Ammonia-lyases

Biosynthesis of Tea Flavonoids. The pathways for the de novo biosynthesis of flavonoids in both soft and woody plants (Pigs. 3 and 4) have been generally elucidated and reviewed in detail (32,51). The regulation and control of these pathways in tea and the nature of the enzymes involved in synthesis in tea have not been studied exhaustively. The key enzymes thought to be involved in the biosynthesis of tea flavonoids are 5-dehydroshikimate reductase (52), phenylalanine ammonia lyase (53), and those associated with the shikimate/arogenate pathway (52). At least 13 enzymes catalyze the formation of plant flavonoids (Table 4). 

One of the most interesting uses for cinnamic acid in recent years has been as a raw material in the preparation of L-phenylalanine [63-91-2] the key intermediate for the synthetic dipeptide sweetener aspartame (25). Genex has described a biosynthetic route to L-phenylalanine which involves treatment of immobilized ceUs of R rubra containing the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAT,) with ammonium cinnamate [25459-05-6] (26). 

The first step in the biological degradation of histidine is formation of a 4-methylideneimidazol-5-one (MIO) by cyclization of a segment of the peptide chain in the histidine ammonia lyase enzyme. Propose a mechanism. 

Reaction 1 is governed by the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia lyase. This enzyme normally conducts the breakdown of L-phenylalanine to from-cinnamic add and ammonia. However, die reaction can be reversed leading to the production of L-phenylalanine from frans-dnnamic add by using excess ammonia. 

L-Phenylalanine can be synthesised from trims-cinnamic add (Figure A8.12) catalysed by a L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from Rhodococcus glutinis. The commercialisation of the process was limited by the low conversion (70%), low stability of the biocatalyst and die severe inhibition exerted by trims-cinnamic add. These problems were largely overcome by researchers at Genex. The process, commercialised for a short period by Gen ex, involves a cell-free preparation of phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase activity from Rhodotorula rubra. 

Chappell, J., Hahlbrock, K. Boiler, T. (1984). Rapid induction of ethylene biosynthesis in cultured parsley cells by fungal elicitor and its relationship to the induction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Planta, 161, 475-80. 

Kuhn, D.N., Chappell, J., Boudet, A. Hahlbrock, K. (1984). Induction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and 4-coumarate CoA ligase mRNAs in cultured plant cells by UV light or fungal elicitor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 81,1102-6. 

Lawton, M.A., Dixon, R.A., Rowell, P.M., Bailey, J.A. Lamb, C.J. (1983). Rapid induction of the synthesis of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and of chalcone synthase in elicitor-treated plant cells. European Journal of Biochemistry, 129, 593-601. 

Fig. 12. Tentative model of the signal transduction chain that links the perception of pectic fragments to defense responses in carrot cells. Abbreviations apy, heterotrimeric G protein CaM, calmodulin 4CL, 4-coumarate-CoA ligase CTX, cholera toxin FC, fusicoccine GDP-P-S and GTP-y-S, guanosine 5 -0-(2-thiodiphosphate) and guanosine 5 -0-(3-thiotriphosphate) IP3, 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate PAL, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase PLC, phospholipase C PR, pathogenesis related PTX, pertussis toxin Rc, receptor SP, staurosporine. Activation and inhibition are symbolized by + and -respectively.

Xiang L, BS Moore (2002) Inactivation, complementation, and heterologous expression of encP, a novel bacterial phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene. J Biol Chem 277 32505-32509. 

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL EC 4.3.1.5) is a pivotal enzyme in controlling flow of carbon from aromatic amino acids to secondary aromatic compounds (Figure 1) (28). PAL primarily deaminates phenylalanine to form t-cinnamic acid, however, in many species, it also less efficiently deaminates tyrosine to form -coumaric acid. Because PAL is restricted to plants and is an important enzyme in plant development, Jangaard (29) suggested that PAL inhibitors might make safe and effective herbicides, however, in his screen of several herbicides, he found no compound to have a specific effect on PAL. This was also the case in studies by Hoagland and Duke (30, 31.) in which 16 herbicides were screened. 

Figure 1. Schematic outline of various products and associated enzymes from the shikimate and phenolic pathways in plants (and some microorganisms). Enzymes (1) 3-deoxy-2-oxo-D-arabino-heptulosate-7-phosphate synthase (2) 5-dehydroquinate synthase (3) shikimate dehydrogenase (4) shikimate kinase (5) 5-enol-pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (6) chorismate synthase (7) chorismate mutase (8) prephenate dehydrogenase (9) tyrosine aminotransferase (10) prephenate dehydratase (11) phenylalanine aminotransferase (12) anthranilate synthase (13) tryptophan synthase (14) phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (15) tyrosine ammonia-lyase and (16) polyphenol oxidase. (From ACS Symposium Series No. 181, 1982) (62).

Dehydroshikimate reductase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase mediate reactions involved in the synthesis of the polyphenols and are therefore key components of tea leaf.24... 

Ethanolamine ammonia lyase, L-/ -lysine mutase, D-a-lysine mutase and ornithine mutase are representative of cobamide enzymes in which transfer of hydrogen occurs with cleavage of the C—N bond (Fig. 16). 

Ethanolamine ammonia lyase has a molecular weight of 520,000 and consists of 8 or 10 subunits. Two 5 -deoxyadenosylcobalamin molecular bind per enzyme molecule, and recent kinetic studies by Babior show that these two molecules carry out catalysis independently. Evidence is available that this enzyme functions by a radical mechanism since both spin labeling and Co(II) esr experiments indicate that Co(II) is an intermediate during H-transfer. Also, 5 -deoxyadenosine has been detected as a product of oxygenation of the enzyme-substrate complex (99—101). 

The most extensive and informative enzyme work with B12 spin labels has been carried out on the enzyme ethanolamine ammonia-lyase 123). This work has employed six-coordinate 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetra-methylpiperidine-N-oxyl-5 -deoxyadenosylcobinamide. Ethanolamine ammonia lyase uses 5 -deoxyadenosylcobalamin as cofactor. Spin labeled 5 -deoxyadenosylcobinamide was used in order to determine the nature of the first step in the mechanism of action of ethanolamine ammonia lyase by determining the manner in which the Co—C bond is broken. Spin labeled 5 -deoxyadenosylcobinamide was synthesized by taking reduced diaquocobinamide and reacting it with an excess of 5 -tosyl-adenosine to give 5 -deoxyadenosylcobinamide. This was stirred for three days with a 20 fold excess of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine... 

Spin labeled 5 -deoxyadenosylcobinamide has been used as a cofactor for ethanolamine-ammonia-lyase and the ESR spectrum followed during catalysis (123). This spin labeled coenzyme is biologically active in this enzyme. Enzyme kinetics showed this derivative to have the same Vmax as the cofactor 5 -deoxyadenosylcobinamide, but it has a higher Km value of 5.1 X 10-6 M compared to 4.6 X 10-6 for 5 -deoxyadenosylcobinamide (123). When the spin labeled coenzyme was incubated with apoenzyme to give the enzyme-coenzyme complex, the nitroxide ESR spectrum resembled that of free spin label but the lines are broadened significantly. 

Fig. 29. Decrease in intensity of nitroxide ESR signal npon addition of deuterated ethanolamine to ethanolamine ammonia lyase containing spin labeled cobinamide coenzyme. The two curves are for different concentrations of coenzyme to enzyme. The arrows indicate the point at which alcohol dehydrogenase and NADH was added to remove acetaldehyde from the enzyme. Note that full intensity is regained...

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