Johnson E A, Schroeder W A
University of Wisconsin, Department of Food Microbiology, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol. 1996;53:119-78. doi: 10.1007/BFb0102327.
Carotenoids occur universally in photosynthetic organisms but sporadically in nonphotosynthetic bacteria and eukaryotes. The primordial carotenogenic organisms were cyanobacteria and eubacteria that carried out anoxygenic photosynthesis. The phylogeny of carotenogenic organisms is evaluated to describe groups of organisms which could serve as sources of carotenoids. Terrestrial plants, green algae, and red algae acquired stable endosymbionts (probably cyanobacteria) and have a predictable complement of carotenoids compared to prokaryotes, other algae, and higher fungi which have a more diverse array of pigments. Although carotenoids are not synthesized by animals, they are becoming known for their important role in protecting against damage by singlet oxygen and preventing chronic diseases in humans. The growth of aquaculture during the past decade as well as the biological roles of carotenoids in human disease will increase the demand for carotenoids. Microbial synthesis offers a promising method for production of carotenoids.
类胡萝卜素普遍存在于光合生物中，但在非光合细菌和真核生物中则零星存在。最早产生类胡萝卜素的生物是进行不产氧光合作用的蓝细菌和真细菌。对产生类胡萝卜素的生物的系统发育进行评估，以描述可作为类胡萝卜素来源的生物群体。与具有更多样化色素的原核生物、其他藻类和高等真菌相比，陆生植物、绿藻和红藻获得了稳定的内共生体（可能是蓝细菌），并且具有可预测的类胡萝卜素组成。虽然动物不能合成类胡萝卜素，但它们在保护免受单线态氧损伤和预防人类慢性疾病方面的重要作用正日益为人所知。过去十年水产养殖的发展以及类胡萝卜素在人类疾病中的生物学作用将增加对类胡萝卜素的需求。微生物合成提供了一种有前景的类胡萝卜素生产方法。
