MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF CAROTENOID BIOSYNTHESIS

类胡萝卜素是维生素A(视力所必需的)的前体，是 对动植物细胞的光保护至关重要。类胡萝卜素 生物合成途径在植物中是一种受调控的途径，但我们还没有 关于特定基因的表达或调控的信息(调控 或生物合成的)与该途径相关。考虑到类胡萝卜素 在光保护和能量传递方面发挥着重要作用，它是 迫切需要探索类胡萝卜素生物合成的分子基础和 它的规定。此外，由于这条路径必须包含许多 调控机制，对我们理解基因有很大贡献 表达、基因调控和信号转导是不存在的。我们 提出分离和鉴定在玉米中表达的基因 回答有关类胡萝卜素生物合成调控的问题 高等植物。这项研究的一个重要成果将是 未来将类胡萝卜素基因转化为植物的可能性， 例如大米，在营养上受到类胡萝卜素的限制(在 维生素A的合成和癌症预防)。

Carotenoids are the precursors of Vitamin A (required for vision) and are vital in photoprotection of animal and plant cells. The carotenoid biosynthetic pathway is a regulated pathway in plants, yet we have no information on the expression or regulation of specific genes (regulatory or biosynthetic) associated with the pathway. Considering that carotenoids play a significant role in photoprotection and energy transfer, it is compelling to explore the molecular basis of carotenoid biosynthesis and its regulation. Moreover, since this pathway must incorporate numerous regulatory mechanisms, a large contribution to our understanding of gene expression, gene regulation, and signal transduction, is nonexistent. We propose to isolate and characterize genes expressed in maize to begin answering questions regarding regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in higher plants. An important outgrowth of this research will be the potential for future genetic engineering of carotenoid genes into plants, such as rice, which are nutritionally limited in carotenoids (essential in synthesis of vitamin A and in cancer prevention).