Alanine carbohydrate precursor

Gluconeogenesis is the de novo synthesis of glucose from none carbohydrate sources. These sources (precursors) are lactic acid, glycerol and the amino acids, especially alanine, glntamine and aspartic acid (Fignre 6.22). 

HDF has been identified as reaction product of a thermal treatment of sugars, especially the 6-desoxy sugar rhamnose [90], Analysis of the free sugars in the LMW-fraction revealed fructose-1,6-biphosphate (FBP) as the predominating carbohydrate in the LMW fraction (5.75 g/kg yeast), but no rhamnose was present [88]. To elucidate the contribution of FBP as precursors of HDF in the yeast fraction, the sugar phosphate was thermally degraded under the same conditions as used for the LMW fraction of yeast. The results revealed FBP, as effective precursor of HDF in aqueous model systems at lower reaction temperatures (100°C Table 19). It should be stressed that additions of the amino acids proline or alanine did not increase the concentrations of HDF from the carbohydrates listed in Table 19 (unpublished results). The data implied that FBP which was the predominant carbohydrate in yeast, is the... 

Figure 7.10 Bacterial cell wall synthesis. 1) Alanine molecules are added to a carbohydrate tripeptide to form a "T" shaped cell wall precursor. This reaction is inhibited by D-cycloserine. 2) The precursor is transported across the plasma membrane by a carrier. Vancomycin inhibits the transport process. 3) The transporter is recycled to the inside of the cell to carry other precursors. Bacitracin inhibits this step. 4) The precursor is linked to the existing cell wall structure by transpeptidase. Penicillins, cephalosporins, imipenem and aztreonam inhibit the transpeptidase. Transpeptidase is one of several penicillin binding proteins and is not the only site of penicillin action.

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