Carotenoid Metabolism in Plants

Abstract

Carotenoids are mostly C40 terpenoids, a class of hydrocarbons that participate in various biological processes in plants, such as photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, photoprotection, and development. Carotenoids also serve as precursors for two plant hormones and a diverse set of apocarotenoids. They are colorants and critical components of the human diet as antioxidants and provitamin A. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the genes and enzymes involved in carotenoid metabolism and describe recent progress in understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying carotenoid accumulation. The importance of the specific location of carotenoid enzyme metabolons and plastid types as well as of carotenoid-derived signals is discussed.

Generality of relationships between leaf pigment contents and spectral vegetation indices in Mallorca (Spain)

“…antheraxanthin, and neoxanthin (Esteban et al 2015a, b;Nisar et al 2015). In plant chloroplasts, pigments are organized into pigment-protein complexes.…”

Bioinformatics Analysis of the Z-Carotene Desaturase Gene in Potato (Solanum Tuberosum)

“…Carotenoids, which are synthesized in various photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic organisms, including algae, plants, and some bacteria and fungi, are a class of 40-carbon hydrocarbon compounds derived from a terpenoid precursor [3][4][5]. Carotenoids represent a diverse group of pigments that contribute to the red, orange, and yellow colors of various horticultural plants, contributing to their economic value [5][6].…”

“…Carotenoids represent a diverse group of pigments that contribute to the red, orange, and yellow colors of various horticultural plants, contributing to their economic value [5][6]. Carotenoids participate in various plant physiological processes, including growth, development, and responses to multiple environmental factors.…”

“…Carotenoids participate in various plant physiological processes, including growth, development, and responses to multiple environmental factors. In green tissues, these act as accessory pigments for the assembly of photosystems and light-harvesting antenna complexes and also have photoprotective functions during photosynthesis [3,5]. In non-green tissues, these confer distinct colors to specialized plastids known as chromoplasts, which contribute to the sundry colors in plants [4,6].…”

“…ZDS is an important enzyme in carotenoid biosynthesis, catalyzing the 9,9'-di-cis-ζ-carotene into 7,9,7',9'-tetra-cis-lycopene [5]. The genes encoding the ZDS protein have been isolated in various plant species, including Arabidopsis [10], N. tabacum [11], tomato [12], and ornamental sunflower [13].…”