A novel carotenoid 1,2-hydratase (CruF) from two species of the non-photosynthetic bacterium Deinococcus.

A novel carotenoid 1,2-hydratase (CruF) responsible for the C-1′,2′ hydration of γ-carotene was identified in the non-photosynthetic bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans R1 and Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11300. Gene expression and disruption experiments demonstrated that dr0091 and dgeo2309 encode CruF in D. radiodurans and D. geothermalis, respectively. Their homologues were also found in the genomes of cyanobacteria, and exhibited little homology to the hydroxyneurosporene synthase (CrtC) proteins found mainly in photosynthetic bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CruF homologues form a separate family, which is evolutionarily distant from the known CrtC family.