ζ-Carotene
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ζ-Carotene (zeta-carotene) is a carotenoid. It is different from α-carotene and β-carotene because it is acyclic.[1] ζ-Carotene is similar in structure to lycopene, but has an additional 4 hydrogen atoms. ζ-carotene can be used as an intermediate in forming β-carotene.[2] A dehydrogenation reaction converts ζ-carotene into lycopene, which then can be transformed into β-carotene through the action of lycopene beta-cyclase.[3][4] ζ-Carotene is a natural product found in Lonicera japonica and Rhodospirillum rubrum.
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| IUPAC name
7,7′,8,8′-Tetrahydro-ψ,ψ-carotene | |
| Systematic IUPAC name
(6E,10E,12E,14E,16E,18E,20E,22E,26E)-2,6,10,14,19,23,27,31-Octamethyldotriaconta-2,6,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,26,30-undecaene | |
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3D model (JSmol) |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C40H60 | |
| Molar mass | 540.920 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Biosynthesis and role
ζ-carotene is formed in plants as an intermediate in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. It is produced through sequential desaturation of phytoene by phytoene desaturase and ζ-carotene desaturase enzymes ζ-Carotene occupies a key position in the pathway, serving as a precursor to lycopene, which is further converted into essential carotenoids such as β-carotene. These downstream carotenoids are vital for plant functions, including photosynthesis, photoprotection, and hormone synthesis.[5] Thus, ζ-carotene plays an important regulatory and biosynthetic role in plant metabolism.
Research and applications
Zeta-carotene has gained attention in plant biotechnology due to its role as an intermediate in carotenoid biosynthesis. Advances in synthetic biology have enabled targeted manipulation of carotenoid pathways, with zeta-carotene serving as a key point for regulating the production of downstream compounds such as lycopene and β-carotene. These strategies aim to optimize carotenoid composition in plants to enhance nutritional value, improve stress tolerance, and increase pigment content for industrial uses.[6] As such, zeta-carotene has become an important focus in efforts to engineer plant metabolism for agricultural and commercial benefits.
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