Aromatic pathway enzymes, response

Table III. Response of aromatic-pathway enzymes to mechanical wounding...

Metabolic pathways containing dioxygenases in wild-type strains are usually related to detoxification processes upon conversion of aromatic xenobiotics to phenols and catechols, which are more readily excreted. Within such pathways, the intermediate chiral cis-diol is rearomatized by a dihydrodiol-dehydrogenase. While this mild route to catechols is also exploited synthetically [221], the chirality is lost. In the context of asymmetric synthesis, such further biotransformations have to be prevented, which was initially realized by using mutant strains deficient in enzymes responsible for the rearomatization. Today, several dioxygenases with complementary substrate profiles are available, as outlined in Table 9.6. Considering the delicate architecture of these enzyme complexes, recombinant whole-cell-mediated biotransformations are the only option for such conversions. E. coli is preferably used as host and fermentation protocols have been optimized [222,223]. 

The Shikimate pathway is responsible for biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids in bacteria, fungi and plants [28], and the absence of this pathway in mammals makes it an interesting target for designing novel antibiotics, fungicides and herbicides. After the production of chorismate the pathway branches and, via specific internal pathways, the chorismate intermediate is converted to the three aromatic amino acids, in addition to a number of other aromatic compounds [29], The enzyme chorismate mutase (CM) is a key enzyme responsible for the Claisen rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate (Scheme 1-1), the first step in the branch that ultimately leads to production of tyrosine and phenylalanine. 

A number of conformationally restricted fluorinated inhibitors have been synthesized and evaluated. These smdies show that (1) subtle conformational differences of the substrates affect the inhibition (potency, reversible or irreversible character) (Figure 7.50), (2) a third inhibition process involving an aromatization mechanism could take place (Figure 7.51). When the Michael addition and enamine pathways lead to a covalently modified active site residue, the aromatization pathway produces a modified coenzyme able to produce a tight binding complex with the enzyme, responsible for the inhibition (Figure 7.51). ... 

The enzymes of the common aromatic pathway, other than DAHPS, show relatively little response to repression control in S. typhimurhm [76] and E. coli [108,110] under most test conditions. However, considerable variation in the level of the shikimate kinase of E. coli has been reported [3] for aromatic auxotrophs under certain growth conditions. The possibility that this enzyme may play an important regulatory role is also suggested by the evidence for two chromatographically separable shikimate kinase enzymes in S. typhimurium [119]. The presence of two isoenzymes of shikimate kinase in this organism would explain the apparent lack of occurrence of strains with mutational defects in this enzyme. 

The metabolic pathway responsible for biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids and for vitamin-like derivatives such as folic acid and ubiquinones is a major enzyme network in nature. In higher plants this pathway plays an even larger role since it is the source of precursors for numerous phenylpropanoid compounds, lignins, auxins, tannins, cyano-genic glycosides and an enormous variety of other secondary metabolites. Such secondary metabolites may originate from the amino acid end products or from intermediates in the pathway (Fig. 1). The aromatic pathway interfaces with carbohydrate metabolism at the reaction catalyzed by 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase, the condensation of erythrose-4-phosphate and PEP to form... 

The NHase responsible for aldoxime metabolism from the i -pyridine-3-aldoxime-degrading bacterium, Rhodococcus sp. strain YH3-3, was purified and characterized. Addition of cobalt ion was necessary for the formation of enzyme. The native enzyme had a Mr of 130000 and consisted of two subunits (a-subunit, 27 100 (3-subunit, 34500). The enzyme contained approximately 2 mol cobalt per mol enzyme. The enzyme had a wide substrate specificity it acted on aliphatic saturated and unsaturated as well as aromatic nitriles. The N-terminus of the (3-subunit showed good sequence similarities with those of other NHases. Thus, this NHase is part of the metabolic pathway for aldoximes in microorganisms. 

Oxidation is intimately linked to the activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to carcinogens (1-3). Oxidation of PAH in animals and man is enzyme-catalyzed and is a response to the introduction of foreign compounds into the cellular environment. The most intensively studied enzyme of PAH oxidation is cytochrome P-450, which is a mixed-function oxidase that receives its electrons from NADPH via a one or two component electron transport chain (10. Some forms of this enzyme play a major role in systemic metabolism of PAH (4 ). However, there are numerous examples of carcinogens that require metabolic activation, including PAH, that induce cancer in tissues with low mixed-function oxidase activity ( 5). In order to comprehensively evaluate the metabolic activation of PAH, one must consider all cellular pathways for their oxidative activation. 

Deoxy-D-araZu o-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthetase (DAHPS) is the initial enzyme in the pathway responsible for the synthesis of aromatic compounds in microorganisms and plants. It catalyses the reaction shown in Equation (4) ... 

Some typical structural templates embedded with the thiazoHdine frame have been reported as potent inhibitors of aldose reductase (AR), an enzyme in the polyol pathway responsible for the conversion of glucose to sorbitol. In this, the accumulation of sorbitol has been attributed to causing cataracts, neuropathy, and retinopathy in diabetic cases [ 157,158]. The planar hydrophobic (aromatic) regions and propensity to charge transfer interactions have been... 

---