Hydroxy-3,4-dehydro-apo-8′-lycopene and methyl hydroxy-3,4-dehydro-apo-8′-lycopenoate, novel C30 carotenoids produced by a mutant of marine bacterium Halobacillus halophilus

We performed the chemical mutagenesis of Halobacillus halophilus (the producer of a C-30 carotenoid, methyl glucosyl-3,4-dehydro-apo-8'-lycopenoate) to isolate novel carotenoids that are biosynthetic intermediates of methyl glucosyl-3,4-dehydro-apo-8'-lycopenoate. As a result, we isolated two novel C-30 carotenoids, hydroxy-3,4-dehydro-apo-8'-lycopene and methyl hydroxy-3,4-dehydro-apo-8'-lycopenoate, which were biosynthesized through a novel 8'-apo C-30 pathway. These carotenoids showed antioxidative activity in the O-1(2) suppression model. The Journal of Antibiotics (2010) 63, 291-295; doi:10.1038/ja.2010.33; published online 23 April 2010