Carotenoid-protein complexes play a crucial role in photosynthesis, photoreception, protection against oxidative stress, metabolism, and pigmentation. This study conducts a detailed analysis of structural data with atomic resolution for carotenoid-containing proteins. The research examines molecular features of carotenoid-binding regions and structural characteristics of bound carotenoids. The findings reveal general principles of the protein-carotenoid interface organization essential for developing new approaches to targeted modification. Additionally, a machine-learning model is created to predict carotenoid-binding activity based on the primary protein structure.
Surkov et al. (2025) studied this question.