Haloarchaeal Carotenoids: Healthy Novel Compounds from Extreme Environments

• Published in: Marine drugs Vol. 17; no. 9; p. 524
• Main Authors: Giani, Micaela, Garbayo, Inés, Vílchez, Carlos, Martínez-Espinosa, Rosa María
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 06.09.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; Animals; antioxidant; Archaea; Archaea - metabolism; Bacteria - metabolism; bacterioruberin; Bioremediation; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Biotechnology - methods; Carotenoids; Carotenoids - metabolism; Chromatography; Enzymes; Extreme Environments; haloarchaea; Humans; isoprenoid; Lipids; Metabolism; microbial blooms; Microbiological strains; Microorganisms; natural biosources; Pigmentation - physiology; Pigments; Review; Salinity; Salt; Soil; Soil water; antioxidant; carotenoids; microbial blooms; bacterioruberin; natural biosources; haloarchaea; isoprenoid
• ISSN: 1660-3397; 1660-3397
• DOI: 10.3390/md17090524

Haloarchaea are halophilic microorganisms belonging to the archaea domain that inhabit salty environments (mainly soils and water) all over the world. Most of the genera included in this group can produce carotenoids at significant concentrations (even wild-type strains). The major carotenoid produced by the cells is bacterioruberin (and its derivatives), which is only produced by this kind of microbes and few bacteria, like . Nevertheless, the understanding of carotenoid metabolism in haloarchaea, its regulation, and the roles of carotenoid derivatives in this group of extreme microorganisms remains mostly unrevealed. Besides, potential biotechnological uses of haloarchaeal pigments are poorly explored. This work summarises what it has been described so far about carotenoids from haloarchaea and their production at mid- and large-scale, paying special attention to the most recent findings on the potential uses of haloarchaeal pigments in biomedicine.