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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #318491
Title: Carotenoid metabolism in plants

Author
item NAZIA, NISAR - Australian National University
item Li, Li
item LU, SHAN - Nanjing Xiaozhuang University
item KHIN, NAY CHI - Australian National University
item POGSON, BARRY - Australian National University

Submitted to: Molecular Plant
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/11/2014
Publication Date: 12/17/2015
Citation: Nazia, N., Li, L., Lu, S., Khin, N., Pogson, B.J. 2015. Carotenoid metabolism in plants. Molecular Plant. 6:68-82.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Carotenoids are mostly C40 terpenoids, a class of hydrocarbons that participate in various biological processes in plants, such as photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, photoprotection, and development. Carotenoids also serve as precursors for two plant hormones and a diverse set of apocarotenoids. They are colorants and critical components of the human diet as antioxidants and provitamin A. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the genes and enzymes involved in carotenoid metabolism and describe recent progress in understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying carotenoid accumulation. The importance of the specific location of carotenoid enzyme metabolons and plastid types as well as of carotenoid-derived signals is discussed.