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=13

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=<p>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. <italic>Phaffia rhodozyma</italic> 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 <italic>P. rhodozyma</italic>. 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 <italic>GST1</italic> gene that affects carotenoid synthesis was discovered.</p>