Absorption transamination

Absorption bands at 500 nm. With many PLP enzymes certain substrates and inhibitors cause the appearance of intense and unusually narrow bands at 500 nm. Such a band is observed with aspartate aminotransferases acting on eryf/zro-3-hydroxyaspartate (Fig. 14-9). This substrate undergoes transamination very slowly, and the 500-nm absorbing form which accumulates is probably an intermediate in the normal reaction sequence. A similar spectrum is produced by tryptophan indole-lyase acting on the competitive inhibitor L-alanine. Under the same conditions the... 

Aspartate aminotransferase 57s, 135s, 753 absorption spectra 749 active site structure 744 atomic structure 750 catalytic intermediates, models 752 NMR spectra 149 quinonoid intermediate 750 Ramachandran plot 61 sequence 57 transamination 742 Aspartate ammonia-lyase 685 Aspartate carbamoyltransferase 348s active sites 348 regulation 540... 

Answer The measurement of the activity of alanine aminotransferase by measurement of the reaction of its product with lactate dehydrogenase is an example of a coupled assay. The product of the transamination (pyruvate) is rapidly consumed in the subsequent indicator reaction, catalyzed by an excess of lactate dehydrogenase. The dehydrogenase uses the cofactor NADH, the disappearance of which is conveniently measured by observing the rate of decrease in NADH absorption at 340 nm. Thus, the rate of disappearance of NADH is a measure of the rate of the aminotransferase reaction, if NADH and lactate dehydrogenase are added in excess. 

D-Amino acids vary in availability with the species. For example d-phenylalanine is used by rat, mouse, and man (15, 35, 727, 730, 962), whereas D-tryptophan is used by the rat (53, 54, 759, 895), is partially used by the mouse and pig (139, 867), and is not used by man (7, 29). The utilization of the D-amino acids is probably determined by the relative rates of absorption of the D-amino acid from the intestine, and of conversion of d- to L-amino acid in the liver (288). The conversion of d- to L-phenylalanine is reduced in vitamin-Be deficiency (52), as is to be expected for a transformation involving transamination to phenylpyruvic acid. Phenylpyruvic and indolepyruvic acids, the a-keto acids corresponding to phenylalanine and tryptophan, may also, to an extent varying with the species, satisfy growTh requirements (e.g., 55, 109, 436, 725, 911). 

The role of pyridoxal in the transamination reaction has been extensively investigated by comparing the mechanism of action of nonenzymic transamination (see Fig. 4-28) in the presence of metal (iron) acting as a catalyst to the transamination catalyzed by the specific proteins. The mechanism of the nonenzymic transamination was deduced from a series of rather simple observations (1) when an amino acid is added to a dilute solution of pyridoxal or pyridoxine phosphate, the absorption maximum of the solution shifts from 345 mp to 430 mp. This change in absorption... 

These reactions involve the activities of transaminases and decarboxylases (see p. 210), and over 50 pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzymes have been identified. In transamination, pyridoxal phosphate accepts the a-amino group of the amino acid to form pyridoxamine phosphate and a keto acid. The amino group of pyri-doxamine phosphate can be transferred to another keto acid, regenerating pyridoxal phosphate. The vitamin is believed to play a role in the absorption of amino acids from the intestine. 

Assay of Transamination. Since the sum of keto acids and amino acids does not change in a transamination, specific reactions are required to assay the reaction products. Some of the methods used are oxidation of a-ketoglutarate to succinate and determination of succinate with succinic dehydrogenase decarboxylation of oxalacetate with aniline citrate decarboxylation with specific amino acid decarboxylases separation of products on paper chromatograms and spectrophotometric determination of those keto acids that exhibit specific absorption. 

Vitamin B-6 As a coenzyme for transamination, decarboxylation, deamination, transsulfuration, absorption of amino acids, conversion of glycogen to glucose, and fatty acid conversions. 

---