화학공학소재연구정보센터
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Vol.193, No.1, 52-64, 2021
Enhanced Production of Astaxanthin without Decrease of DHA Content inAurantiochytrium limacinumby Overexpressing Multifunctional Carotenoid Synthase Gene
Aurantiochytrium limacinumproduces both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and astaxanthin, respectively. Organisms that produce these industrially important materials more efficiently than microalgae are currently needed. In this study, we overexpressed a putative homolog ofCarS, which is involved in synthesizing the astaxanthin precursor, beta-carotene, inA. limacinumto increase carotenoid synthesis with the goal of obtaining strains that produce large amounts of both DHA and carotenoids. AlCarS transformants #1 and #18 produced significantly increased amounts of astaxanthin as assessed according to culture (up to 5.8-fold) and optical density (up to 9.3-fold). The improved astaxanthin production of these strains did not affect their DHA productivity. Additionally, theirCarSexpression levels were higher than those of the wild-type strain, suggesting thatCarSoverexpression enhanced beta-carotene production, which in turn improved astaxanthin productivity. Although cell yields were slightly decreased, these features will be valuable in health food, medical care, and animal feed fields.