Biotransformation of carotenoids to retinal by carotenoid 15,15'-oxygenase.
Retinal, a precursor of vitamin A, has been used in foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and animal feed additives. Carotenoid 15,15'-oxygenases, including β-carotene 15,15'-oxygenases from mammalians, chickens, fruit flies, zebrafishes, the uncultured marine bacterium, and the fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, and apo-carotenoid 15,15'-oxygenases from cyanobacteria produce retinal from carotenoids. In this article, the biochemical properties, reaction mechanism, and substrate specificity of carotenoid oxygenases are reviewed, along with a description of the enzymatic biotransformation of carotenoids to retinal. Retinal producing methods using metabolically engineered cells and uncharacterized proteins are suggested.
Kim
Yeong-Su
YS
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea.
Oh
Deok-Kun
DK
D000818:Animals; D001711:Biotransformation; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D005670:Fusarium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012172:Retinaldehyde / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000378:metabolism; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D019207:beta Carotene; D014801:Vitamin A; D010105:Oxygenases; C500451:carotenoid oxygenase; D012172:Retinaldehyde