title: Amplification of HMG-CoA reductase production enhances carotenoid accumulation in Neurospora crassa.
abstract: Neurospora crassa, a filamentous fungus, naturally produces the carotenoids lycopene and neurosporaxanthin. To increase the carbon flux through the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, the 1658-bp region of the HMG1 gene encoding the catalytic domain (cHMG1) of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was expressed in N. crassa under control of the strong, constitutive glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) promoter and the inducible alcohol dehydrogenase (alcA) promoter. Overexpressing cHMG1 under control of the GPD promoter increased lycopene and neurosporaxanthin production 6- and 1.5-fold, respectively, relative to the wild-type strain. Over-expression of cHMG1 under control of the alcA promoter increased production of lycopene and neurosporaxanthin 3- and 2-fold, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1462, USA.
authors.forename: Guang-Yi
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jay D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Keasling
mesh_terms: D002338:Carotenoids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077276:Lycopene; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C471814:neurosporaxanthin; D002338:Carotenoids; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases; D000077276:Lycopene