka T, Miyashita H, Mimuro M.

Department of Technology and Ecology, Hall of Global Environmental Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.

Carotenoid composition and its biosynthetic pathway in the cyanobacterium Gloeobacter violaceus PCC 7421 were investigated. beta-Carotene and (2S,2'S)-oscillol 2,2'-di(alpha-L-fucoside), and echinenone were major and minor carotenoids, respectively. We identified two unique genes for carotenoid biosynthesis using in vivo functional complementation experiments. In Gloeobacter, a bacterial-type phytoene desaturase (CrtI), rather than plant-type desaturases (CrtP and CrtQ), produced lycopene. This is the first demonstration of an oxygenic photosynthetic organism utilizing bacterial-type phytoene desaturase. We also revealed that echinenone synthesis is catalyzed by CrtW rather than CrtO. These findings indicated that Gloeobacter retains ancestral properties of carotenoid biosynthesis.

PMID: 15811329 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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