The promoter of phytoene synthase, the first specific enzyme of carotenoid biosynthesis, shows two main regulatory regions: a G-box-containing region located near the TATA box, and a TATA box distal region containing the cis-acting element ATCTA, which mediates strong basal promoter activity. This second element was also present in the promoter of phytoene desaturase, the next step of the carot...

Lycopene biosynthesis in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits has been proposed to proceed through a poly-cis pathway catalyzed by phytoene synthase (PSY), two desaturases (phytoene desaturase [PDS] and ζ-carotene desaturase [ZDS]), and two cis-trans isomerases (ζ-carotene isomerase [ZISO] and prolycopene isomerase [CrtISO]). The mechanism of action of these enzymes has been studied in Escheric...

In addition to acting as photoprotective compounds, carotenoids also serve as precursors in the biosynthesis of several phytohormones and proposed regulatory signals. Here, we report a signaling process derived from carotenoids that regulates early chloroplast and leaf development. Biosynthesis of the signal depends on ζ-carotene desaturase activity encoded by the ζ-CAROTENE DESATURASE (ZDS)/CH...

CoQ10 and lycopene are isoprenoid compounds with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical benefits. In this study, the effect of concomitant lycopene biosynthesis on CoQ10 accumulation in transformed Escherichia coli DH5α was studied. A lycopene production pathway including geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (crtE), phytoene synthase (crtB), and phytoene desaturase (crtI) from Erwinia herbicola was co...

The 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway leads to the synthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate in plastids. It is a major branch point providing precursors for the synthesis of carotenoids, tocopherols, plastoquinone and the phytyl chain of chlorophylls, as well as the hormones abscisic acid and gibberellins. Consequently, disruption of this pathway is harmful to plants. We developed a...

The relationship between carotenoid accumulation and the expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes during fruit maturation was investigated in three citrus varieties, Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.), Valencia orange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck), and Lisbon lemon (Citrus limon Burm.f.). We cloned the cDNAs for phytoene synthase (CitPSY), phytoene desaturase (CitPDS), zeta-carotene (car) des...

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a powerful tool for reverse genetics in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the irregular distribution of the effects of VIGS hampers the identification and quantification of nonvisual phenotypes. To overcome this limitation, a visually traceable VIGS system was developed for fruit, comprising two elements: (1) a transgenic tomato line (Del/Ros1) expre...