Search

The salt-tolerant unicellular alga Dunaliella bardawil FACHB-847 can accumulate large amounts of lutein, but the underlying cause of massive accumulation of lutein is still unknown. In this study, genes encoding two types of carotene hydroxylases, i.e., β-carotene hydroxylase (DbBCH) and cytochrome P450 carotenoid hydroxylase (DbCYP97s; DbCYP97A, DbCYP97B, and DbCYP97C), were cloned from D. bardawil. Their substrate specificities and enzyme activities were tested through functional complementation assays in Escherichia coli. It was showed that DbBCH could catalyze the hydroxylation of the β-rings of both β- and α-carotene, and displayed a low level of e-hydroxylase. Unlike CYP97A from higher plants, DbCYP97A could not hydroxylate β-carotene. DbCYP97A and DbCYP97C showed high hydroxylase activity toward the β-ring and e-ring of α-carotene, respectively. DbCYP97B displayed minor activity toward the β-ring of α-carotene. The high accumulation of lutein in D. bardawil may be due to the multiple pathways for lutein biosynthesis generated from α-carotene with zeinoxanthin or α-cryptoxanthin as intermediates by DbBCH and DbCYP97s. Taken together, this study provides insights for understanding the underlying reason for high production of lutein in the halophilic green alga D. bardawil FACHB-847.

In this work, large-scale three-dimensional "flake-ball" microarchitectures of Eu(3+) doped white light hydroxyl sodium yttrium tungstate were prepared by the well-known hydrothermal approach at 180 degrees C for 48 h in the presence of triblock-copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (P123). NaY(WO(4))(2):Eu(3+) phosphor was formed by annealing the hydrothermal product at approximately 630 degrees C for 2 h. A time-dependent microstructure evolution study was performed under hydrothermal reaction. The evolution process is the self-assembly process of P123, and the effects of other reaction parameters, such as influence of the concentration of P123 on morphology, and the influence of temperature on PL. The mechanism by which the "flake-ball" particles are formed is discussed in detail. The PL spectra of Eu(3+)-doped hydroxyl sodium yttrium tungstate phosphor contain two parts: the broad blue-green band and the (5)D(0)--(7)F(J) (J = 1, and 2) characteristic transition of Eu(3+). This approach provides a facile route for the production of high-quality hydroxyl sodium yttrium tungstate microstructures with an interesting optical property.