The metabolism of vitamin A to 3,4-didehydroretinol can be demonstrated in human keratinocytes, melanoma cells and HeLa cells, and is correlated to cellular retinoid-binding protein expression.

Conversion of retinol to 3,4-didehydroretinol is probably a rate-limiting step in the formation of 3,4-didehydroretinoic acid, a candidate ligand for nuclear retinoid receptors in human epidermal keratinocytes. To investigate whether this metabolic pathway also exists in other cell systems, we compared the retinoid concentrations and the bioconversion of [3H]retinol to [3H]3,4-didehydroretinol in human primary keratinocytes, human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells, human melanoma (JKM86-4) cells, monkey kidney epithelium (CV-1) cells, and murine teratocarcinoma (F9) cells. The cellular retinol concentration ranged from 2.33 to 99.1 pmol/mg protein with the highest values observed in keratinocytes. 3,4-Didehydroretinol was only detected in cells of human origin and its concentration ranged from 0.24 pmol/mg in HeLa to 34.6 pmol/mg in the keratinocytes. Incubation with [3H]retinol for 1-24 h resulted in a rapid appearance of [3H]3,4-didehydroretinol in human keratinocytes, and to a lesser extent in HeLa and melanoma cells, but not in the other cells. Analysis of cellular retinol- and retinoic acid-binding protein concentrations showed a correlation to the cells' ability to accumulate 3,4-didehydroretinol, suggesting a role for these proteins in the 3,4-didehydro metabolic pathway. The combined results suggest that although 3,4-didehydroretinol is most typical for human keratinocytes, studies of its metabolism are also feasible in HeLa cells which contain low levels of retinoid-binding proteins.