Substrates, intermediates, and products of avian ketocarotenoid metabolism

Carotenoid-based coloration is an essential feature of avian diversity and has important roles in communication and mate choice. The red feathers of birds from phylogenetically diverse orders and families are pigmented with C4-ketocarotenoids produced via the successive action of Cytochrome P450 2J19 (CYP2J19) and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase 1-like (BDH1L) on yellow dietary precursors. Yet, the biochemistry of these enzymes remains incompletely understood. Here we present a series of experiments characterizing the substrates, intermediates, and products of CYP2J19 and BDH1L expressed in heterologous cell culture. We confirm that CYP2J19 preferentially hydroxylates the 4 and 4' positions of β-ring substrates, but can also hydroxylate the 3 and 3 positions of C4-ketocarotenoids. We confirm that BDH1L catalyzes the conversion of zeaxanthin to canary xanthophyll B (ε,ε'-carotene-3,3'-dione) a major pigment in plumage of many yellow bird species. These results suggest that the actions of CYP2J19 and/or BDH1L can explain the presence of many metabolically transformed carotenoids in avian tissues.