Decarboxylation using decarboxylase enzymes

A 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.63) was purified from C. hydroxybenzoicum and characterized for the first time. The estimated molecular mass of the enzyme is 270 kDa. The subunit molecular mass is 57kDa, suggesting that the enzyme consists of five identical subunits. The temperature and pH optima are 50°C and pH 7.0, respectively. The Arrhenius energy for decarboxylation of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate was 32.5 kJ mol for the temperature range from 22 to 50°C. The and for 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate were 0.6 mM and 5.4 X 10 min respectively, at pH 7.0 and 25°C. The enzyme catalyzes the reverse reaction, that is, the carboxylation of catechol to 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, at pH 7.0. The enzyme does not decarboxylate 4-hydroxybenzoate. Although the equilibrium of the reaction is on the side of catechol, it is postulated that C. hydroxybenzoicum uses the enzyme to convert catechol to 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate. ... 

Allenic amino acids belong to the classical suicide substrates for the irreversible mechanism-based inhibition of enzymes [5], Among the different types of allenic substrates used for enzyme inhibition [128, 129], the deactivation of vitamin B6 (pyr-idoxal phosphate)-dependent decarboxylases by a-allenic a-amino acids plays an important role (Scheme 18.45). In analogy with the corresponding activity of other /3,y-unsaturated amino acids [102,130], it is assumed that the allenic amino acid 139 reacts with the decarboxylase 138 to furnish the imine 140, which is transformed into a Michael acceptor of type 141 by decarboxylation or deprotonation. Subsequent attack of a suitable nucleophilic group of the active site then leads to inhibition of the decarboxylase by irreversible formation of the adduct 142 [131,132]. 

Nevertheless, malonyl-CoA is a major metabolite. It is an intermediate in fatty acid synthesis (see Fig. 17-12) and is formed in the peroxisomal P oxidation of odd chain-length dicarboxylic acids.703 Excess malonyl-CoA is decarboxylated in peroxisomes, and lack of the decarboxylase enzyme in mammals causes the lethal malonic aciduria.703 Some propionyl-CoA may also be metabolized by this pathway. The modified P oxidation sequence indicated on the left side of Fig. 17-3 is used in green plants and in many microorganisms. 3-Hydroxypropionyl-CoA is hydrolyzed to free P-hydroxypropionate, which is then oxidized to malonic semialdehyde and converted to acetyl-CoA by reactions that have not been completely described. Another possible pathway of propionate metabolism is the direct conversion to pyruvate via a oxidation into lactate, a mechanism that may be employed by some bacteria. Another route to lactate is through addition of water to acrylyl-CoA, the product of step a of Fig. 17-3. Tire water molecule adds in the "wrong way," the OH ion going to the a carbon instead of the P (Eq. 17-8). An enzyme with an active site similar to that of histidine ammonia-lyase (Eq. 14-48) could... 

ANAEROBIC CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM Yeasts growing in media containing high concentrations of fermentable carbohydrate invariably metabolize it fermentatively to produce ethanol and CO2. If air is present, and when the sugar concentration has been lowered, the ethanol is respired using the metabolic routes described above. Under the anaerobic conditions of a brewery fermentation the hexoses derived from wort fermentable carbohydrates are catabolized by the EMP pathway (Fig. 17.2) to pyruvic acid. The pyruvate produced is decarboxylated by the enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase, with the formation of acetaldehyde and CO2. The enzyme requires the cofactor thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) for activity and the reaction is shown in Fig. 17.10. The acetaldehyde formed acts (in the absence of the respiratory chain) as an electron acceptor and is used to oxidize NADH with the formation of ethanol ... 

Tyrosine is either used for the biosynthesis of proteins, thyroxine, epinephrine, or melanin, or catabo-lized to yield fumaryl acetoacetate. The biosynthesis of proteins and thyroxine is discussed elsewhere this discussion is restricted to epinephrine and melanin synthesis and tyrosine catabolism. Dopa 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine is an intermediate common to epinephrine and melanin. To yield epinephrine, dopa is first decarboxylated by an enzyme called dopa decarboxylase. This enzyme is present in several mammalian tissues, including the adrenal medulla, where the reaction yields hydroxytryptamine chloride. From this... 

Various enzymes are known to catalyze arene carboxylation or decarboxylation in nature [41]. The first report [42] of a preparatively useful biocatalytic arene carboxylation was the para-carboxylation of phenol using the enzyme phenyl phosphate carboxylase. As the name imphes, this requires the phenol to be phosphorylated prior to reaction. Subsequently, phenol para-carboxylation without prior phosphorylation was demonstrated using enzymes such as 4-hydroxybenzoate decarboxylase [43-45] and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate decarboxylase [46, 47] (Scheme 32.10). Although the natural function of these latter enzymes is to catalyze catalyze reactions in either direction, dependent on the reaction conditions. 

A more interesting situation occurs in the case of DOPA (4) used in the treatment of Parkinson s disease. The active drug is the achiral compound dopamine formed from (4) by decarboxylation, but this cannot cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the required site of action. The prodrug (4) can and is then decarboxylated by the enzyme dopamine decarboxylase. The enzyme, however, is specific and only decarboxylates the (-)-enantiomer of (4) (the form shown here). It is therefore essential to administer DOPA as the pure (-)-enantiomer otherwise there would be a dangerous build up of (+)-(4) in the body which could not be metabolised by the enzymes present. The asymmetric synthesis of (4), which is carried out on an industrial scale, is described in section 6.4.1. 

Decarboxylation and Racemizatlon of Unnatural Compounds using ArtiUcial Enzymes Derived from Arylmalonate Decarboxylase... 

Ornithine decarboxylase is a pyridoxal dependent enzyme. In its catalytic cycle, it normally converts ornithine (7) to putrisine by decarboxylation. If it starts the process with eflornithine instead, the key imine anion (11) produced by decarboxylation can either alkylate the enzyme directly by displacement of either fluorine atom or it can eject a fluorine atom to produce viny-logue 12 which can alkylate the enzyme by conjugate addidon. In either case, 13 results in which the active site of the enzyme is alkylated and unable to continue processing substrate. The net result is a downturn in the synthesis of cellular polyamine production and a decrease in growth rate. Eflornithine is described as being useful in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, as an antiprotozoal or an antineoplastic substance [3,4]. 

In general, pyruvate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.1) catalyzes the decarboxylation of a 2-oxocar-boxylic acid to give the corresponding aldehyde6. Using pyruvic acid, the intermediately formed enzyme-substrate complex can add an acetyl unit to acetaldehyde already present in the reaction mixture, to give optically active acetoin (l-hydroxy-2-butanone)4 26. Although the formation of... 

Serine hydroxymethyl transferase catalyzes the decarboxylation reaction of a-amino-a-methylmalonic acid to give (J )-a-aminopropionic acid with retention of configuration [1]. The reaction of methylmalonyl-CoA catalyzed by malonyl-coenzyme A decarboxylase also proceeds with perfect retention of configuration, but the notation of the absolute configuration is reversed in accordance with the CIP-priority rule [2]. Of course, water is a good proton source and, if it comes in contact with these reactants, the product of decarboxylation should be a one-to-one mixture of the two enantiomers. Thus, the stereoselectivity of the reaction indicates that the reaction environment is highly hydro-phobic, so that no free water molecule attacks the intermediate. Even if some water molecules are present in the active site of the enzyme, they are entirely under the control of the enzyme. If this type of reaction can be realized using synthetic substrates, a new method will be developed for the preparation of optically active carboxylic acids that have a chiral center at the a-position. 

Dopamine is the decarboxylation product of DOPA, dihydroxyphenylalanine, and is formed in a reaction catalysed by DOPA decarboxylase. This enzyme is sometimes referred to as aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, since it is relatively non-specific in its action and can catalyse decarboxylation of other aromatic amino acids, e.g. tryptophan and histidine. DOPA is itself derived by aromatic hydroxylation of tyrosine, using tetrahydrobiopterin (a pteridine derivative see Section 11.9.2) as cofactor. 

Researchers at the University of Graz, in collaboration with scientists from DSM, have developed an elegant and novel approach to the synthesis of P-amino alcohols using two different enzymes in one pot (Scheme 2.35). For example, a threonine aldolase-catalyzed reaction was initially used, under reversible conditions, to prepare L-70 from glycine 69 and benzaldehyde 68. L-70 was then converted to (R)-71 by an irreversible decarboxylation catalyzed by L-tyrosine decarboxylase. In a second example, D/L-syn-70 was converted to (R)-71 using the two enzymes shown combined with a D-threonine aldolase in greater than 99% e. e. and 67% yield ]37, 38]. 

Decarboxylase activity The decarboxylation of benzoylformate was studied using a coupled enzyme test as described previously [4]. 

Decarboxylase reaction Kinetic constants The optimum pH of the decarboxylase reaction was determined with the natural substrates of both enzymes, pyruvate (PDC) and benzoylformate (BFD). Both enzymes show a pH optimum at pH 6.0-6.5 for the decarboxylation reaction [4, 5] and investigation of the kinetic parameters gave hyperbolic v/[S] plots. The kinetic constants are given in Table 2.2.3.1. The catalytic activity of both enzymes increases with the temperature up to about 60 °C. From these data activation energies of 34 kj moT (PDC) and 38 kJ mol (BFD) were calculated using the Arrhenius equation [4, 6-8]. 

Polyamines such as spermine and spermidine, involved in DNA packaging, are derived from methionine and ornithine by the pathway shown in Figure 22-30. The first step is decarboxylation of ornithine, a precursor of arginine (Fig. 22-10). Ornithine decarboxylase, a PLP-requiring enzyme, is the target of several powerful inhibitors used as pharmaceutical agents (Box 22-2). ... 

Aldolases such as fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBP-aldolase), a crucial enzyme in glycolysis, catalyze the formation of carbon-carbon bonds, a critical process for the synthesis of complex biological molecules. FBP-aldolase catalyzes the reversible condensation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glyceralde-hyde-3-phosphate (G3P) to form fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. There are two classes of aldolases the first, such as the mammalian FBP-aldolase, uses an active-site lysine to form a Schiff base, whereas the second class features an active-site zinc ion to perform the same reaction. Acetoacetate decarboxylase, an example of the second class, catalyzes the decarboxylation of /3-keto acids. A lysine residue is required for good activity of the enzyme the -amine of lysine activates the substrate carbonyl group by forming a Schiff base. 

Tyrosine is converted to dopa by the rate-limiting enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which requires tetrahydrobiopterin, and is inhibited by a-methyltyrosine. Dopa is decarboxylated to dopamine by L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, which requires pyridoxal phosphate (vitamin B6) as a coenzyme. Carbidopa, which is used with levodopa in the treatment of parkinsonism, inhibits this enzyme. Dopamine is converted to norepinephrine by dopamine P-hydroxylase, which requires ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and is inhibited by diethyldithiocarbamate. Norepinephrine is converted to epinephrine by phenylethanolamine A -methyltransferase (PNMT), requiring S-adeno-sylmethionine. The activity of PNMT is stimulated by corticosteroids. 

Although the utility of transaminases has been widely examined, one such limitation is the fact that the equilibrium constant for the reaction is near unity. Therefore, a shift in this equilibrium is necessary for the reaction to be synthetically useful. A number of approaches to shift the equilibrium can be found in the literature.53 124135 Another method to shift the equilibrium is a modification of that previously described. Aspartate, when used as the amino donor, is converted into oxaloacetate (32) (Scheme 19.21). Because 32 is unstable, it decomposes to pyruvate (33) and thus favors product formation. However, because pyruvate is itself an a-keto acid, it must be removed, or it will serve as a substrate and be transaminated into alanine, which could potentially cause downstream processing problems. This is accomplished by including the alsS gene encoding for the enzyme acetolactate synthase (E.C. 4.1.3.18), which condenses two moles of pyruvate to form (S)-aceto-lactate (34). The (S)-acetolactate undergoes decarboxylation either spontaneously or by the enzyme acetolactate decarboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.5) to the final by-product, UU-acetoin (35), which is meta-bolically inert. This process, for example, can be used for the production of both l- and d-2-aminobutyrate (36 and 37, respectively) (Scheme 19.21).8132 136 137... 

Fig. 5.4. Two types of energy metabolism in cestodes. (a) Type 1 homolactate fermentation, (b) Type 2 Malate dismutation. Reaction 3 involves a carboxylation step decarboxylation occurs at 6, 7 and 10. Reducing equivalents are generated at reactions 6 and 7 one reducing equivalent is used at reaction 9. Thus, when the mitochondrial compartment is in redox balance and malate is the sole substrate, twice as much propionate as acetate is produced. Key 1, pyruvate kinase 2, lactate dehydrogenase 3, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 4, malate dehydrogenase 5, mitochondrial membrane 6 malic enzyme 7, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex 8, fumarase 9, fumarate reductase 10, succinate decarboxylase complex. indicates reactions at which ATP is synthesised from ADP cyt, cytosol mit, mitochondrion. (After Bryant Flockhart, 1986.)...

Recently, we have modeled9 intrinsic carbon kinetic isotope effects on the ornithine decarboxylase-catalyzed decarboxylations. Decarboxylations occur from the pyridoxal 5 -phosphate (PLP) - substrate complexes. These reactions provide a good model case since a number of 13C kinetic isotope effects for the wild-type enzyme and its mutants, as well as for physiological and slow substrates, have been reported.10 Using AM1/CHARMM/MD calculations on nearly 18000-atom models... 

Acetone was produced during World War I by using engineered strains of Clostridium bacteria. These strains make an enzyme called acetoacetate decarboxylase that catalyzes the decarboxylation of acetoacetate. 

Alanine and aspartic acid are produced commercially utilizing enzymes. In the case of alanine, the process of decarboxylation of aspartic acid by the aspartate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas dacunhae is commercialized. The annual world production of alanine is about 200 tons. Aspartic acid is produced commercially by condensing fumarate and ammonia using aspartase from Escherichia coli. This process has been made more convenient with an enzyme immobilization technique. Aspartic acid is used primarily as a raw material with phenylalanine to produce aspartame, a noncaloric sweetener. Production and sales of aspartame have increased rapidly since its introduction in 1981. Tyrosine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, serine, threonine, arginine, glutamine, proline, histidine, cit-rulline, L-dopa, homoserine, ornithine, cysteine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine also can be produced by enzymatic methods. 

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