Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for animals. The term "vitamin A" encompasses a group of chemically related organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, and several provitamin (precursor) carotenoids, most notably beta-carotene. Vitamin A has multiple functions: it is essential for embryo development and growth, for maintenance of the immune system, and for vision, where it combines with the protein opsin to form rhodopsin – the light-absorbing molecule necessary for both low-light and color vision.
Carotenoids are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, corn, tomatoes, canaries, flamingos, salmon, lobster, shrimp, and daffodils. Over 1,100 identified carotenoids can be further categorized into two classes – xanthophylls and carotenes.
β-Carotene (beta-carotene) is an organic, strongly coloured red-orange pigment abundant in fungi, plants, and fruits. It is a member of the carotenes, which are terpenoids (isoprenoids), synthesized biochemically from eight isoprene units and thus having 40 carbons. Among the carotenes, β-carotene is distinguished by having beta-rings at both ends of the molecule. β-Carotene is biosynthesized from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate.
Retinal is a polyene chromophore. Retinal, bound to proteins called opsins, is the chemical basis of visual phototransduction, the light-detection stage of visual perception (vision).
Carotenoid oxygenases are a family of enzymes involved in the cleavage of carotenoids to produce, for example, retinol, commonly known as vitamin A. This family includes an enzyme known as RPE65 which is abundantly expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium where it catalyzed the formation of 11-cis-retinol from all-trans-retinyl esters.
4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), also known as α-ketoisocaproate dioxygenase, is an Fe(II)-containing non-heme oxygenase that catalyzes the second reaction in the catabolism of tyrosine - the conversion of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate into homogentisate. HPPD also catalyzes the conversion of phenylpyruvate to 2-hydroxyphenylacetate and the conversion of α-ketoisocaproate to β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate. HPPD is an enzyme that is found in nearly all aerobic forms of life.
In enzymology, beta-carotene 15,15'-dioxygenase, (EC 1.13.11.63) is an enzyme with systematic name beta-carotene:oxygen 15,15'-dioxygenase (bond-cleaving). In human it is encoded by the BCDO2 gene. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
In enzymology, a leucocyanidin oxygenase (EC 1.14.11.19) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
Apo-beta-carotenoid-14',13'-dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.67 is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction
15-cis-phytoene desaturases, are enzymes involved in the carotenoid biosynthesis in plants and cyanobacteria. Phytoene desaturases are membrane-bound enzymes localized in plastids and introduce two double bonds into their colorless substrate phytoene by dehydrogenation and isomerize two additional double bonds. This reaction starts a biochemical pathway involving three further enzymes called the poly-cis pathway and leads to the red colored lycopene. The homologous phytoene desaturase found in bacteria and fungi (CrtI) converts phytoene directly to lycopene by an all-trans pathway.
9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.51, nine-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, NCED, AtNCED3, PvNCED1, VP14) is an enzyme in the biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA), with systematic name 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid 11,12-dioxygenase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
8'-apo-beta-carotenoid 14',13'-cleaving dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.67) is an enzyme with systematic name 8'-apo-beta-carotenol:O2 oxidoreductase (14',13'-cleaving). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Carlactone synthase (EC 1.13.11.69, CCD8 (gene), MAX4 (gene), NCED8 (gene)) is an enzyme with systematic name 9-cis-10'-apo-beta-carotenal:O2 oxidoreductase (14,15-cleaving, carlactone-forming). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
All-trans-10'-apo-beta-carotenal 13,14-cleaving dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.70, CCD8 (gene), MAX4 (gene), NCED8 (gene)) is an enzyme with systematic name all-trans-10'-apo-beta-carotenal:O2 oxidoreductase (13,14-cleaving). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Carotenoid-9',10'-cleaving dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.71, BCO2 (gene), beta-carotene 9',10'-monooxygenase (misleading)) is an enzyme with systematic name all-trans-beta-carotene:O2 oxidoreductase (9',10'-cleaving). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Beta-carotene 3-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.13.129, beta-carotene 3,3'-monooxygenase, CrtZ) is an enzyme with systematic name beta-carotene,NADH:oxygen 3-oxidoreductase . This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Prolycopene isomerase is an enzyme with systematic name 7,9,7',9'-tetracis-lycopene cis-trans-isomerase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Beta-carotene isomerase is an enzyme with systematic name beta-carotene 9-cis-all-trans isomerase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Lycopene β-cyclase is an enzyme with systematic name carotenoid beta-end group lyase (decyclizing). This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction
Cytochrome P450 aromatic O-demethylase is a bacterial enzyme that catalyzes the demethylation of lignin and various lignols. The net reaction follows the following stoichiometry, illustrated with a generic methoxy arene:
