Tryptophan amino acids

Inactivation and Removal of Viruses. In developing methods of plasma fractionation, the possibiHty of transmitting infection from human vimses present in the starting plasma pool has been recognized (4,5). Consequentiy, studies of product stabiHty encompass investigation of heat treatment of products in both solution (100) and dried (101) states to estabHsh vimcidal procedures that could be appHed to the final product. Salts of fatty acid anions, such as sodium caprylate [1984-06-17, and the acetyl derivative of the amino acid tryptophan, sodium acetyl-tryptophanate [87-32-17, are capable of stabilizing albumin solutions to 60°C for 10 hours (100) this procedure prevents the transmission of viral hepatitis (102,103). The degree of protein stabilization obtained (104) and the safety of the product in clinical practice have been confirmed (105,106). The procedure has also been shown to inactivate the human immunodeficiency vims (HIV) (107). 

Gelatin can be a source of essential amino acids when used as a diet supplement and therapeutic agent. As such, it has been widely used in muscular disorders, peptic ulcers, and infant feeding, and to spur nail growth. Gelatin is not a complete protein for mammalian nutrition, however, since it is lacking in the essential amino acid tryptophan [73-22-3] and is deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids. 

The indole ring is incorporated into the stmcture of the amino acid tryptophan [6912-86-3] (6) and occurs in proteins and in a wide variety of plant and animal metaboUtes. Much of the interest in the chemistry of indole is the result of efforts to understand the biological activity of indole derivatives in order to develop pharmaceutical appHcations. 

Naturally Occurring Compounds. Many derivatives of iadole are found ia plants and animals where they are derived from the amino acid tryptophan. Several of these have important biological function or activity. Serotonin [50-67-9] (12) functions as a neurotransmitter and vasoconstrictor (35). Melatonin [73-31-4] (13) production is controlled daily by the circadian cycle and its physiological level iafluences, and seasonal rhythms ia humans and other species (36). Indole-3-acetic acid [87-51-4] (14) is a plant growth stimulant used ia several horticultural appHcations (37). 

The indole ring system appears in many naturally-oeeuring substances including the amino acid tryptophan and the drug reserpine. 

Endogenous substances such as serotonin, amino acids, purines, and pyrimidines all have biological activity and are tolerated in the human body. Therefore, these can be used in some cases as starting points for synthetic drugs. For example, the amino acid tryptophan and neurotransmitter... 

WW domains (named after the one letter abbreviation for the amino acid tryptophan) are small regions of around 30 residues, which, like SH3 domains, bind to polyproline sequences. These sequences often contain the consensus sequence PPXY or PPLP. Examples of proteins that contain WW domains include Nedd4 E3 ubiquitin ligase (Fig. 1) and IQGAP1. 

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is an important biogenic amine, which is synthesized via 5-hydroxy-tryptophan from the amino acid tryptophan. The highest concentration of serotonin occurs in the wall of the intestine. About 90% of the total amount is present in enterochromaffrn cells, which are derived from the neural crest, similarly to those of the adrenal medulla. 

Some investigations have tested the ability of reversed micelles to act as efficient carriers of molecular species. Solutions of water-containing AOT-reversed micelles have been employed for the selective transport and the efficient separation of the two amino acids tryptophane and j9-iodophenylalanine [160]. 

A vitamin is defined as an organic compound that is required in the diet in small amounts for the maintenance of normal metabofic integrity. Deficiency causes a specific disease, which is cured or prevented only by restoring the vitamin to the diet (Table 45-1). However, vitamin D, which can be made in the skin after exposure to sunhght, and niacin, which can be formed from the essential amino acid tryptophan, do not stricdy conform to this definition. 

Niacin was discovered as a nutrient during studies of pellagra. It is not strictly a vitamin since it can be synthesized in the body from the essential amino acid tryptophan. Two compounds, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, have the biologic activity of niacin its metabolic function is as the nicotinamide ring of the coenzymes NAD and NADP in oxidation-reduction reactions (Figure 45-11). About 60 mg of tryptophan is equivalent to 1 mg of dietary niacin. The niacin content of foods is expressed as mg niacin equivalents = mg preformed niacin + 1/60 X mg tryptophan. Because most of the niacin in cereals is biologically unavailable, this is discounted. 

The first step in the synthesis of 5-HT is hydroxylation of the essential amino acid, tryptophan, by the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (Fig. 9.4). This enzyme has several features in common with tyrosine hydroxylase, which converts tyrosine to /-DOPA in... 

Figure 9.4 The synthesis and metabolism of 5-HT. The primary substrate for the pathway is the essential amino acid, tryptophan and its hydroxylation to 5-hydrox5dryptophan is the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of 5-HT. The cytoplasmic enzyme, monoamine oxidase (MAOa), is ultimately responsible for the catabolism of 5-HT to 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid...

Both enzymes belong to the family of a,p-hydrolases." The active site of MeHNL is located inside the protein and connected to the outside through a small channel, which is covered by the bulky amino acid tryptophane 128." It was possible to obtain the crystal structure of the complex with the natural substrate acetone cyanohydrin with the mutant SerSOAla of MeHNL. This complex allowed the determination of the mode of substrate binding in the active site." A summary of 3D structures of known HNLs was published recently." " ... 

Membranes offer a format for interaction of an analyte with a stationary phase alternative to the familiar column. For certain kinds of separations, particularly preparative separations involving strong adsorption, the membrane format is extremely useful. A 5 x 4 mm hollow-fiber membrane layered with the protein bovine serum albumin was used for the chiral separation of the amino acid tryptophan, with a separation factor of up to 6.6.62 Diethey-laminoethyl-derivatized membrane disks were used for high-speed ion exchange separations of oligonucleotides.63 Sulfonated membranes were used for peptide separations, and reversed-phase separations of peptides, steroids, and aromatic hydrocarbons were accomplished on C18-derivatized membranes. 

The aim of this Chapter is to review a method by which fluorescence properties of organic dyes can, in general, be predicted and understood at a microscopic (nm scale) by interfacing quantum methods with classical molecular dynamics (MD) methods. Some review of our extensive applications [1] of this method to the widely exploited intrinsic fluorescence probe in proteins, the amino acid tryptophan (Trp) will be followed by a discussion of electrochromic membrane voltagesensing dyes. 

The central importance of the indole derivatives serotonin and the amino acid tryptophan in living organisms has inspired chemists to design and synthesize thousands of indole-containing... 

The aromatic amino acids each have two major absorption bands in the wavelength region between 200 and 300 nm (see reviews by Beaven and Holiday(13) and Wetlaufer(14). The lower energy band occurs near 280 nm for tryptophan, 277 nm for tyrosine, and 258 nm for phenylalanine, and the extinction coefficients at these wavelengths are in the ratio 27 7 l.(14) As a result of the spectral distributions and relative extinction coefficients of the aromatic amino acids, tryptophan generally dominates the absorption, fluorescence, and phosphorescence spectra of proteins that also contain either of the other two aromatic amino acids. 

Native fluorescence of a protein is due largely to the presence of the aromatic amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine. Tryptophan has an excitation maximum at 280 nm and emits at 340 to 350 nm. The amino acid composition of the target protein is one factor that determines if the direct measurement of a protein s native fluorescence is feasible. Another consideration is the protein s conformation, which directly affects its fluorescence spectrum. As the protein changes conformation, the emission maximum shifts to another wavelength. Thus, native fluorescence may be used to monitor protein unfolding or interactions. The conformation-dependent nature of native fluorescence results in measurements specific for the protein in a buffer system or pH. Consequently, protein denatur-ation may be used to generate more reproducible fluorescence measurements. 

In addition to the HECT domain, there is another domain in many E3s called the WW domain. The WW domain is thus named because of the characteristic tryptophan (W is the single letter code for the amino acid tryptophan) believed to be critical for protein-protein interaction. The WW domain-containing E3s also tend to have a C2 domain. The presence of C2 domain is highly relevant to nervous system function because C2 domain responds to the elevation of intracellular Ca and helps in translocation to the plasma membrane. Therefore, presence of this domain in neuronal HECT E3s might be critical in ligating ubiquitin to neurotransmitter receptors or proteins associated with them. 

In contrast to most of the vitamins encountered so far, here we have simple structures. Humans are able to synthesize these molecules from the amino acid tryptophan but not in quantities adequate to meet physiological needs. Consequently, we need to find adequate amounts in our diet. The UL for niacin is 35 mg/day for adult men and women. 

An intriguing feature of nicotinic acid formation in animals is that it is a metabolite produced from the amino acid tryptophan. This means the pyridine ring is actually formed by biochemical modification of the indole fused-ring system (see Section 11.8.2), and, as you might imagine, it involves a substantial sequence of transformations. 

Some prominent 3-substituted derivatives include skatole (3-methylin-dole), which has a faecal odour, and indoIyl-3-acetic acid (sold as a plant rooting powder). Many indoles are biologically important for example, tryptamine is the precursor of two hormones serotonin, a vasoconstrictor, and melatonin, which is involved in the control of circadian rhythm. In addition, the amino acid tryptophan is an essential component of proteins (see Box 7.1). 

Neurons manufacture serotonin in a series of chemical reactions, beginning with the amino acid tryptophan. Catalyzing these reactions are specific enzymes, such as an enzyme known as tryptophan hydroxylase, which speeds up a reaction that adds a hydroxyl group (an OH molecule) to tryptophan. Serotonin is packaged into vesicles, with each vesicle... 

Serotonin (sometimes abbreviated 5-HT) is a neurotransmitter made from the amino acid tryptophan (which is found... 

Test for indole Indole is a component of the amino acid tryptophan, which can he broken down by the bacterial enzyme tryptophanase. When tryptophan is broken down, the presence of indole can be detected through the use of Kovacs reagent. Kovacs reagent, which is yellow, reacts with indole and produces a red colour on the surface of the test tube. Kovacs reagent is prepared by dissolving 10 g of p-aminobenzaldehyde in 150 mL of isoamylalcohol and then slowly adding 50 mL of concentrated HCl. 

Aromatic Amino Acid Biosynthesis. The shikimate pathway is the biosynthetic route to the aromatic amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine and phenylalanine as well as a large number of secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, auxins and alkaloids. One enzyme in this pathway is 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase) (Figure 2.9). 

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