Chapter 5
Carotenoid Overproduction
in Microalgae: Biochemical and Genetic
Engineering
Matteo Scarsini, Justine Marchand, and Benoît Schoefs
Abstract Carotenoids are one the most frequently coloured molecules encountered in our environment. Beside their colouring effect, carotenoids are famous for
their photoprotection and antioxidant properties. Because carotenoids conserve their
properties in vitro, the interest for these natural molecules increased. To satisfy
the growing demand for carotenoids, new sources are searched and microalgae
emerged as organisms with a very high potential. Using the most recent publications, we established that the production of carotenoids by microalgae is a
tailor-made process requiring the proper biological and environmental factors. The
optimization of the biotechnological processes aiming at producing carotenoids
from microalgae requires a deeper knowledge in the regulation of the carotenoid
biosynthetic pathways, that might be used to engineer microalgal strains.
Keywords Bioactive molecules · Biotechnology · Microalgae · Molecular
biotechnology · Stress
5.1 Introduction
Carotenoids are together with chlorophylls the most frequently coloured molecules
found in our environment. Carotenoids are yellow to red coloured molecules famous
for their in vivo light-harvesting ability, photoprotection, protein stabilization and
antioxidant roles in the photosynthetic process. The latter activity is crucial because
the aerobic metabolism, typical of eukaryotic cells, continuously generates reactive
oxygen species (ROS) that can cause cellular damages. Large quantities of ROS
M. Scarsini · J. Marchand · B. Schoefs (B)
Metabolism, Bioengineering of Microalgal Molecules and Applications,
Mer Molécules Santé, Le Mans University, IUML – FR 3473 CNRS, Le Mans, France
e-mail: benoit.schoefs@univ-lemans.fr
M. Scarsini
e-mail: matteo.scarsini@gmail.com
J. Marchand
e-mail: justine.marchand@univ-lemans.fr
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
E. Jacob-Lopes et al. (eds.), Pigments from Microalgae Handbook,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50971-2_5
81
Carotenoid Overproduction
in Microalgae: Biochemical and Genetic
Engineering
Matteo Scarsini, Justine Marchand, and Benoît Schoefs
Abstract Carotenoids are one the most frequently coloured molecules encountered in our environment. Beside their colouring effect, carotenoids are famous for
their photoprotection and antioxidant properties. Because carotenoids conserve their
properties in vitro, the interest for these natural molecules increased. To satisfy
the growing demand for carotenoids, new sources are searched and microalgae
emerged as organisms with a very high potential. Using the most recent publications, we established that the production of carotenoids by microalgae is a
tailor-made process requiring the proper biological and environmental factors. The
optimization of the biotechnological processes aiming at producing carotenoids
from microalgae requires a deeper knowledge in the regulation of the carotenoid
biosynthetic pathways, that might be used to engineer microalgal strains.
Keywords Bioactive molecules · Biotechnology · Microalgae · Molecular
biotechnology · Stress
5.1 Introduction
Carotenoids are together with chlorophylls the most frequently coloured molecules
found in our environment. Carotenoids are yellow to red coloured molecules famous
for their in vivo light-harvesting ability, photoprotection, protein stabilization and
antioxidant roles in the photosynthetic process. The latter activity is crucial because
the aerobic metabolism, typical of eukaryotic cells, continuously generates reactive
oxygen species (ROS) that can cause cellular damages. Large quantities of ROS
M. Scarsini · J. Marchand · B. Schoefs (B)
Metabolism, Bioengineering of Microalgal Molecules and Applications,
Mer Molécules Santé, Le Mans University, IUML – FR 3473 CNRS, Le Mans, France
e-mail: benoit.schoefs@univ-lemans.fr
M. Scarsini
e-mail: matteo.scarsini@gmail.com
J. Marchand
e-mail: justine.marchand@univ-lemans.fr
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
E. Jacob-Lopes et al. (eds.), Pigments from Microalgae Handbook,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50971-2_5
81