Distribution of the Water-Soluble Astaxanthin Binding Carotenoprotein (Astap) in Scenedesmaceae
marine drugs Article Distribution of the Water-Soluble Astaxanthin Binding Carotenoprotein (AstaP) in Scenedesmaceae Hiroki Toyoshima 1, Ami Miyata 1, Risako Yoshida 1, Taichiro Ishige 2, Shinichi Takaichi 3 and Shinji Kawasaki 1,3,* 1 Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan; hiroki.toyoshima91@gmail.com (H.T.); e-perfect7-x.hbk@i.softbank.jp (A.M.); lisakoyosida@icloud.com (R.Y.) 2 NODAI Genome Research Centre, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan; t3ishige@nodai.ac.jp 3 Department of Molecular Microbiology, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan; st206165@nodai.ac.jp * Correspondence: kawashin@nodai.ac.jp; Tel.: +81-3-5477-2764 Abstract: Photooxidative stress-inducible water-soluble astaxanthin-binding proteins, designated as AstaP,were identified in two Scenedesmaceae strains, Coelastrella astaxanthina Ki-4 and Scenedesmus obtusus Oki-4N; both strains were isolated under high light conditions. These AstaPs are classified as a novel family of carotenoprotein and are useful for providing valuable astaxanthin in water-soluble form; however, the distribution of AstaP orthologs in other microalgae remains unknown. Here, we exam- ined the distribution of AstaP orthologs in the family Scenedesmaceae with two model microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella variabilis. The expression of AstaP orthologs under photooxida- Citation: Toyoshima, H.; Miyata, A.; tive stress conditions was detected in cell extracts of Scenedesmaceae strains, but not in model algal Yoshida, R.; Ishige, T.; Takaichi, S.; strains. Aqueous orange proteins produced by Scenedesmaceae strains were shown to bind astaxanthin.
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