Clonación del gen crtI, procedente de Rhodotorula mucilaginosa EA-BIO010 en cepas de Escherichia coli TOP10, mediante técnicas de ingeniería genética

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species are unstable molecules that contain oxygen and react easily with other molecules in the cell where they cause damage to lipid molecules, proteins and DNA. To combat them, antioxidants such as beta-carotene have been identified, produced by organisms such as Blakeslea trispora, Dunalliela salina, Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, among others. However, beta-carotene is produced in low amounts compared to other antioxidants by yeast strains such as R. mucilaginosa. It should be noted that many of the methodologies used today for the extraction of antioxidants from plants or microorganisms are inefficient, expensive and environmentally unsustainable. Yeasts of the genus Rhodotorula then become promising candidates for beta-carotene production, since it has been shown that their beta-carotene producing cluster can be expressed heterologously in other organisms to optimize its production. Therefore, this project aimed to establish the first stage of the methodology for the heterologous production of the biosynthetic cluster of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa EA-BIO010 in E. coli TOP10 strains, starting with the cloning of the crtl gene. This new recombinant micro-organism could be used in the future for the sustainable and efficient production of beta-carotenes and contribute to the creation of biological processes for the production of antioxidants for industrial use.