This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sedkova, N.
Right arrow Articles by Cheng, Q.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sedkova, N.
Right arrow Articles by Cheng, Q.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Sedkova, N.
Right arrow Articles by Cheng, Q.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2005, p. 8141-8146, Vol. 71, No. 12
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.8141-8146.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity of Carotenoid Synthesis Gene Clusters from Environmental Enterobacteriaceae Strains

Natalia Sedkova, Luan Tao, Pierre E. Rouvière, and Qiong Cheng*

Biological and Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Central Research and Development, E. I. DuPont de Nemours Inc., Wilmington, Delaware 19880-0328

Received 14 June 2005/ Accepted 28 July 2005

Eight Enterobacteriaceae strains that produce zeaxanthin and derivatives of this compound were isolated from a variety of environmental samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these strains grouped with different clusters of Erwinia type strains. Four strains representing the phylogenetic diversity were chosen for further characterization, which revealed their genetic diversity as well as their biochemical diversity. The carotenoid synthesis gene clusters cloned from the four strains had three different gene organizations. Two of the gene clusters, those from strains DC416 and DC260, had the classical organization crtEXYIBZ; the gene cluster from DC413 had the rare organization crtE-idi-XYIBZ; and the gene cluster from DC404 had the unique organization crtE-idi-YIBZ. Besides the diversity in genetic organization, these genes also exhibited considerable sequence diversity. On average, they exhibited 60 to 70% identity with each other, as well as with the corresponding genes of the Pantoea type strains. The four different clusters were individually expressed in Escherichia coli, and the two idi-containing clusters gave more than fivefold-higher carotenoid titers than the two clusters lacking idi. Expression of the crtEYIB genes with and without idi confirmed the effect of increasing carotenoid titer by the type II idi gene linked with the carotenoid synthesis gene clusters.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: E. I. DuPont de Nemours Inc., Experimental Station, E328/B48, Wilmington, DE 19880-0328. Phone: (302) 695-9952. Fax: (302) 695-1829. E-mail: qiong.cheng{at}usa.dupont.com.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2005, p. 8141-8146, Vol. 71, No. 12
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.8141-8146.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Sharpe, P. L., DiCosimo, D., Bosak, M. D., Knoke, K., Tao, L., Cheng, Q., Ye, R. W. (2007). Use of Transposon Promoter-Probe Vectors in the Metabolic Engineering of the Obligate Methanotroph Methylomonas sp. Strain 16a for Enhanced C40 Carotenoid Synthesis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1721-1728 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ye, R. W., Stead, K. J., Yao, H., He, H. (2006). Mutational and Functional Analysis of the {beta}-Carotene Ketolase Involved in the Production of Canthaxanthin and Astaxanthin. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 5829-5837 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»