Patent ID: 7074587

Claim:
A process for producing astaxanthin comprising: (a) cultivating in a suitable culture medium a recombinantly produced host cell containing a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, a polynucleotide that encodes the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 1, and a polynucleotide that hybridizes to the complement of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 3 under the following stringent hybridization conditions: 50% v/v formamide, 5Ã—SSC, 2% w/v blocking agent, 0.1% N-lauroylsarcosine, 0.3% SDS at 65Â° C. overnight and wherein the hybridizing polynucleotide encodes a polypeptide having astaxanthin synthetase activity; and (b) recovering astaxanthin from the host cell or the culture medium.