Production of new carotenoids, astaxanthin glucosides, by Escherichia colitransformants carrying carotenoid biosynthesis genes

For the purpose of production of astaxanthin glucosides, which is expected to be useful polar carotenoids, construction of plasmids having seven carotenoid biosynthetic genes and expression in transformed E. coliwere carried out through the approach of metabolic engineering. From two transformed E. colistrains, two new carotenoid glucoside, astaxanthin β-D-diglucoside ( 1) and adonixanthin 3′-β-D-glucoside ( 2), and known astaxanthin glucoside ( 3) were isolated. These structures were determined by spectral means.