AUTHOR=Shi Zhihui , He Xiaoxian , Zhang Hailiang , Guo Xuena , Cheng Yanfei , Liu Xuelian , Wang Zhaoyue , He Xiuping TITLE=Whole Genome Sequencing and RNA-seq-Driven Discovery of New Targets That Affect Carotenoid Synthesis in Phaffia rhodozyma JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.837894 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.837894 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=

Carotenoids are unsaturated compounds with terpene groups. Among them, astaxanthin has strong antioxidant properties. It is widely used in aquaculture, food, medicine, and cosmetics with a broad market prospect. Phaffia rhodozyma is an important microorganism that synthesizes astaxanthin, but its wild strains have low pigment content, long growth cycle, and low fermentation temperature. Therefore, it is important to research the genetic improvement of the physiological and biochemical properties of P. rhodozyma. In this study, the atmospheric and room temperature plasma mutagenesis technology was adopted, through the functional evolution of the carotenoid production performance; then, through the comparative analysis of the genomics and transcriptomics of the wild strain and evolved strain, the key factor GST1 gene that affects carotenoid synthesis was discovered.