3′-Hydroxyechinenone is a keto-carotenoid pigment found in cyanobacteria and microalgae.[1] Carotenoids belong to a larger class of phytochemicals known as terpenoids. The chemical formula of canthaxanthin is C40H54O2. It is found non-covalently bound in the orange carotenoid protein (OCP), which is a soluble protein involved in photoprotection and non-photochemical quenching of photosynthesis.[2]
References
- ^ Grung, Merete; Metzger, Pierre; Liaaen-jensen, Synnove (1989). "Primary and secondary carotenoids in two races of the green alga Botryococcus braunii". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 17 (4): 263–269. doi:10.1016/0305-1978(89)90001-x.
- ^ Kirilovsky, Diana; Kerfeld, Cheryl A. (2013). "The orange carotenoid protein: A blue-green light photoactive protein". Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 12 (7): 1135–43. doi:10.1039/c3pp25406b. ISSN 1474-905X. PMID 23396391.