Daucus carota DcPSY2 and DcLCYB1 as Tools for Carotenoid Metabolic Engineering to Improve the Nutritional Value of Fruits.

ABSTRACT: Carotenoids are pigments with important nutritional value in the human diet. As antioxidant molecules, they act as scavengers of free radicals enhancing immunity and preventing cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, α-carotene and β-carotene, the main carotenoids of carrots (Daucus carota) are precursors of vitamin A, whose deficiency in the diet can trigger night blindness and macular degeneration. With the aim of increasing the carotenoid content in fruit flesh, three key genes of the carotenoid pathway, phytoene synthase (DcPSY2) and lycopene cyclase (DcLCYB1) from carrots, and carotene desaturase (XdCrtI) from the yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, were optimized for expression in apple and cloned under the Solanum chilense (tomatillo)

SUBMITTER: Arias D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8427143 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature