title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: Nazia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nisar
authors.affiliation: US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Robert W. Holley Centre for Agriculture and Health, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 2100923, China.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: Nay Chi
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Khin
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Electronic address: barry.pogson@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Pogson
mesh_terms: D002338:Carotenoids / Q000378:metabolism*; D045782:Hemiterpenes / Q000378:metabolism; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D018087:Plastids / Q000378:metabolism*; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D045782:Hemiterpenes; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D024341:Xanthophylls; C004809:isopentenyl pyrophosphate; D002338:Carotenoids
keywords: carotenoid biosynthesis; degradation; development; plastids; sequestration; signaling