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Published March 2004 | Published
Journal Article Open

Evolution of a Pathway to Novel Long-Chain Carotenoids

Abstract

Using methods of laboratory evolution to force the C30 carotenoid synthase CrtM to function as a C40 synthase, followed by further mutagenesis at functionally important amino acid residues, we have discovered that synthase specificity is controlled at the second (rearrangement) step of the two-step reaction. We used this information to engineer CrtM variants that can synthesize previously unknown C45 and C50 carotenoid backbones (mono- and diisopentenylphytoenes) from the appropriate isoprenyldiphosphate precursors. With this ability to produce new backbones in Escherichia coli comes the potential to generate whole series of novel carotenoids by using carotenoid-modifying enzymes, including desaturases, cyclases, hydroxylases, and dioxygenases, from naturally occurring pathways.

Additional Information

© 2004, American Society for Microbiology. Received 5 June 2003/ Accepted 30 October 2003 This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (BES-0118565) and Maxygen, Inc.

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August 22, 2023
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