Amino acid tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase

In the metabolism of the aromatic amino acid tryptophan in mammals, two pathways for the formation of pyridine nucleotide coenzyme and in-doleamines are initiated by two well-known oxygenases, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase and tryptophan-5-hydroxylase (monooxygenase) (Fig. 2). Kotake and Ito (5) found in 1937 that rabbits fed D-tryptophan excreted D-kynurenine in the urine. Although the tryptophan-cleaving activity in... 

Catabolism of tyrosine and tryptophan begins with oxygen-requiring steps. The tyrosine catabolic pathway, shown at the end of this chapter, results in the formation of fumaric acid and acetoaceticacid, Iryptophan catabolism commences with the reaction catalyzed by tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase. This enzyme catalyzes conversion of the amino acid to N-formyl-kynurenine The enzyme requires iron and copper and thus is a metalloenzyme. The final products of the pathway are acetoacetyl-CoA, acetyl-Co A, formic add, four molecules of carbon dioxide, and two ammonium ions One of the intermediates of tryptophan catabolism, a-amino-P-carboxyrnuconic-6-semialdchydc, can be diverted from complete oxidation, and used for the synthesis of NAD (see Niacin in Chapter 9). 

Tryptophan appears to be converted to a larger number of metabolites than any of the other amino acids. The degradation of tryptophan in animals occurs mainly in two pathways, I and II (Figure 4.1). The first major pathway (I), initiated by the action of tryptophan dioxygenase, involves oxidation of tryptophan to N - fc > r my I ky n urenine and the formation of a series of intermediates and byproducts, most of which appear in varying amounts in the urine, the sum of which accounts for the total metabolism of tryptophan, approximately. The second pathway (II) involves hydroxylation of tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan and decarboxylation of this compound to 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), a potent vasoconstrictor found particularly in the brain, intestinal tissues, blood platelets, and mast cells. A small percentage (3%) of dietary tryptophan is metabolized via the pathway (III) to indoleacetic acid. Other minor pathways also exist in animal tissues. 

In the rat, the most often studied animal species, whose tryptophan metabolism resembles closely that of humans, acute ethanol administration, as described earlier, induces a biphasic effect on serum tryptophan levels, an initial increase followed by a later inhibition. Similarly, acute ethanol administration exerts a biphasic effect on brain serotonin synthesis and turnover, an initial enhancement followed by a later inhibition.111 The initial enhancement is caused by an increase in circulating free tryptophan availability to brain, probably secondary to a catecholamine-dependent lipolysis and a nonesteri-fied fatty acid-mediated displacement of the albumin-bound amino acid, whereas the later inhibition of serotonin synthesis and turnover is the result of a decrease in circulating free and albumin-bound tryptophan availability to the brain secondary to activation of hepatic tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TP) by the earlier increase in free tryptophan to the liver. The activation of hepatic TP by acute ethanol administration, which is substrate (tryptophan) mediated, has been described in rats by Badawy and Evans.111127128... 

IPA has a pivotal role in liver reducing tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase and thereby increases free tryptophan availability to the brain. In brain, it can detoxify cells from free-radicals, reducing activity of excitatory amino acids and stimulating biosynthesis of melatonin. 

Tryptophan dioxygenase and tyrosine transaminase. This results in depletion of the tissue pools of these two amino acids, leaving an unbalanced mixture of amino acids that cannot be used for protein synthesis (section 9.2.3). 

Degradation of L-tryptophan in most organisms proceeds via L-kynurenine, 3-hydroxy-L-kynurenine, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and quinolinic acid to acetyl Co A and CO2 (Fig. 244). Anthranilic acid formed as an intermediate may be recycled to L-tryptophan (see above). The ring of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid is cleaved by a dioxygenase (C 2.5). The x-amino-/3-carboxymuconic acid-e-semialdehyde formed either undergoes a cis trans isomerization of the Zl -double bond and cyclization to quinolinic acid, a compound synthesized in microorganisms and plants from aspartic acid and D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (D 16.2). On the other hand o -amino-/3-carboxymuconic acid-e-aldehyde may be de-carboxylated and is then the immediate precursor of NH3, acetic acid and COg. 

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