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Nitrate respiration of Klebsiella pneumoniae on amino acids, especially on serine.

Anaerobic growth on an amino acids mixture in the presence of nitrate of a strain of K. pneumoniae isolated from soil depended on the presence of serine in the mixture. This organism grew on serine as sole carbon source under anaerobic conditions in the presence of nitrate but not in its absence. Glycylglycine could replace serine. Serine was degraded to acetate, formate, pyruvate, acetone and acetoin with formation of nitrite under these conditions. These products were practically not different from those formed from glucose. Resting cells decomposed serine also in the absence of nitrate forming butanediol and a large amount of formate in place of decreased amounts of acetate and pyruvate. These cells also anaerobically decomposed alanine to products similar to those from serine and phenylalanine to phenylacetate and formate only in the presence of nitrate. Valine was not catabolized under the same conditions. Serine was decomposed to pyruvate and ammonia in the crude extract in the presence and absence of nitrate, indicating participation of serine dehydratase in its breakdown. Phenylalanine appears to be decomposed to phenylpyruvate by transamination coupled to glutamate oxidation and then to phenylacetate and formate. Little growth on serine under anaerobic conditions in the absence of nitrate may be accounted for by the small gain of ATP in the anaerobic breakdown of serine by this organism.

Amino Acids↗

Impaired arachidonic (20:4n-6) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n-3) acid synthesis by phenylalanine metabolites as etiological factors in the neuropathology of phenylketonuria.

The recent literature on polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in phenylketonuria (PKU) is critically analyzed. The data suggest that developmental impairment of the accretion of brain arachidonic (20:4n-6) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n-3, DHA) acids is a major etiological factor in the microcephaly and mental retardation of uncontrolled PKU and maternal PKU. These fatty acids appear to be synthesized by the recently elucidated carnitine-dependent, channeled, mitochondrial fatty acid desaturases for which alpha-tocopherolquinone (alpha-TQ) is an essential enzyme cofactor. alpha-TQ can be synthesized either de novo or from alpha-tocopherol. The fetus and newborn would primarily rely on de novo alpha-TQ synthesis for these mitochondrial desaturases because of low maternal transfer of alpha-tocopherol. Homogentisate, a pivotal intermediate in the de novo pathway of alpha-TQ synthesis, is synthesized by 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. The major catabolic products of excess phenylalanine, viz. phenylpyruvate and phenyllactate, are proposed to inhibit alpha-TQ synthesis at the level of the dioxygenase reaction by competing with its 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate substrate, thus leading to a developmental impairment of 20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3 synthesis in uncontrolled PKU and fetuses of PKU mothers. The data suggest that dietary supplementation with carnitine, 20:4n-6, and 22:6n-3 may have therapeutic value for PKU mothers and for PKU patients who have been shown to have a low plasma status of these essential metabolites.

Adult↗

Transamination in the metabolism of beta-2-thienyl-DL-alanine in normal and neoplastic cells in vitro.

In tissue cultures of C-57 black mouse heart and sarcoma T-241, beta-2-thienyl-DL-alanine acts specifically as a phenylalanine antagonist. Heart cultures can transaminate between beta-2-thienyl-DL-alanine and phenylpyruvate to form L-phenylalanine and thus block the toxic action of the remaining beta-2-thienyl-DL-alanine, whereas sarcoma T-241 cultures cannot. Of eleven mouse tumors and four rat tumors tested for their ability to perform this reaction, nine tumors had little or no activity. The beta-2-thienylpyruvic acid resulting from transamination further reacts to form a red compound the exact structure of which is not yet known.

Alanine↗

Further biochemical characterization of chronic Trypanosoma brucei gambiense-Microtus montanus infection.

Tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured in the serum and livers of Microtus montanus infected with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Only liver TAT and serum ALP showed significant changes. In addition, blood glucose, pyruvate and lactate, and liver glycogen levels were assayed. All four compounds showed significant changes, strongly suggesting increased glycogen mobilization and increased catabolic activity. Interestingly, the serum ketone levels were very low and no significant changes were observed. These chronically infected animals had an organic aciduria in which pyruvate, lactate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, phenylpyruvate, and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate were significantly increased. The possible significance of these observations is discussed.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Stimulation by aminooxyacetate of fluorescein uptake in rat renal tubules in vitro: role of intracellular alpha-ketoglutarate.

Uphill base-line uptake of a weak organic anion, fluorescein, in rat renal proximal tubules is stimulated by a transaminase inhibitor, aminooxyacetate (AOA, 1 mM). Considering that an inhibition of cytoplasmic aspartate aminotransferase can be accompanied by an elevation in the cytoplasmic alpha-ketoglutarate (KG) level, it was hypothesized that the effect of AOA on the fluorescein uptake was mediated through an augmentation of the KG gradient across the basolateral membrane, which was maintained owing to the Li-inhibitable KG reuptake in the cells. In order to test this hypothesis, an influence of Li on the stimulatory effects of AOA and KG on the fluorescein uptake was investigated. The hypothesis was supported by results showing that LiCl (5 mM) completely abolished the stimulatory effect of KG and attenuated almost 3 times that of AOA, whereas Li did not affect the base-line fluorescein uptake. Moreover, the stimulatory effects of AOA and KG on the uptake were of the same degree but failed to be additive, suggesting that they share a common mechanism. Modulatory influences of metabolic inhibitors, such as fluoroacetate, malonate, phenylpyruvate and D-malate, as well as of L-lysine on the effects of AOA and KG also were investigated to outline metabolic processes involved in these effects. It is concluded that KG metabolism related to its participation in the malate-aspartate shuttle, but not to its oxidation in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, is of importance for the AOA effect.

Aminooxyacetic Acid↗

Spectrophotometric determination of homogentisate using Aspergillus nidulans homogentisate dioxygenase.

The presence of homogentisic acid (HGA) in urine is diagnostic for alkaptonuria, a classical example of a biochemical lesion resulting from a single gene trait. We describe here simple culture conditions which induce the synthesis of high levels of homogentisate dioxygenase activity in mycelia from the filamentous ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans. Crude enzyme preparations, showing an apparent Km of 9 microM for homogentisate and an optimal pH of 6.5-7.0 are rather stable and highly specific for homogentisate. Thus, the reaction is not competed by a large molar excess of a number of substrate structural analogues, including phenylacetate and its 2-, 3-, and 4-hydroxy derivatives, phenylalanine, tyrosine, phenylpyruvate, and gentisate. We demonstrate how this enzyme preparation can be used in sensitive, spectrophotometric enzymatic determination of this compound. The accuracy is almost indistinguishable from that obtained by HPLC. The method can be applied to routine determination of homogentisate in human urine. A 1-liter culture of the mold provides sufficient enzyme activity for 1500 enzymatic assays.

Alkaptonuria↗

The aromatic amino acid pathway branches at L-arogenate in Euglena gracilis.

The recently characterized amino acid L-arogenate (Zamir et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102:4499-4504, 1980) may be a precursor of either L-phenylalanine or L-tyrosine in nature. Euglena gracilis is the first example of an organism that uses L-arogenate as the sole precursor of both L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine, thereby creating a pathway in which L-arogenate rather than prephenate becomes the metabolic branch point. E. gracilis ATCC 12796 was cultured in the light under myxotrophic conditions and harvested in late exponential phase before extract preparation for enzymological assays. Arogenate dehydrogenase was dependent upon nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate for activity. L-Tyrosine inhibited activity effectively with kinetics that were competitive with respect to L-arogenate and noncompetitive with respect to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. The possible inhibition of arogenate dehydratase by L-phenylalanine has not yet been determined. Beyond the latter uncertainty, the overall regulation of aromatic biosynthesis was studied through the characterization of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase and chorismate mutase. 3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase was subject to noncompetitive inhibition by L-tyrosine with respect to either of the two substrates. Chorismate mutase was feedback inhibited with equal effectiveness by either L-tyrosine or L-phenylalanine. L-Tryptophan activated activity of chorismate mutase, a pH-dependent effect in which increased activation was dramatic above pH 7.8 L-Arogenate did not affect activity of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase or of chorismate mutase. Four species of prephenate aminotransferase activity were separated after ion-exchange chromatography. One aminotransferase exhibited a narrow range of substrate specificity, recognizing only the combination of L-glutamate with prephenate, phenylpyruvate, or 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. Possible natural relationships between Euglena spp. and fungi previously considered in the literature are discussed in terms of data currently available to define enzymological variation in the shikimate pathway.

3-Deoxy-7-Phosphoheptulonate Synthase↗

Mechanism of the phenylpyruvate tautomerase activity of macrophage migration inhibitory factor: properties of the P1G, P1A, Y95F, and N97A mutants.

Phenylpyruvate tautomerase (PPT) has been studied periodically since its activity was first described over forty years ago. In the last two years, the mechanism of PPT has been investigated more extensively because of the discovery that PPT is the same protein as the immunoregulatory cytokine known as macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). The mechanism of PPT is likely to involve general base-general acid catalysis. While several lines of evidence implicate Pro-1 as the general base, the identity of the general acid remains unknown. Crystal structures of MIF with the competitive inhibitor (E)-2-fluoro-p-hydroxycinnamate bound in the active site and that of the protein complexed with the enol form of a substrate, (p-hydroxyphenyl)pyruvate, suggest that Tyr-95 is the only candidate in the vicinity that can function as a general acid catalyst. Although Tyr-95 is nearby the bound inhibitor and substrate, it is not within hydrogen bonding distance of either ligand. In this study, Tyr-95 was mutated to phenylalanine, and the kinetic and structural properties of the Y95F mutant were determined. This alteration produces a fully active enzyme, which shows no significant structural changes in the active site. The results indicate that Tyr-95 does not function as the general acid catalyst in the reaction catalyzed by wild-type PPT. The mechanism of PPT was studied further by constructing and characterizing the kinetic properties of two mutants of Pro-1 (P1G and P1A) and one mutant of Asn-97 (N97A). The mutation of Asn-97, a residue implicated in the binding of the phenolic hydroxy group of the keto and enol isomers of (p-hydroxyphenyl)pyruvate and of (E)-2-fluoro-p-hydroxycinnamate affects only the binding affinity of the inhibitor. However, the mutations of Pro-1 have a profound effect on the values of k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) and clearly show that Pro-1 is a critical residue in the reaction. The results are discussed in terms of a mechanism in which Pro-1 functions as both the general acid and the general base catalyst.

Catalytic Domain↗

Regulation of phenylalanine biosynthesis in Rhodotorula glutinis.

The phenylalanine biosynthetic pathway in the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis was examined, and the following results were obtained. (i) 3-Deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase in crude extracts was partially inhibited by tyrosine, tryptophan, or phenylalanine. In the presence of all three aromatic amino acids an additive pattern of enzyme inhibition was observed, suggesting the existence of three differentially regulated species of DAHP synthase. Two distinctly regulated isozymes inhibited by tyrosine or tryptophan and designated DAHP synthase-Tyr and DAHP synthase-Trp, respectively, were resolved by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography, along with a third labile activity inhibited by phenylalanine tentatively identified as DAHP synthase-Phe. The tyrosine and tryptophan isozymes were relatively stable and were inhibited 80 and 90% by 50 microM of the respective amino acids. DAHP synthase-Phe, however, proved to be an extremely labile activity, thereby preventing any detailed regulatory studies on the partially purified enzyme. (ii) Two species of chorismate mutase, designated CMI and CMII, were resolved in the same chromatographic step. The activity of CMI was inhibited by tyrosine and stimulated by tryptophan, whereas CMII appeared to be unregulated. (iii) Single species of prephenate dehydratase and phenylpyruvate aminotransferase were observed. Interestingly, the branch-point enzyme prephenate dehydratase was not inhibited by phenylalanine or affected by tyrosine, tryptophan, or both. (iv) The only site for control of phenylalanine biosynthesis appeared to be DAHP synthase-Phe. This is apparently sufficient since a spontaneous mutant, designated FP9, resistant to the growth-inhibitory phenylalanine analog p-fluorophenylalanine contained a feedback-resistant DAHP synthase-Phe and cross-fed a phenylalanine auxotroph of Bacillus subtilis.

3-Deoxy-7-Phosphoheptulonate Synthase↗

Distribution, purification, and characterization of thermostable phenylalanine dehydrogenase from thermophilic actinomycetes.

Phenylalanine dehydrogenase (L-phenylalanine:NAD oxidoreductase, deaminating; EC 1.4.1.-) was found in various thermophilic actinomycetes. We purified the enzyme to homogeneity from Thermoactinomyces intermedius IFO 14230 by heat treatment and by Red Sepharose 4B, DEAE-Toyopearl, Sepharose CL-4B, and Sephadex G-100 chromatographies with a 13% yield. The relative molecular weight of the native enzyme was estimated to be about 270,000 by gel filtration. The enzyme consists of six subunits identical in molecular weight (41,000) and is highly thermostable: it is not inactivated by incubation at pH 7.2 and 70 degrees C for at least 60 min or in the range of pH 5 to 10.8 at 50 degrees C for 10 min. The enzyme preferably acts on L-phenylalanine and its 2-oxo analog, phenylpyruvate, in the presence of NAD and NADH, respectively. Initial velocity and product inhibition studies showed that the oxidative deamination proceeds through a sequential ordered binary-ternary mechanism. The Km values for L-phenylalanine, NAD, phenylpyruvate, NADH, and ammonia were 0.22, 0.078, 0.045, 0.025, and 106 mM, respectively. The pro-S hydrogen at C-4 of the dihydronicotinamide ring of NADH was exclusively transferred to the substrate.

Actinomycetales↗

Phenylalanine dehydrogenase of Bacillus badius. Purification, characterization and gene cloning.

Phenylalanine dehydrogenase produced by Bacillus badius IAM 11059 was purified from the crude extract of B. badius to homogeneity, as judged by disc gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has an isoelectric point of 3.5 and a relative molecular mass, Mr, of 310,000-360,000. The enzyme is composed of identical subunits with an Mr 41,000-42,000. The substrate specificity of the enzyme in the oxidative deamination reaction was high for L-phenylalanine, but rather low in the reductive amination reaction, with phenylpyruvate, p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, and 2-oxohexanoate. The gene for the enzyme was cloned into Escherichia coli with plasmid pBR322 as a vector. The enzyme was expressed in high level in E. coli. The enzyme produced by E. coli transformant was purified to homogeneity and shown to be identical to that of B. badius IAM 11,059 with respect to the specific activity, Mr, subunit structure and amino acid composition.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Reduction of benzenoid synthesis in petunia flowers reveals multiple pathways to benzoic acid and enhancement in auxin transport.

In plants, benzoic acid (BA) is believed to be synthesized from Phe through shortening of the propyl side chain by two carbons. It is hypothesized that this chain shortening occurs via either a beta-oxidative or non-beta-oxidative pathway. Previous in vivo isotope labeling and metabolic flux analysis of the benzenoid network in petunia (Petunia hybrida) flowers revealed that both pathways yield benzenoid compounds and that benzylbenzoate is an intermediate between L-Phe and BA. To test this hypothesis, we generated transgenic petunia plants in which the expression of BPBT, the gene encoding the enzyme that uses benzoyl-CoA and benzyl alcohol to make benzylbenzoate, was reduced or eliminated. Elimination of benzylbenzoate formation decreased the endogenous pool of BA and methylbenzoate emission but increased emission of benzyl alcohol and benzylaldehyde, confirming the contribution of benzylbenzoate to BA formation. Labeling experiments with 2H5-Phe revealed a dilution of isotopic abundance in most measured compounds in the dark, suggesting an alternative pathway from a precursor other than Phe, possibly phenylpyruvate. Suppression of BPBT activity also affected the overall morphology of petunia plants, resulting in larger flowers and leaves, thicker stems, and longer internodes, which was consistent with the increased auxin transport in transgenic plants. This suggests that BPBT is involved in metabolic processes in vegetative tissues as well.

Acyltransferases↗

Anaerobic metabolism of L-phenylalanine via benzoyl-CoA in the denitrifying bacterium Thauera aromatica.

The anaerobic metabolism of phenylalanine was studied in the denitrifying bacterium Thauera aromatica, a member of the beta-subclass of the Proteobacteria. Phenylalanine was completely oxidized and served as the sole source of cell carbon. Evidence is presented that degradation proceeds via benzoyl-CoA as the central aromatic intermediate; the aromatic ring-reducing enzyme benzoyl-CoA reductase was present in cells grown on phenylalanine. Intermediates in phenylalanine oxidation to benzoyl-CoA were phenylpyruvate, phenylacetaldehyde, phenylacetate, phenylacetyl-CoA, and phenylglyoxylate. The required enzymes were detected in extracts of cells grown with phenylalanine and nitrate. Oxidation of phenylalanine to benzoyl-CoA was catalyzed by phenylalanine transaminase, phenylpyruvate decarboxylase, phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenase (NAD+), phenylacetate-CoA ligase (AMP-forming), enzyme(s) oxidizing phenylacetyl-CoA to phenylglyoxylate with nitrate, and phenylglyoxylate:acceptor oxidoreductase. The capacity for phenylalanine oxidation to phenylacetate was induced during growth with phenylalanine. Evidence is provided that alpha-oxidation of phenylacetyl-CoA is catalyzed by a membrane-bound enzyme. This is the first report on the complete anaerobic degradation of an aromatic amino acid and the regulation of this process.

Acetaldehyde↗

The (2R)-hydroxycarboxylate-viologen-oxidoreductase from Proteus vulgaris is a molybdenum-containing iron-sulphur protein.

An oxidoreductase with an extremely broad substrate specificity reducing reversibly 2-oxocarboxylates at the expense of reduced artificial redox mediators to (2R)-hydroxycarboxylates has been purified to a specific activity of up to 1800 mumol.min-1.mg-1 for the reduction of phenylpyruvate. The membrane-bound non-pyridine nucleotide-dependent enzyme appears in the form of various oligomers of the 80-kDa monomer. The isoelectric point is 5.1. Based on a molecular mass of 80 kDa the enzyme contains up to one molybdenum, four iron and four sulphur atoms. After growth on 99Mo-labelled molybdate, enzyme and radioactivity coincided as shown by gel electrophoresis. Permanganate oxidation delivers 0.7 mol pterin-6-carboxylic acid. The molybdenum cofactor is a mononucleotide. The enzyme is inhibited by cyanide. The first 20 amino acids have been determined. The enzyme belongs to the rare group of molybdoenzymes which possess no further prosthetic groups than the iron-sulphur clusters.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Indolepyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. A new enzyme involved in peptide fermentation.

Pyrococcus furiosus is a strictly anaerobic archaeon that grows optimally at 100 degrees C by a fermentative-type metabolism in which complex peptide mixtures such as yeast extract and Tryptone, and also certain sugars, are oxidized to organic acids, H2 and CO2. Enzymes involved in the utilization of peptides such as proteases, aromatic amino transferases, and glutamate dehydrogenase have been previously purified from this organism. It is shown here that P. furiosus also contains significant cytoplasmic concentrations of a new enzyme termed indolepyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (IOR). This catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of aryl pyruvates, which are generated by the transamination of aromatic amino acids, to the corresponding aryl acetyl-CoA. IOR is a tetramer (alpha 2 beta 2) of two identical subunits (66,000 and 23,000 Da) with a molecular weight of 180,000. The enzyme contains one molecule of thiamine pyrophosphate and four [4Fe-4S]2+,1+ and one [3Fe-4S]0,1+ cluster, as determined by iron analyses and EPR spectroscopy. Significant amounts of other metals such as copper and zinc were not detected. IOR was virtually inactive at 25 degrees C and exhibited optimal activity above 90 degrees C (at pH 8.0) and at pH 8.5-10.5 (at 80 degrees C). The enzyme was sensitive to inactivation by O2, losing 50% of its activity after exposure to air for 20 min at 23 degrees C, and was quite thermostable, with a half-life of activity at 80 degrees C (under anaerobic conditions) of about 80 min. The Km values (in microM) for indolepyruvate, p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, phenylpyruvate, CoASH, and P. furiosus ferredoxin, the physiological electron carrier, were 250, 110, 90, 17, and 48, respectively. IOR was inhibited by KCN (apparent Ki = 7.5 mM), but not by CO (1 atm). An enzyme analogous to IOR has not been reported previously. Curiously, it has few properties in common with the pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase of P. furiosus, even though the two enzymes catalyze virtually identical reactions. In fact, of known ketoacid oxidoreductases, the catalytic mechanism of IOR appears to be most similar to that of the pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Use of 5-deazaFAD to study hydrogen transfer in the D-amino acid oxidase reaction.

The apoprotein of hog kidney D-amino acid oxidase was reconstituted with 5-deazaflavin adenine dinucleotide (5-deazaFAD) to yield a protein which contains 1.5 mol of 5-deazaFAD/mol of enzyme. The deazaFAD-containing enzyme forms complexes with benzoate, 2-amino benzoate, and 4-aminobenzoate which are both qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those observed with native enzyme. The complex with 2-aminobenzoate exhibits a new long wavelength absorption band characteristic of a flavin charge-transfer complex. The reconstituted enzyme exhibits no activity when assayed by D-alanine oxidation. However, the bound chromophore can be reduced by alanine, phenylalanine, proline, methionine, and valine, but not by glutamate or aspartate, indicating the deazaFAD enzyme retains the substrate specificity of the native enzyme. Reduction of the enzyme by D-alanine exhibits a 1.6-fold deuterium isotope effect. Reoxidation of the reduced enzyme occurred in the presence of pyruvate plus ammonia, but not with pyruvate alone or ammonia alone. beta-Phenylpyruvate and alpha-ketobutyrate, but not alpha-ketoglutarate could replace pyruvate. Reduced enzyme isolated following reaction with [alpha-3H]alanine was found to contain 0.5 mol of tritium/mol of deazaFADH2. After denaturation of the tritium-labeled enzyme, the radioactivity was identified as deazaFADH2. Reaction of the reduced tritium-labeled enzyme with pyruvate plus ammonia prior to denaturation yields [alpha-3H]alanine and unlabeled deazaFAD. These results suggest that reduction and reoxidation of enzyme-bound deazaFAD involves the stereo-specific transfer of alpha-hydrogen from substrate to deazaFAD.

Aminobenzoates↗

Substrate and inhibitor specificity of monocarboxylate transport into heart cells and erythrocytes. Further evidence for the existence of two distinct carriers.

A range of short-chain aliphatic monocarboxylates, both unsubstituted and substituted with hydroxy, chloro and keto groups, were shown to inhibit transport of L-lactate and pyruvate into both guinea-pig cardiac myocytes and rat erythrocytes. The carrier of heart cells exhibited a higher affinity (approx. 10-fold) for most of the monocarboxylates than did the erythrocyte carrier. A notable exception was L-lactate, whose Km for both carriers was similar. The K1 values of the two carriers for inhibitors such as phenylpyruvate and alpha-cyanocinnamate derivatives were also different. The high affinity of the heart cell carrier for ketone bodies and acetate may be physiologically important, since these substrates are used as fuels by the heart.

Animals↗