Optimized bacterial host strains of methylomonas sp. 16a

摘要

Methanotrophic bacterial strains are provided that have been optimized for the production of carotenoid compounds through the down-regulation of one or more of the crtN1, aid, crtN2 and crtN3 genes of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. The resulting strains lack pigmented C₃₀ carotenoid compounds, and show an increase in the production of C₄₀ carotenoids. The use of the optimized host strains for the production of the C₄₀ carotenoids canthaxanthin and astaxanthin is also described.