摘要 |
Two sequences of a nucleic acid isolated from a cDNA library of the flowering plant Adonis aestivalis is disclosed (SEQ ID NO: 5). The first DNA sequence, referred to as AdKC28, encodes for a polypeptide (SEQ ID NO: 6) that acts in conjunction with polypeptides encoded by either one of two other closely-related Adonis aestivalis cDNAs, AdKeto1 (SEQ ID NO: 1) and AdKeto2 (SEQ ID NO: 2), to convert beta-carotene (beta,beta-carotene) into astaxanthin (3,3'-dihydroxy-4,4'-diketo-beta, beta-carotene). A second DNA sequence, referred to as AdKCl 7 is also disclosed (FIG. 9). Together, these Adonis aestivalis cDNAs, when operably linked to promoters appropriate to the transgenic host, enable the production of astaxanthin and other carotenoids with 3-hydroxy-4-keto-beta-rings in a variety of host cells and organisms.
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