ME: Interagency Announcement of Opportunities in Metabolic Engineering: Laboratory Evolution of Carotenoid Biosynthetic Pathways

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The objective of the proposed research is to determine how carotenoid biosynthesis can be evolved to increase the variety of carotenoid structures that can be synthesized. This research will proceed at two levels. Individual biosynthetic enzymes are to be subjected to sequential rounds of mutagenesis and recombination. Carefully designed screens will detect altered biosynthetic function. Carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes with altered functions will then be combined to create new pathways. By correlating amino acid changes with changes in biosynthetic function, insights can be gleaned into how biosynthetic function may be further altered as well as how nature may evolve pathway function. Also, this research could provide the requisite understanding to approach modifications of more difficult or complex pathways.