Carotenoids
Carotenoids - Related Videos
09:35
Measurement of Carotenoids in Perifovea using the Macular Pigment Reflectometer
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Cited by 15 •
2020
We present a protocol to determine the levels of overall macular pigment, lutein, and zeaxanthin optical density in the central and parafoveal regions of the retina. The protocol includes a novel adjustable track system used to measure macular pigment optical density in the foveal eccentricity.
08:28
Conversion of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters by Saponification for Uk'37 Paleothermometry
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Jeff Salacup - University of Massachusetts Amherst The product of an organic solvent extraction, a total lipid extract (TLE), is often a complex mixture of hundreds, if not thousands, of different compounds. The researcher is often only interested in a handful of compounds or, if interested in many, may need to remove unwanted constituents that are"in the way" or co-eluting. For example, the concentrations of individual compounds in a sample are often determined on a gas...
04:45
Photosynthesis - Concepts
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2019
Autotrophs Almost all living organisms on Earth depend on photosynthesis, which is the process that converts sunlight energy into a simple sugar called glucose. This molecule can be used as a short-term energy source or to build more complex carbohydrates like starches for long-term energy storage. Autotrophs are organisms that capture light energy using photosynthesis. Also known as primary producers, they provide the energy necessary to the organisms that eat them, which are known as...
01:22
Photosystem II
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2019
The multi-protein complex photosystem II (PS II) harvests photons and transfers their energy through its bound pigments to its reaction center, and ultimately to photosystem I (PSI) through the electron transport chain. The pigments responsible for caputirng the light energy in photosystems include chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids. The pigment molecules are arranged across two photosystem domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment molecules...
11:26
Water in Oil Emulsions: A New System for Assembling Water-soluble Chlorophyll-binding Proteins with Hydrophobic Pigments
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Cited by 2 •
2016
This manuscript describes a simple and high-throughput method for assembling water-soluble proteins with hydrophobic pigments that is based on water-in-oil emulsions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in the assembly of native chlorophylls with four variants of recombinant water-soluble-chlorophyll binding proteins (WSCPs) of Brassica plants expressed in E. coli.
FAQs
The conjugated double-bond system acts as the key optical component. It captures particular wavelengths, then allows carotenoids to transfer excitation energy to chlorophyll or dissipate excess energy safely. This balance supports photosynthetic function while limiting light stress, so changes in pigment structure can influence both light use and cellular protection.
Carotenoids protect cells through two related routes: controlled dissipation of excess excitation energy and quenching of reactive oxygen species. The first reduces the energy available for damaging reactions during illumination, whereas the second addresses chemically reactive molecules. Considering both mechanisms helps explain why carotenoids are important in organisms exposed to changing or intense light.
Metabolism determines whether selected carotenoids can contribute to vitamin A supply in animals and how these compounds relate to vision and cellular protection. Studying these transformations connects pigment chemistry with nutritional and physiological outcomes. It also distinguishes carotenoids that primarily function in light-related protection from those relevant as vitamin A precursors.
These processes provide complementary ways to study where carotenoids originate, how they move through biological systems, and how their functions or forms change. Examining them together can connect pigment production with plant adaptation, animal nutrition, vision, and cellular protection. This framework is useful when comparing carotenoid roles across plants, algae, fungi, microorganisms, and animals.
Examining carotenoid biosynthesis, transport, and metabolism can reveal how pigment systems relate to plant adaptation and photosynthetic protection. In leaves, flowers, and fruits, pigment patterns also provide biological context for visible coloration. Such work links molecular processes with organism-level responses to light and helps compare carotenoid functions among different plant tissues.
Carotenoid research connects several biological priorities: selected compounds can serve as vitamin A precursors, these pigments are associated with vision and cellular protection, and their biosynthesis is relevant to biotechnology. Studying the compounds across plants, animals, algae, fungi, and microorganisms helps researchers relate natural pigment diversity to nutritional, physiological, and technological questions.