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Neurosporaxanthin Production by Neurospora and Fusarium

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Microbial Carotenoids From Fungi

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 898))

Abstract

The orange pigmentation of the ascomycete fungi Neurospora and Fusarium is mainly due to the accumulation of neurosporaxanthin, a carboxylic apocarotenoid whose possible biotechnological applications have not been investigated. From the discovery of the first enzyme of the biosynthetic pathway in 1989, the prenyltransferase AL-3, to the recent identification of an aldehyde dehydrogenase responsible for the last biosynthetic step, all the enzymes and biochemical reactions needed for neurosporaxanthin biosynthesis in these fungi are already known. Depending on the culture conditions and/or genetic background, Neurospora and Fusarium may produce large quantities of this xanthophyll and minor amounts of other carotenoids. This chapter describes methods for the growth of Neurospora crassa and Fusarium fujikuroi for improved neurosporaxanthin production, the analysis of this xanthophyll, its separation from its carotenoid precursors, and its identification and quantification.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Spanish Government (projects BIO2006-01323 and BIO2009-11131) and Junta de Andalucía (project P07-CVI-02813) for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    Javier Avalos, Alfonso Prado-Cabrero & Alejandro F. Estrada

Authors
  1. Javier Avalos
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  2. Alfonso Prado-Cabrero
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  3. Alejandro F. Estrada
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Javier Avalos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Parque Tecnológico de León, Gadea Biopharma, Boecillo 47151, Valladolid, 24009, León, Spain

    José-Luis Barredo

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Avalos, J., Prado-Cabrero, A., Estrada, A.F. (2012). Neurosporaxanthin Production by Neurospora and Fusarium . In: Barredo, JL. (eds) Microbial Carotenoids From Fungi. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 898. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-918-1_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-918-1_18

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-917-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-918-1

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