Lycopene biosynthesis (Zea mays)

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Maize is one of the essential staple cereal crop plant that has the ability to naturally accumulate nutritionally important carotenoids in the edible seed endosperm. The carotenoid pigments are generally C40 isoprenoids that are hydrophobic and synthesized in the plastids. Amyloplast is the kind of plastid found in seed endosperm. The final product all-trans-lycopene synthesized in the final step in this pathway is the founder precursor for carotenoid biosynthesis in plants.

 

A series of desaturation processes leads to the formation of lycopene. All trans-lycopene feeds into the carotenoid biosynthesis.