STARD3-like protein from golden noble scallop is a carotenoid transfer protein capable of binding various xanthophylls.

Fuente: PubMed
Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs principaux: Egorkin, Nikita A, Slonimskiy, Yury B, Dominnik, Eva E, Li, Yu, Ge, Baosheng, Sluchanko, Nikolai N
Format: Artículo científico
Langue:en
Publié: International journal of biological macromolecules 2026
Sujets:
Accès en ligne:
Tags: Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
_version_ 1868266064375185408
author Egorkin, Nikita A
Slonimskiy, Yury B
Dominnik, Eva E
Li, Yu
Ge, Baosheng
Sluchanko, Nikolai N
author_facet Egorkin, Nikita A
Slonimskiy, Yury B
Dominnik, Eva E
Li, Yu
Ge, Baosheng
Sluchanko, Nikolai N
Egorkin, Nikita A
Slonimskiy, Yury B
Dominnik, Eva E
Li, Yu
Ge, Baosheng
Sluchanko, Nikolai N
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents STARD3-like protein from golden noble scallop is a carotenoid transfer protein capable of binding various xanthophylls. Egorkin, Nikita A Slonimskiy, Yury B Dominnik, Eva E Li, Yu Ge, Baosheng Sluchanko, Nikolai N Animals Xanthophylls Pectinidae Protein Binding Carotenoids Carrier Proteins Amino Acid Sequence Models, Molecular Carotenoids are hydrophobic pigments that confer coloration in marine invertebrates, but the underlying mechanisms often remain underexplored. Here, we demonstrate that the recently discovered STARD3-like protein from the selectively bred, commercially valuable golden noble scallop Mimachlamys nobilis (MnSTARD3L) contains a bona fide water-soluble carotenoid-binding domain. Using in vitro reconstitution and expression in carotenoid-synthesizing Escherichia coli, we show that the ~25-kDa START domain of MnSTARD3L binds multiple xanthophylls, including astaxanthin, zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin, inducing ~20-nm bathochromic shifts typical of functional carotenoid-protein complexes. Remarkably, MnSTARD3L preferentially accumulates the rare oxidation products, aporhodoxanthinone and trioxoeschscholtzxanthone, even in vast zeaxanthin excess. Such selectivity was rationalized by structural modeling using modern deep learning algorithms. MnSTARD3L displays no intrinsic carotenoid oxidase activity but functions as a carotenoid transfer protein, selectively donating zeaxanthin to the silkworm homolog BmCBP and aporhodoxanthinone to the unrelated cyanobacterial protein AnaCTDH. Thus, despite its acidic isoelectric point and low sequence identity with alkaline BmCBP, MnSTARD3L is also a functional carotenoid transporter, yet with distinct ligand preferences, likely dictated by peculiarities of its lipid-binding cavity and Ω1 loop. Our findings expand the repertoire of known carotenoproteins and provide mechanistic insights into how homologous protein scaffolds adapt to perform carotenoid binding and transfer functions.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_41932487
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher International journal of biological macromolecules
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle STARD3-like protein from golden noble scallop is a carotenoid transfer protein capable of binding various xanthophylls.
Egorkin, Nikita A
Slonimskiy, Yury B
Dominnik, Eva E
Li, Yu
Ge, Baosheng
Sluchanko, Nikolai N
Animals
Xanthophylls
Pectinidae
Protein Binding
Carotenoids
Carrier Proteins
Amino Acid Sequence
Models, Molecular
STARD3-like protein from golden noble scallop is a carotenoid transfer protein capable of binding various xanthophylls. Egorkin, Nikita A Slonimskiy, Yury B Dominnik, Eva E Li, Yu Ge, Baosheng Sluchanko, Nikolai N Animals Xanthophylls Pectinidae Protein Binding Carotenoids Carrier Proteins Amino Acid Sequence Models, Molecular Carotenoids are hydrophobic pigments that confer coloration in marine invertebrates, but the underlying mechanisms often remain underexplored. Here, we demonstrate that the recently discovered STARD3-like protein from the selectively bred, commercially valuable golden noble scallop Mimachlamys nobilis (MnSTARD3L) contains a bona fide water-soluble carotenoid-binding domain. Using in vitro reconstitution and expression in carotenoid-synthesizing Escherichia coli, we show that the ~25-kDa START domain of MnSTARD3L binds multiple xanthophylls, including astaxanthin, zeaxanthin and canthaxanthin, inducing ~20-nm bathochromic shifts typical of functional carotenoid-protein complexes. Remarkably, MnSTARD3L preferentially accumulates the rare oxidation products, aporhodoxanthinone and trioxoeschscholtzxanthone, even in vast zeaxanthin excess. Such selectivity was rationalized by structural modeling using modern deep learning algorithms. MnSTARD3L displays no intrinsic carotenoid oxidase activity but functions as a carotenoid transfer protein, selectively donating zeaxanthin to the silkworm homolog BmCBP and aporhodoxanthinone to the unrelated cyanobacterial protein AnaCTDH. Thus, despite its acidic isoelectric point and low sequence identity with alkaline BmCBP, MnSTARD3L is also a functional carotenoid transporter, yet with distinct ligand preferences, likely dictated by peculiarities of its lipid-binding cavity and Ω1 loop. Our findings expand the repertoire of known carotenoproteins and provide mechanistic insights into how homologous protein scaffolds adapt to perform carotenoid binding and transfer functions.
title STARD3-like protein from golden noble scallop is a carotenoid transfer protein capable of binding various xanthophylls.
topic Animals
Xanthophylls
Pectinidae
Protein Binding
Carotenoids
Carrier Proteins
Amino Acid Sequence
Models, Molecular
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41932487/