Cysteine pathways

Adaptation of the L-Cysteine Pathway to Produce Unnatural Amino Acids.39... 

H2S can be produced via the metabolism of sulfhydryl-bearing amino acids, specifically by several enzymes found in the methionine-homocysteine-cysteine pathway such as cystathionine 3 synthase (CBS) and cystathionine lyase (CGL) (Fig. 8.1) [6, 10, 11]. The sequence of CBS has been identified in genomes from bacteria to humans [12-14], and a gene similar to the sulfide quinone oxidoreductase gene has been identified in the genome of flies, worms, mice, rats, and humans [15], indicating that cellular H2S and its regulation may be widespread and essential. 

Original Synthesis. The first attempted synthesis of i7-biotin in 1945 afforded racemic biotin (Fig. I). In this synthetic pathway, L-cysteine [52-90-4] (2) was converted to the methyl ester [5472-74-2] (3). An intramolecular Dieckmaim condensation, during which stereochemical integrity was lost, was followed by decarboxylation to afford the thiophanone [57752-72-4] (4). Aldol condensation of the thiophanone with the aldehyde ester [6026-86-4]... 

The importance of biotin in nutrition and increasing commercial needs combine to suggest the need for short and economical synthesis. Retrosynthetic analysis using cysteine as SM goal suggested a number of synthetic pathways for study, one of which has been demonstrated as shown below. 

The isomerization of isopentenyl diphosphate to dimethylally diphos phate is catalyzed by JPP isomerase and occurs through a carbocation pathway Protonation of the IPP double bond by a hydrogen-bonded cysteine residue ir the enzyme gives a tertiary carbocation intermediate, which is deprotonated b a glutamate residue as base to yield DMAPP. X-ray structural studies on the enzyme show that it holds the substrate in an unusually deep, well-protectec pocket to shield the highly reactive carbocation from reaction with solvent 01 other external substances. 

The retro-Claisen reaction occurs by initial nucleophilic addition of a cysteine -SH group on the enzyme to the keto group of the /3-ketoacyl CoA to yield an alkoxide ion intermediate. Cleavage of the C2-C3 bond then follows, with expulsion of an acetyl CoA enolate ion. Protonation of the enolate ion gives acetyl CoA, and the enzyme-bound acyl group undergoes nucleophilic acyl substitution by reaction with a molecule of coenzyme A. The chain-shortened acyl CoA that results then enters another round of tire /3-oxidation pathway for further degradation. 

The amino acid cysteine, C3H7NO2S, is biosynthesized from a substance called cystathionine by a multistep pathway. 

The third reason for favoring a non-radical pathway is based on studies of a mutant version of the CFeSP. This mutant was generated by changing a cysteine residue to an alanine, which converts the 4Fe-4S cluster of the CFeSP into a 3Fe-4S cluster (14). This mutation causes the redox potential of the 3Fe-4S cluster to increase by about 500 mV. The mutant is incapable of coupling the reduction of the cobalt center to the oxidation of CO by CODH. Correspondingly, it is unable to participate in acetate synthesis from CH3-H4 folate, CO, and CoA unless chemical reductants are present. If mechanism 3 (discussed earlier) is correct, then the methyl transfer from the methylated corrinoid protein to CODH should be crippled. However, this reaction occurred at equal rates with the wild-type protein and the CFeSP variant. We feel that this result rules out the possibility of a radical methyl transfer mechanics and offers strong support for mechanism 1. 

Alanine. Transamination of alanine forms pyruvate. Perhaps for the reason advanced under glutamate and aspartate catabolism, there is no known metabolic defect of alanine catabolism. Cysteine. Cystine is first reduced to cysteine by cystine reductase (Figure 30-7). Two different pathways then convert cysteine to pyruvate (Figure 30-8). 

Figure 30-8. Catabolism of i-cysteine via the cysteine sulfinate pathway (top) and by the 3-mercaptopy-ruvate pathway (bottom).

Two distinct pathways convert cysteine to pyruvate. Metabohc disorders of cysteine catabohsm include cystine-lysinuria, cystine storage disease, and the ho-mocystinurias. 

Eyre RJ, Stevens DK, Parker JC, et al. 1995a. Acid-labile adducts to protein can be used as indicators of the cysteine conjugate pathway of trichloroethene metabolism. J Toxicol Environ Health 46 443-464. 

The degradation of CCl4 by Pseudomonas sp. strain KC involved formation of intermediate COCI2 that was trapped as a HEPES complex, and by reaction with cysteine (Lewis and Crawford 1995). Further details of the pathway that is mediated by the metabolite pyridine-dithiocarboxylic acid have been elucidated (Lewis et al. 2001). 

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