Carotenoids are a family of yellow to orange-red terpenoid pigments synthesized by photosynthetic organisms and many bacteria and fungi. They have beneficial health effects protecting against oxidative damage and may be responsible for the colours associated with plants and animals. In Microbial Carotenoids from Bacteria and Microalgae: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the most up-to-date methods which are now commonly used to study carotenoids. These include methods for the study of canthaxanthin production, construction of carotenoid reporter systems, directed evolution of carotenoid synthases, and improvement of b-carotene hydroxylase catalytic activity are described.
Additionally, Microbial Carotenoids from Bacteria and Microalgae: Methods and Protocols includes methods of DNA fingerprinting for the identification of carotenogenic Dunaliella species, ketocarotenoid biosynthesis in microalgae expressing the beta-C-4-carotene oxygenase gene, characterization of carotenogenesis genes in Anabaena sp., obtaining lutein from microalgal biomass, NMR-based isotopologue profiling of microbial carotenoids, and analysis of diapocarotenoids.
Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Microbial Carotenoids from Bacteria and Microalgae: Methods and Protocols provides practical experimental laboratory procedures for a wide range of carotenoids producing microorganisms.
1. Pathways of Carotenoids Biosynthesis in Bacteria and Microalgae J. Paniagua-Michel, Jorge Olmos-Soto, Manuel Acosta Ruiz
2. Selection and Taxonomic Identification of Carotenoids Producing Marine Actinomycetes Francisco Romero, Rosa Isabel Fernandez-Chimeno, Juan Luis de la Fuente, and Jose Luis Barredo
3. Isolation, Characterization and Diversity of Novel Radio-tolerant Carotenoids-producing Bacteria Dalal Asker, Tarek S Awad, Teruhiko Beppu, and Kenji Ueda
4. A Novel Radio-tolerant Astaxanthin Producing Bacterium Reveals a New Astaxanthin Derivative: Astaxanthin Dirhamnoside Dalal Asker, Tarek S Awad, Teruhiko Beppu, and Kenji Ueda
5. Novel Zeaxanthin Producing Bacteria Isolated from a Radioactive Hot Spring Water Dalal Asker, Tarek S Awad, Teruhiko Beppu, and Kenji Ueda
6. Novel Approach in the Biosynthesis of Functional Carotenoids in Escherichia coli Hisashi Harada and Norihiko Misawa
7. Engineering Escherichia coli for Canthaxanthin and Astaxanthin Biosynthesis Qiong Cheng, and Luan Tao
8. Analysis of Canthaxanthin Production by Gordonia jacobaea Patricia Veiga-Crespo, Teresa Vinuesa, Miquel Vinas, and Tomas G. Villa
9. Isolation and Light-stimulated Expression of Canthaxanthin and Spirilloxathin Biosynthesis Genes from the Photosynthetic Bacterium Bradyrhizobium sp. Strain ORS278 Eric Giraud, and Andre Vermeglio
10. Construction of Carotenoid Biosynthetic Pathways Through Chromosomal Integration in Methane-Utilizing Bacterium Methylomonas sp. Strain 16a Rick W. Ye and Kristen Kelly
11. Genetic Modification in Bacillus subtilis for Production of C30 Carotenoids Isamu Maeda
12. Carotenoids Production from Halophilic Bacteria Maria de Lourdes Moreno, Cristina Sanchez-Porro, Maria Teresa Garcia and Encarnacion Mellado
13. Construction and Utilization of Carotenoid Reporter Systems: Identification of Chromosomal Integration Sites that Support Suitable Expression of Biosynthetic Genes and Pathways Pamela L. Sharpe and Deana J. DiCosimo
14. Directed Evolution of Carotenoid Synthases for the Production of Unnatural Carotenoids Maiko Furubayashi and Daisuke Umeno
15. A High Throughput Screen for the Identification of Improved Catalytic activity: b-carotene Hydroxylase Mark A. Scaife, Cynthia A. Ma, Phillip C. Wright, and Roberto E. Armenta
16. DNA Fingerprinting Intron-sizing Method to Accomplish a Specific, Rapid and Sensitive Identification of Carotenogenic Dunaliella Species Jorge Olmos, J. Paniagua-Michel, Rosalia Contreras and Leonel Ochoa
17. Ketocarotenoid Biosynthesis in Transgenic Microalgae Expressing a Foreign beta-C-4-carotene Oxygenase Gene Marta Vila, Aurora Galvan, Emilio Fernandez, Rosa Leon
18. Characterization of Carotenogenesis Genes in the Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 Hajime Masukawa, Mari Mochimaru, and Shinichi Takaichi
19. Obtaining Lutein Rich Extract from Microalgal Biomass at Preparative Scale Jose M. Fernandez-Sevilla, F. Gabriel Acien Fernandez and Emilio Molina Grima
20. NMR-based Isotopologue Profiling of Microbial Carotenoids Eva Eylert, Adelbert Bacher and Wolfgang Eisenreich
21. Analysis of Diapocarotenoids Found in Pigmented Bacillus Species Laura Perez-Fons, and Paul D. Fraser