Metabolism and Function of Carotenoids and Their Derivatives Across Kingdoms

Carotenoids are widespread isoprenoid pigments, vital for photosynthetic organisms and human health. In addition, they are the precursor of retinoids, such as vitamin A, and plant growth regulators and hormones involved in almost all aspects of plant life, including growth, development, stress response and communication with biotic environment. In contrast to plants and many microorganisms, animals, including mammals, cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo. They obtain carotenoids through the diet and can accumulate, modify and convert them into retinoids and other bioactive apocarotenoids. . Considering the versatile health-promoting effects of carotenoids, their importance as antioxidants and macular pigment, and severity and persistence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in many regions in the world, increasing the content in food crops of provitamin A, mainly b-carotene, and other carotenoids by different biofortification approaches is still a major target of synthetic biology and breeding efforts. For the plants themselves, increasing carotenoid content may also help in enhancing their resilience and productivity, as it can affect photosynthesis and the levels of carotenoid-derived regulatory metabolites. The latter arise through cleavage and subsequent enzymatic reactions that resemble, in their first steps, those taking place in animals. The 2025 Carotenoid Gordon Research Conference (GRC) brings together carotenoid scientists and researchers from diverse fields, including medicine, plant science, physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, and synthetic biology, who are interested in understanding the functions of carotenoids and their derivatives across kingdoms and in elucidating and harnessing their metabolism for better health. The conference is a unique venue for communicating the latest results in the carotenoid field and for establishing collaborations between different disciplines. The conference also emphasizes giving early career scientists the opportunity to present their work. The GRC will be preceded by the 5th edition of the Gordon Research Seminar, which is entirely organized by graduate students and postdocs, and will enable them to present and discuss frontier carotenoid research.

Registration waiver competition! Abstracts submitted by November 22nd will be entered into a competition for up to $1,000 registration fee waivers/reimbursements. To be eligible, abstracts should be submitted by graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty.

Register by Nov. 30th to be considered for an oral presentation! Oral presentations will be selected from registered applicants’ abstracts submitted by November 30th.