Carotenoid ketolase gene
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsQiong Cheng, Luan Tao
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Abstract
A ketolase gene has been isolated from Rhodococcus erythropolis AN12 strain encoding a carotenoid modification enzyme of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. The gene and gene product are the first isolated from a Rhodococcus strain. Six conserved amino acid motifs have been identified as the characteristic of this type of ketolase enzymes. The gene and gene product of the present invention may be used in a variety of ways for the production of keto-carotenoid compounds in a variety of organisms.
Claims14
A method for the production of cyclic ketocarotenoid compounds comprising:
- (a) providing a host cell which produces monocyclic or bicyclic carotenoids;
- (b) transforming the host cell of (a) with an isolated nucleic molecule encoding the carotenoid ketolase enzyme as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4 ;
- and
- (c) growing the transformed host cell of (b) under conditions whereby a cyclic ketocarotenoid is produced.
A method of regulating cyclic ketocarotenoid biosynthesis in an organism comprising,
- (a) introducing into a host cell an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding the carotenoid ketolase as set forth in SEQ ID NO:4 said isolated nucleic acid molecule under the control of suitable regulatory sequences;
- and
- (b) growing the host cell of (a) under conditions whereby the nucleic acid encoding the carotenoid ketolase is expressed and cyclic ketocarotenoid biosynthesis is regulated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.