Difference between revisions of "Part:BBa K1604021"

Revision as of 15:48, 1 September 2015

J23100 + β-carotene 15,15’-dioxygenase (blh gene)

blh encodes for β-carotene 15,15’-dioxygenase, that cleaves β-carotene into retinal

Usage and Biology

β-carotene 15,15’-dioxygenase is involved in retinal biosynthesis and catalizes the last step of the pathway by cleaving one molecule of β-carotene into two molecules of retinal. Blh is the gene that encodes for this enzyme, and was first isolated in the uncultured bacteria SAR86 (ref). Blh is present in other organisms (i.e. cyanobacteria and algae) however enzymes involved in the cleavage of carotene that involve different mechanisms are found in many other organisms.

The enzyme requires oxygen for the cleavage of β-carotene, which was demonstrated to be provided by water (ref). This data are consistent with the fact the bacteria lives in deep marine waters. It requires Fe2+ that is coordinated by 4 His residues that are highly conserved.

This device is composed of a constitutive promoter a strong RBS and blh. It was characterized by the Unitn Trento 2015 team in the composite part BBa_K1604022 which contains the enzymes necessary for β-carotene biosynthesis.

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Sequence and Features