Carotenoid pigmentation in birds’ plumage is considered an honest indicator of phenotypic quality, and thus a target of sexual selection. But carotenoids also fulfill essential physiological functions, and therefore, carotenoids should only appear in plumage if they are in excess of those needed physiologically. We explored the presence of carotenoid-based plumage coloration in columbids and it...

The quantification of skin carotenoid levels has a range of applications in Caucasian populations, from serving as a versatile and noninvasive biomarker (e.g., of systemic carotenoid levels, carotenoid consumption, the antioxidative capacity of skin, and oxidative stress) to being used in appearance-based interventions. Yet, no study has investigated the quantitative effect of carotenoid supple...

A combination of structural and pigmentary components is responsible for many of the colour displays of animals. Despite the ubiquity of this type of coloration, neither the relative contribution of structures and pigments to variation in such colour displays nor the relative effects of extrinsic factors on the structural and pigment-based components of such colour has been determined. Understa...

Enhancement of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in food crops benefits human health and adds commercial value of natural food colorants. However, predictable metabolic engineering or breeding is limited by the incomplete understanding of endogenous pathway regulation, including rate-controlling steps and timing of expression in carotenogenic tissues. The grass family (Poaceae) contains major...

The microalgae, Dunaliella salina was isolated from Maharlu Salt Lake, south east of Shiraz, Iran. The isolated strain was identified by both morphological and physiological markers. The complete ITS region (ITS1 + ITS2) including the 5.8S rDNA gene used as molecular marker confirmed our identification. Growth and cell proliferation, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were determined in ...

29 Maize was genetically engineered for the biosynthesis of the high value carotenoid 30 astaxanthin in the kernel endosperm. Introduction of a -carotene hydroxylase and a 31 carotene ketolase into a white maize genetic background extended the carotenoid pathway to 32 astaxanthin. Simultaneously, phytoene synthase, the controlling enzyme of carotenogenesis, 33 was over-expressed for enhanced ...

A fractional factorial design 2(5-1) was used to evaluate the effect of temperature, pH, and concentrations of yeast extract, tryptone and Nitsch's trace elements on the biomass, total carotenoids and protection against singlet oxygen by carotenoid extracts of the bacterium Thermus filiformis. In addition, the carotenoid composition was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography conne...