Cysteine synthase amino acids

The key enzyme in this sequence, isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS), has been purified from E. coli (59) and the recombinant enzyme shown to be a single polypeptide of 336 amino acids containing two cysteines, numbers 106 and 255 from the /V-teiminus, and probably a ferrous ion in a nonheme environment. The enzyme has been crystallized and studies undertaken to obtain suitably sized crystals for diffraction studies. 

Beta replacement is catalyzed by such enzymes of amino acid biosynthesis as tryptophan synthase (Chapter 25),184 O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (cysteine synthase),185 186a and cystathionine (3-synthase (Chapter 24).187 188c In both elimination and (3 replacement an unsaturated Schiff base, usually of aminoacrylate or aminocrotonate, is a probable intermediate (Eq. 14-29). Conversion to the final products is usually assumed to be via hydrolysis to free aminoacrylate, tautomerization to an imino acid, and hydrolysis of the latter, e.g., to pyruvate and ammonium ion (Eq. 14-29). However, the observed stereospecific addition of a... 

Cysteine is formed in plants and in bacteria from sulfide and serine after the latter has been acetylated by transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl-CoA (Fig. 24-25, step f). This standard PLP-dependent (3 replacement (Chapter 14) is catalyzed by cysteine synthase (O-acetylserine sulfhydrase).446 447 A similar enzyme is used by some cells to introduce sulfide ion directly into homocysteine, via either O-succinyl homoserine or O-acetyl homoserine (Fig. 24-13). In E. coli cysteine can be converted to methionine, as outlined in Eq. lb-22 and as indicated on the right side of Fig. 24-13 by the green arrows. In animals the converse process, the conversion of methionine to cysteine (gray arrows in Fig. 24-13, also Fig. 24-16), is important. Animals are unable to incorporate sulfide directly into cysteine, and this amino acid must be either provided in the diet or formed from dietary methionine. The latter process is limited, and cysteine is an essential dietary constituent for infants. The formation of cysteine from methionine occurs via the same transsulfuration pathway as in methionine synthesis in autotrophic organisms. However, the latter use cystathionine y-synthase and P-lyase while cysteine synthesis in animals uses cystathionine P-synthase and y-lyase. 

The a-chloroacetamide group has features that are beneficial for undirected ABPP. Its small size does not bias binding elements towards a specific class of enzyme, and it possesses reactivity towards a broad variety of nucleophilic amino acid residues. A library of a-chloroacetamide-based probes were synthesized by Cravatt s group. The binding element in these probes was a dipeptide that was varied with small, large, hydrophobic, and charged side chains, and a biotin or rhodamine tag was appended as a reporter tag. Upon screening of eukaryotic proteomes with this library, many enzymes previously unaddressed by directed ABPP probes were uncovered. These included fatty acid synthase, hydro-xypyruvate reductase, malic enzyme, and the nitrilase superfamily [163, 164]. In contrast to the sulfonate esters, a-chloroacetamides react preferentially with cysteine residues in the proteome. 

The biosynthesis of CPC is well known. The first step of CPC synthesis is the formation of the tripeptide S-(L-a-aminoadipyl)-L-cysteinlyl-D-valine (LLD-ACV) from L-a-aminoadipinic acid (AAA), L-cystein (CYS ) and D-valine (VAL) by the LLD-ACV synthetase (ACVS). LLD-ACV is converted with the enzyme isopenicillin AT-synthetase (cyclase) to isopenicillin N (IPN) and then with isopenicillin N-epimerase to penicillin N (PEN). The 6-ring is formed by deacetoxycephalosporin C-synthase (expandase). Deacetoxycephalosporin C (DAOC) is converted with deacetoxycephalosporin C-hydroxylase to decacetylcephalosporin C (DAC) and the latter with deacetylcephalosporin C-acyltransferase to CPC (Fig. 1). Except the amino acid and ACV, all others were monitored by on-line HPLC. 

There are two pyridoxal phosphate-requiring enzymes in the homocysteine degradation pathway, which are associated with genetic diseases. In homo-cystinuria, cystathionine synthase is defective, and large amounts of homocystine are excreted in the urine. Some homocystinurics respond to the administration of large doses of vitamin B6. In cystathioninuria, cystathionase is either defective or absent. These patients excrete cystathionine in the urine. Cystathionase is often underactive in the newborns with immature livers, and cysteine and cystine become essential amino acids. Human milk protein is especially rich in cysteine, presumably to prepare the newborn for such a contingency. 

Fig. 9. Redox-active amino acid residues related to tyrosine, (a) Tyrosine, the redox center in ribonucleotide reductase, prostaglandin H synthase, and the photosynthetic oxygen evolving complex, (b) 2,4,5-Trihydroxyphenylalanine, the redox cofactor of the quinoprotein amine oxidase, (c) Tyrosine-cysteine (Tyr-Cys), the redox cofactor of galactose oxidase.

Ikegami, R, Mizuno, M. and Murakoshi, I. (1990) Enzymatic synthesis of the thyrotoxic amino acid, mimosine, by cysteine synthase. Phytochemistry, 29,3461-6. 

Beta replacement is catalyzed by such enzymes of amino acid bios5mthesis as tryptophan synthase (Chapter 25), O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (cysteine synihase), and cystathionine 3-synthase (Chapter In both elimination and (I replace-... 

Figure 7-10. Amino acids that can be converted to succinyl CoA. The amino acids methionine, threonine, isoleucine, and valine, which form succinyl CoA via methylmalonyl CoA, are all essential. The carbons of serine are converted to cysteine and do not form succinyl CoA by this pathway. A defect in cystathionine synthase (M) causes homocystinuria. SAM= S-adenosylmethionine PLP = pyridoxal phosphate.

Other examples of PLP-requiring enzymes are the amino acid decarboxylases that lead to formation of amines, including several that are functional in nervous tissue (e.g., epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and y-aminobutyrate) cysteine desulfhydrase and serine hydroxymethyltransferase, which use PLP to effect the loss or transfer of amino acid side chains phosphorylase, which catalyzes phosphorolysis of the a-1,4-linkages of glycogen and cystathione beta-synthase in the transsulfiiration pathway of homocysteine. Additionally the biosynthesis of heme depends on the early... 

Our laboratory has studied the stereochemistry of methyl group formation in a number of a, 0 elimination reactions of amino acids catalyzed by pyridoxal phosphate enzymes. The reactions include the conversions of L-serine to pyruvate with tryptophan synthase 02 protein (78) and tryptophanase (79), of L-serine and l-tyrosine with tyrosine phenol-lyase (80), and l-cystine with S-alkylcysteine lyase (81). In the latter study, the stereospecific isotopically labeled L-cystines were obtained enzymatically by incubation of L-serines appropriately labeled in the 3-position with the enzyme O-acetyl serine sulfhy-drase (82). The serines tritiated in the 3-position were prepared enzymatically starting from [l-3H]glucose and [l-3H]mannose by a sequence of reactions of known stereochemistry (81). The cysteines were then incubated with 5-alkyl-cysteine lyase in 2H20 as outlined in Scheme 19. The pyruvate was trapped as lactate, which was oxidized with K2Cr202 to acetate for analysis. Similarly, Cheung and Walsh (71) examined the conversion of D-serine to pyruvate with... 

In /3-replacement reactions, the /3-substituent of an amino acid substrate is replaced by a new /3-substituent. For the three enzymes (TRPS, OASS, and cystathionine /3-synthase (CBS)) whose mechanisms are discussed in this section, the catalytic reaction is composed of two distinct half-reactions. The /3-elimination is followed by a /3-addition where nucleophilic agents, indole, sulfide, and homocysteine, respectively, react with the ci-aminoacrylate Schiff base to form the final product, L-tryptophan, L-cysteine, and L-cystathionine, respectively. 

Cysteine inhibits cystathionine 3-synthase and, therefore, regulates its own production to adjust for the dietary supply of cysteine. Because cysteine derives its sulfur from the essential amino acid methionine, cysteine becomes essential if the supply of methionine is inadequate for cysteine synthesis. Conversely, an adequate dietary source of cysteine spares methionine that is, it decreases the amount that must be degraded to produce cysteine. 

The conversion of methionine to homocysteine and homocysteine to cysteine is the major degradative route for these two amino acids. Because this is the only degradative route for homocysteine, vitamin B6 deficiency or congenital cystathi-none (3-synthase deficiency can result in homocystinemia, which is associated with cardiovascular disease. 

I. 1-1) starts with the polymerization of L-a-aminoadipic acid, L-cysteine, and L-valine to the linear tripeptide L-a-aminoadipyl-L-cysteinyl-D-valine(ACV-peptide). This reaction is catalyzed by the ACV-synthase (MW about 420 kD) through the following steps (1) the ATP-dependent activation of these amino acids to bind them as thiolesters, (2) the epimerization of L-valine, and hnally (3) the condensation by a thiotemplate mechanism [99]. 

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