Carotene-cleavage activity in chick intestinal mucosa cytosol: association with a high-molecular-weight lipid-protein aggregate fraction and partial characterization of the activity.

A fluorescent high-molecular weight lipid-protein aggregate was isolated from the cytosol of chick intestinal mucosa or liver by gel filtration on columns of Sepharose 4B or 6B. This aggregate exhibited carotene-cleavage activity. On incubation of this aggregate, dissociation occurred and low-molecular weight fractions containing Cu and Zn and exhibiting carotene-cleavage activity were found. This fraction appeared on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide electrophoresis to have a molecular weight of 7000-11000 and resembled the previously described Cu chelatins in amino acid composition. Carotene cleavage may be effected by a copper-zinc metalloprotein of low-molecular weight, associated in intestinal cytosol with a lipid-protein aggregate.