Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Prog Retin Eye Res. 2020 Apr 25;80:100864. doi: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2020.100864

Figure 4. Reactions catalyzed by the two mammalian carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases.

Figure 4.

Carotenoid conversion by β-carotene-15,15’-dioxygenase (encoded by the BCO1 gene) (left) and β-carotene-9’,10’-dioxygenase (encoded by the BCO2 gene) (right). The cleavage sites within the carbon backbone of β-carotene are highlighted. In the middle, pellets of bacteria are shown that produce either β-carotene (left) or lycopene (right). Expression of recombinant mouse BCO1 or BCO2 leads to color shifts of the pellets caused by carotenoid conversion to apocarotenoids.