title: Biosynthesis of Carotenoids in Plants: Enzymes and Color.
abstract: Carotenoids are the most important biocolor isoprenoids responsible for yellow, orange and red colors found in nature. In plants, they are synthesized in plastids of photosynthetic and sink organs and are essential molecules for photosynthesis, photo-oxidative damage protection and phytohormone synthesis. Carotenoids also play important roles in human health and nutrition acting as vitamin A precursors and antioxidants. Biochemical and biophysical approaches in different plants models have provided significant advances in understanding the structural and functional roles of carotenoids in plants as well as the key points of regulation in their biosynthesis. To date, different plant models have been used to characterize the key genes and their regulation, which has increased the knowledge of the carotenoid metabolic pathway in plants. In this chapter a description of each step in the carotenoid synthesis pathway is presented and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. saavedra.rosas@ug.uchile.cl.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosas-Saavedra
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Vegetal, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stange
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids
keywords: Carotenoid gene characterization; Carotenoid plant models; Key enzymes; Multienzymatic complex; Synthesis regulation