NCED1 — Daucus carota subsp. sativus

Summary

DCAR_013799, the carrot NCED1 gene on chromosome 4, encodes a protein with carotenoid dioxygenase activity and 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase activity, and metal binding, placing it in the carotenoid oxygenase family. The gene is associated with abscisic acid biosynthesis and signaling, carotene breakdown, and the anabolism of beta-carotene, lycopene, xanthophyll, and carotenoids. It is linked to root color, carotene content, and carotenoid content, as well as responses to abscisic acid, auxin, gibberellin, salicylate, salinity, and thirst. The product localizes to the chloroplast thylakoid membrane and stroma. Studies of related genes in other species link the NCED1 family to drought tolerance, tuber dormancy, and resistance to late blight in potato, and to traits including leaf relative water content, root number, fruit firmness, and plant height.