|
|
|
|
4 Departments of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9032; 5 Balmoral Surgery, Deal, Kent CT14 7AU, UK; and 6 Buckland Hospital, Dover, Kent CT17 0HD, UK
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: stefan.andersson{at}utsouthwestern.edu.
The enzyme carotenoid 15,15'-monooxygenase (CMO1) catalyzes the first step in the conversion of dietary provitamin A carotenoids to vitamin A in the small intestine. Plant carotenoids are an important dietary source of vitamin A (retinol) and the sole source of vitamin A for vegetarians. Vitamin A is essential for normal embryonic development as well as normal physiological functions in children and adults. Here, we describe one heterozygous T170M missense mutation in the CMO1 gene in a subject with hypercarotenemia and mild hypovitaminosis A. The replacement of a highly conserved threonine with methionine results in a 90% reduction in enzyme activity when analyzed in vitro using purified recombinant enzymes. The Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) for the mutated enzyme is normal. Ample amounts of carotenoids are present in plasma of persons consuming a normal Western diet, suggesting that the enzyme is saturated with substrate under normal conditions. Therefore, we propose that haploinsufficiency of the CMO1 enzyme may cause symptoms of hypercarotenemia and hypovitaminosis A in individuals consuming a carotenoid-containing and vitamin A-deficient diet.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
W. C. Leung, S. Hessel, C. Meplan, J. Flint, V. Oberhauser, F. Tourniaire, J. E. Hesketh, J. von Lintig, and G. Lietz Two common single nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene encoding {beta}-carotene 15,15'-monoxygenase alter {beta}-carotene metabolism in female volunteers FASEB J, April 1, 2009; 23(4): 1041 - 1053. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Sahni, M. T Hannan, J. Blumberg, L A. Cupples, D. P Kiel, and K. L Tucker Inverse association of carotenoid intakes with 4-y change in bone mineral density in elderly men and women: the Framingham Osteoporosis Study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, January 1, 2009; 89(1): 416 - 424. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. L. Lindshield, J. L. King, A. Wyss, R. Goralczyk, C.-H. Lu, N. A. Ford, and J. W. Erdman Jr Lycopene Biodistribution Is Altered in 15,15'-Carotenoid Monooxygenase Knockout Mice J. Nutr., December 1, 2008; 138(12): 2367 - 2371. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||