4-Oxo-β-apo-13-carotenone from the Cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica PCC 7122

Apocarotenoids are widely distributed among living organisms (bacteria, fungi, algae, plants and even animals) and have been associated with several signaling functions. These compounds are generated by the activity of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs), whose diversity greatly contributes to the large number of apocarotenoids that have been described so far. It is nevertheless expected that a considerable diversity of these molecules is yet to be discovered. In this work, we describe the isolation and structural elucidation of the apocarotenoid 4-oxo-β-apo-13-carotenone from the cultured freshwater cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica PCC 7122, corresponding to the first report of this compound from natural sources. © 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland We thank CEMUP for NMR and MS analyses. This work was supported by R&D&I INNOVMAR - Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources (reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, Research Line NOVELMAR), funded by the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by Funda©cão para a Ciência e a Tecnolo-gia, through grant IF/01358/2014 to PNL.