In vitro assays of three carotenogenic membrane-bound enzymes from Escherichia coli transformed with different crt genes.

In vitro assays have been developed for three membrane-bound carotenogenic enzymes, phytoene desaturase, lycopene cyclase and beta-carotene hydroxylase, expressed in Escherichia coli. Transformants of E. coli containing different deletion constructs of the Erwinia herbicola carotenogenic gene cluster were employed, allowing the estimation of enzyme activities without interference from subsequent reactions. New HPLC systems were developed to separate substrates and reaction products enabling the determination of radioactivity on-line. The newly developed assays facilitate the purification of these enzymes which have never been isolated before.