Enhanced Production of Astaxanthin by Archaea Chaperonin in Escherichia coli

The aim of this study is to increase production of carotenoids in recombinant Escherichia coli by Archaea chaperonin. The carotenoids are a widely distributed class of structurally and functionally di-verse yellow, orange, and red natural pigments. These pigments are synthesized in bacteria, algae, fungi, and plants, and have been widely used as a feed supplement from poultry rearing to aqua-culture. Carotenoids also exhibit diverse biological properties, such as strong antioxidant and anti-tumor activities, and enhancement of immune responses. In the microbial world, carotenoids are pres-ent in both anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and algae and in many fungi. We have previously reported cloning and functional analysis of the carotenoid biosynthesis genes from Paracoccus haeundaensis. The carotenogenic gene cluster involved in astaxanthin production contained seven carotenogenic genes (crtE, crtB, crtI, crtY, crtZ, crtW and crtX genes) and recombinant Escherichia coli harboring seven carotenogenic genes from Paracoccus haeundaensis produced 400