Molecular genetics of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants and algae

During recent years genes for more than 20 different carotenogenic enzymes have been cloned from various organisms: bacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, algae and plants. This accomplishment has provided new molecular tools to study the enzymes and yielded new information on their structure, function and regulation. We describe here the recent progress in the molecular genetics of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in plants. To date, the genes for almost all the enzymes, from the early steps of the isoprenoid pathway to the predominant xanthophylls, have been cloned. Their characterization had an immense impact on our understanding of carotenoid biosynthesis at the molecular level.