Astaxanthin and Related Xanthophylls

Alcaı́no, Jennifer; Baeza, Marcelo; Cifuentes, Víctor

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-1191-2_9

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 140 publications

(101 reference statements)

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“…Carotenoids are yellow to red pigments that are involved in photoprotective mechanisms (Alcaíno et al, 2014), among other functions. These pigments are isoprenoid compounds, which are a large and diverse family of natural products consisting of over 40,000 structurally different compounds isolated from animals, plants and microorganisms (Misawa, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein (Sre1) Promotes the Synthesis of Carotenoids and Sterols in Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

et al. 2019

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Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous is a basidiomycete yeast that synthesizes carotenoids, mainly astaxanthin, which are of great commercial interest. Currently, there are many unknown aspects related to regulatory mechanisms on the synthesis of carotenoids in this yeast. Our recent studies showed that changes in sterol levels and composition resulted in upregulation of genes in the mevalonate pathway required for the synthesis of carotenoid precursors, leading to increased production of these pigments. Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Proteins (SREBP), called Sre1 in yeast, are conserved transcriptional regulators of sterol homeostasis and other cellular processes. Given the results linking sterols and carotenoids, we investigated the role of SREBP in sterol and carotenoid synthesis in X. dendrorhous. In this study, we present the identification and functional characterization of the X. dendrorhous SRE1 gene, which encodes the transcription factor Sre1. The deduced protein has the characteristic features of SREBP/Sre1 and binds to consensus DNA sequences in vitro. RNA-seq analysis and chromatin-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that genes of the mevalonate pathway and ergosterol biosynthesis are directly regulated by Sre1. The sre1 - mutation reduced sterol and carotenoid production in X. dendrorhous , and expression of the Sre1 N-terminal domain (Sre1N) increased carotenoid production more than twofold compared to wild-type. Overall, our results indicate that in X. dendrorhous transcriptional regulation of genes in the mevalonate pathway control production of the isoprenoid derivatives, carotenoids and sterol. Our results provide new insights into the conserved regulatory functions of SREBP/Sre1 and identify pointing to the SREBP pathway as a potential target to enhance carotenoid production in X. dendrorhous .

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein (Sre1) Promotes the Synthesis of Carotenoids and Sterols in Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

et al. 2019

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“…Likewise, two phenotypically indistinguishable mutants termed white eye 1 & 2 revealed a specific block in the production of astaxanthin, the terminal and most oxygenated carotenoid in the pathway (Veerman, ). Because the white eye mutants lacked red eyes, this suggests that spider mites owe the red colour of their eyes to astaxanthin, which is known to be bright red–orange in colour, similar to that of spider mite eyes (Alcaino et al ., ). Finally, mutants such as stork and flamingo may impact other aspects of carotenoid metabolism or transport because they have aberrant localization of colour, even though the complete carotenoid blend observed in wild‐type animals could be detected in these mutants (Fig.…”

Section: Carotenoids Of Spider Mites and Diapausementioning

confidence: 97%

“…Unlike β‐carotene, keto‐carotenoids such as astaxanthin are (presumably) not pro‐vitamin A carotenoids in mites, and the roles of keto‐carotenoids in spider mite diapause remain unclear. However, it has widely been postulated that, in animals, xanthophyll carotenoids (those containing oxygen, including keto‐carotenoids) protect against oxidative stress (Demmig‐Adams & Adams, ; Alcaino et al ., ; Esteban et al ., ). Notably, keto‐carotenoids including astaxanthin have been shown to demonstrate markedly higher reactive radical scavenging activity than carotenes (hydrocarbon carotenoids), including β‐carotene (Naguib, ).…”

Section: Carotenoids Of Spider Mites and Diapausementioning

confidence: 98%

A molecular‐genetic understanding of diapause in spider mites: current knowledge and future directions

et al. 2017

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During unfavourable conditions, many arthropods have the ability to enter into diapause and synchronize their development and reproduction to seasonal patterns. Diapause or winter hibernation in insects and mites is set off by a number of cues, with photoperiod being the most well-defined and strongest signal. This review focuses on the current knowledge of '-omics' data and the genetics of diapause in the two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae, a member of the family Tetranychidae (Arthropoda: Chelicerata: Arachnida: Acari). This species is a serious polyphagous pest and females undergo a reproductive facultative diapause when immature stages are exposed to long nights. Winter hibernation induces different physiological processes characterized by a metabolic suppression, different energy use, increased stress tolerance and the production of cryoprotectants, all initiated by a complex signal transduction pathway. Keto-carotenoids are known to cause the deeply orange colour typical for diapausing females. Furthermore, research with colour mutants of T. urticae has shown the need for carotenoids with respect to the induction of diapause, even though the molecular-genetic mechanisms underlying these colour phenotypes are still unknown. In addition, marked latitudinal variation in diapause incidence among populations has been observed in nature, with modes of inheritance ranging from recessive to dominant, as well as monogenic to polygenic. We end by highlighting the emerging opportunities for functional studies that aim to unravel the complex factors underlying diapause in spider mites.

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“…However, biological production of astaxanthin in natural isolates presents a well-known drawback; the very low specific production. Thus, the specific astaxanthin production of wild type strains of X. dendrorhous is 200–400 μg/g of yeast dry weight [ 61 , 62 ]. Besides, the thickness of yeast cell walls and capsule, which apparently hinders astaxanthin uptake, seems to be also relevant for production and downstream processing.…”

Section: Biotechnology-based Improvement Of Astaxanthin Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The yield improvement of microbial products has been traditionally faced up by means of: (i) treatment with mutagenic agents (e.g., nitrogen mustards, ultraviolet irradiation, X-ray); (ii) increasing the biosynthetic genes; or (iii) redirecting the metabolic precursors [ 73 ]. As a consequence, a promising strategy is metabolic engineering (see Table 1 ), which includes: (i) the overexpression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes (e.g., crtYB gene); (ii) the metabolic flow increase towards the synthesis of specific pathway precursor molecules (e.g., geranylgeranyl-pyrophosphate synthase encoding gene ( crtE )), or (iii) the supplementation with carotenogenesis precursors (e.g., mevalonate) [ 20 , 47 , 62 , 74 , 75 ]. However, this metabolic redirection, which can be included in the new trends of synthetic biology, has needed several methodological updates prior to validating the final effects along the astaxanthin production improvement history.…”

Section: Biotechnology-based Improvement Of Astaxanthin Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biosynthesis of Astaxanthin as a Main Carotenoid in the Heterobasidiomycetous Yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

Barredo¹,

Garcı́a-Estrada

Kosalková

et al. 2017

JoF

104

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Carotenoids are organic lipophilic yellow to orange and reddish pigments of terpenoid nature that are usually composed of eight isoprene units. This group of secondary metabolites includes carotenes and xanthophylls, which can be naturally obtained from photosynthetic organisms, some fungi, and bacteria. One of the microorganisms able to synthesise carotenoids is the heterobasidiomycetous yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, which represents the teleomorphic state of Phaffia rhodozyma, and is mainly used for the production of the xanthophyll astaxanthin. Upgraded knowledge on the biosynthetic pathway of the main carotenoids synthesised by X. dendrorhous, the biotechnology-based improvement of astaxanthin production, as well as the current omics approaches available in this yeast are reviewed in depth.

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Astaxanthin and Related Xanthophylls

Cited by 8 publications

References 140 publications

Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein (Sre1) Promotes the Synthesis of Carotenoids and Sterols in Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein (Sre1) Promotes the Synthesis of Carotenoids and Sterols in Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

A molecular‐genetic understanding of diapause in spider mites: current knowledge and future directions

Biosynthesis of Astaxanthin as a Main Carotenoid in the Heterobasidiomycetous Yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

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