TABLE 1.
Bacterial strains and plasmids used in this study
| Strain or plasmid | Relevant characteristic(s) | Source or reference |
|---|---|---|
| Strains | ||
| E. coli Top 10 | F−mcrA Δ(mrr-hsdRMS-mcrBC) φ80lacZΔM15 ΔlacX74 recA1 araD139 Δ(ara-leu)7697 galU | Invitrogen |
| Pantoea agglomerans DC404 | Source of the crtE-idi-crtYIB gene cluster | 25 |
| Plasmids | ||
| pSU18 | Cmr; derived from low-copy-number plasmid pACYC | 2 |
| pSUCMW | Derived from pSU18; Cmr; contains crtW under the control of Cm promoter | This study |
| pSUKMBC | Derived from pSU18; Kmr, Cmr; contains β-carotene biosynthetic crtE-idi-crtYIB cluster under the control of Km promoter | This study |
| pSUKMZX | Derived from pSU18; Kmr, Cmr; contains zeaxanthin cluster crtZE-idi-crtYIB under the control of Km promoter | This study |
| pBAD/His | Apr; araBAD promoter (PBAD); derived from pBR322 | Invitrogen |
| pBADW | Apr; contains ketolase gene crtW under the control of PBAD in pBAD | This study |
| pBADBC | Apr; contains β-carotene biosynthetic cluster crtE-idi-crtYIB under the control of PBAD in pBAD | This study |
| pBADZX | Apr; contains zeaxanthin biosynthetic cluster crtZE-idi-crtYIB under the control of PBAD in pBAD | This study |