Biosynthesis of Pyridoxal Phosphate

Having discussed the biosynthesis of pyridoxal phosphate and morphine in the preceding two sections, we ll end this chapter on natural-products chemistry by going up yet one more level in complexity and looking at polyketide biosynthesis. Unlike what happens in many metabolic pathways, where each separate step is catalyzed by a separate, relatively small enzyme, erythromycin and other polyketides are assembled by a single massive enzyme called a synthase. The synthase contains many enzyme domains linked together, with each domain catalyzing a specific biosynthetic step in sequence. 

In the synthesis of fatty acids the acetyl irnits are condensed and then are reduced to form straight hydrocarbon chains. In the oxo-acid chain elongation mechanism, the acetyl unit is introduced but is later decarboxylated. Tlius, the chain is increased in length by one carbon atom at a time. These two mechanisms account for a great deal of the biosynthesis by chain extension. However, there are other variations. For example, glycine (a carboxylated methylamine), under the influence of pyridoxal phosphate and with accompanying decarboxylation, condenses with succinyl-CoA (Eq. 14-32) to extend the carbon chain and at the same time to introduce an amino group. Likewise, serine (a carboxylated ethanolamine) condenses with... 

In vitamin Be-deflcient experimental animals, there are skin lesions (e.g., acrodynia in the rat) and fissures or ulceration at the corners of the mouth and over the tongue, as well as a number of endocrine abnormalities defects in the metabolism of tryptophan (Section 9.5.4), methionine (Section 9.5.5), and other amino acids hypochromic microcytic anemia (the first step of heme biosynthesis is pyridoxal phosphate dependent) changes in leukocyte count and activity a tendency to epileptiform convulsions and peripheral nervous system damage resulting in ataxia and sensory neuropathy. There is also impairment of immune responses, as a result of reduced activity of serine hydroxymethyltransferase and hence reduced availability of one-carbon substituted folate for nucleic acid synthesis (Section 10.3.3). It has been suggested... 

Branching of pathways is relevant in several cases. Thus, intermediates of the porphyrin biosynthetic pathway serve as precursors for chlorophyll (17, Fig. 2) and for the corrinoid ring systems of vitamin B12 (20, Fig. 2) (17). 1-Deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (43) serves as an intermediate for the biosynthesis of pyridoxal 5 -phosphate (39, Fig. 5), for the terpenoid precursor IPP (86) via the nonmevalonate pathway (Fig. 11), and for the thiazole moiety of thiamine pyrophosphate (46, Fig. 4). 7,8-Dihydroneopterin triphosphate (29, Fig. 3) serves as intermediate in the biosynthetic pathways of tetrahydrofolate (33) and tetrahydrobiopterin (31). The closely related compound 7,8-dihydroneopterin 2, 3 -cyclic phosphate is the precursor of the archaeal cofactor, tetrahydromethanopterin (34) (58). A common pyrimidine-type intermediate (23) serves as precursor for flavin and deazaflavin coenzymes. Various sulfur-containing coenzymes (thiamine (9), lipoic acid (7), biotin (6), Fig. 1) use a pyrosulfide protein precursor that is also used for the biosynthesis of inorganic sulfide as a precursor for iron/sulfur clusters (12). 

Parsons TF, Preiss J. Biosynthesis of bacterial glycogen. Incorporation of pyridoxal phosphate into the allosteric activator site and an ADP-glucose-protected pyridoxal phosphate binding site of Escherichia coli B ADP-glucose synthase. J. Biol. Chem. 1978 253 6197-6202. 

The mechanism of function of pyridoxal phosphate in tryptophan biosynthesis is considered in more detail later in discussing other pyridoxine-dependent enzymes. An activated form of serine is formed which reacts with indole. Dehydration can take place in two ways intermolecularly, involving loss of water between the jS-hydroxyl of activated serine and the d-hydrogen of indole, or intramolecularly, involving loss of water from activated serine to give activated aminoacrylic acid, which then adds on to the i8-position of indole. Tatum and Shemin (858) in ingenious experiments... 

Fig. 48.4. The pathways of catecholamine and melanin biosynthesis. PLP = pyridoxal phosphate. BH4 = tetrahydrobiopterin. The shaded boxes indicate the enzymes, which, when defective, lead to albinism.

Kynurenine is hydroxylated to hydroxykynurenine by an enzyme (kynurenine-3-hydroxylase) found in rat liver mitochondria. The reaction requires NADPH and molecular oxygen. In the presence of pyridoxal phosphate, hydroxykynurenine is hydrolyzed by an enzyme (kynurenase) found in liver and kidney. The product of this reaction is 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid. The same enzyme catalyzes the cleavage of the side chain of kynurenine to yield alanine and anthranilic acid. Studies made with labeled 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid demonstrated its role as an intermediate of the biosynthesis of nicotinic acid. These studies established that the label of the carbon 3 of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid is transferred to the a-carbon of quinolinic acid and is lost as C14O2 during the conversion of quinolinic to nicotinic acid. The details of the metabolic conversion of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid to nicotinic acid are known. 

As shown in Scheme 12.81, the biosynthesis of pyridoxal begins with erythrose-4-phosphate. Oxidation of the aldehyde (EC 1.2.1.72, NAD to NADH/H+) produces, hrst, 4-phosphoerythronate, and a second oxidation with the same cofactor (EC 1.1.1.290) yields the corresponding a-ketocarboxylic acid (3i )-3-hydroxy-2-oxo-4-phosphonooxybutanoate. Ttansamination (glutamate [Glu, E a-ketoglutarate],... 

Let s begin this quick tour of natural-products chemistry by looking at the biosynthesis of pyridoxal 5 -phosphate (PLP), a relatively simple enzyme cofactor we ve encountered several times in different metabolic pathways. An overview of PLP biosynthesis is shown in Figure 25.1. 

Having looked at the biosynthesis of pyridoxal 5 -phosphate in the previous section, let s now go up a level in complexity by looking at morphine biosynthesis. Morphine, perhaps the oldest and best known of all alkaloids, is obtained from the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, which has been cultivated for more than 6000 years. Medical uses of the poppy have been known since the early 1500s, when crude extracts, called opium, were used for the relief of pain. Morphine was the first pure compound to be isolated from opium, but its close relative codeine also occurs naturally. Codeine, which is simply the methyl ether of morphine and is converted to morphine in the... 

Two routes to phospholipid biosynthesis are known in either, the participation of CTP is necessary. The first route involves phosphatidic acid in phosphoglyceride biosynthesis. Phosphatidic acid reacts with CTP to yield CDP-diglyceride which, as a coenzyme, can participate in the transfer of diglyceride onto serine (or inositol) to produce phosphatidylserine (or phosphatidylinositol). Serine phosphatides are liable to decarboxylation (pyridoxal phosphate acting... 

In a series of papers, Cook et al.60-63 presented results of the 31P NMR studies of pyridoxal 5 -phosphate dependent enzyme. O-acetylserine sulf-hydrylase is the enzyme which catalyses the final step of biosynthesis of l-cysteine, the replacement of p-acetoxy group of O-acetyl-L-serine by thiol [30] in bacteria and plants. 

Many DOHs, such as L-daunosamine, L-epivancosamine or L-ristosamine, contain an amino group at C3, which is introduced by an aminotransferase. The substrate for this reaction is the 3-keto sugar intermediate that arises as a consequence of the action of a 2,3-dehydratase. This transaminahon reaction has been biochemically characterized in the biosynthesis of L-epivancosamine [10]. Using a coupled reaction with EvaB (2,3-dehydratase) and EvaC (aminotransferase), with pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PEP) as a coenzyme and L-glutamate as a cosubstrate, they were able to show conversion of TDP-4-keto-2,6-dideoxyglucose into thymidine-5 -diphospho-3-amino-2,3,6-trideoxy-D-threo-hexopyranos-4-ulose. 

Tiburzy (22,31) obtained similar results by application of the PAL inhibitor aminooxyacetic acid (AOA). However, AOA does not specifically inhibit PAL (99), and PAL is not only involved in lignin biosynthesis (100). Thus, AOA and the related inhibitor aminooxyphenyl propionic acid (AOPP) (101,102) inhibit the biosynthesis of lignin (103,104), anthocyanins (105), other flavonoids (106), and conjugates of cinnamic acids (107) via PAL, as well as ethylene (108-110) via a pyridoxal phosphate dependent enzyme (110,111). In view of the possible function of phenolic compounds as phytoalexins (21,112,113) and the well documented role of ethylene in some resistance reactions (114-116), the above cited experiments with AOA (22,... 

Formation of S-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) All the carbon and nitrogen atoms of the porphyrin molecule are provided by two simple building blocks glycine (a nonessential amino acid) and succinyl CoA (an intermediate in the citric acid cycle). Glycine and succinyl CoA condense to form ALA in a reaction catalyzed by ALA synthase (Figure 21.3) This reaction requires pyridoxal phosphate as a coenzyme, and is the rate-controlling step in hepatic porphyrin biosynthesis. 

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