7.8- Dihydrobiopterin

Figure28-10. The phenylalanine hydroxylase reaction. Two distinct enzymatic activities are involved. Activity II catalyzes reduction of dihydrobiopterin by NADPH, and activity I the reduction of O2 to HjO and of phenylalanine to tyrosine. This reaction is associated with several defects of phenylalanine metabolism discussed in Chapter 30.

Because LCEC had its initial impact in neurochemical analysis, it is not, surprising that many of the early enzyme-linked electrochemical methods are of neurologically important enzymes. Many of the enzymes involved in catecholamine metabolism have been determined by electrochemical means. Phenylalanine hydroxylase activity has been determined by el trochemicaUy monitoring the conversion of tetrahydro-biopterin to dihydrobiopterin Another monooxygenase, tyrosine hydroxylase, has been determined by detecting the DOPA produced by the enzymatic reaction Formation of DOPA has also been monitored electrochemically to determine the activity of L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase Other enzymes involved in catecholamine metabolism which have been determined electrochemically include dopamine-p-hydroxylase phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase and catechol-O-methyltransferase . Electrochemical detection of DOPA has also been used to determine the activity of y-glutamyltranspeptidase The cytochrome P-450 enzyme system has been studied by observing the conversion of benzene to phenol and subsequently to hydroquinone and catechol... 

FIGURE 40-2 The phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) pathway. Phenylketonuria usually is caused by a congenital deficiency of PAH (reaction 1), but it also can result from defects in the metabolism of biopterin, which is a cofactor for the hydroxylase. Enzymes (1) Phenylalanine hydroxylase (2) Dihydropteridine reductase (3) GTP cyclohydrolase (4) 6-pyruvoyltetrahydrobiopterin synthase. BH4, tetrahydrobiopterin DEDT, o-erythro-dihydroneopterin triphosphate QH2, dihydrobiopterin. 

Rarely, phenylketonuria results from a defect in the metabolism of biopterin, a cofactor for the phenylalanine hydroxylase pathway. The electron donor for phenylalanine hydroxylase is tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), which transfers electrons to molecular oxygen to form tyrosine and dihydrobiopterin (QH2 Fig. 40-2 reaction 2). BH4 is regenerated from QH2 in an NADH-dependent reaction that is catalyzed by dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR), which is widely distributed. In the brain, this... 

Mild or nonclassic forms of PKU can be caused by deficiency of dihydrobiopterin reductase. 

BH4 is essential for the AAHs to carry out their respective catalytic reactions and, at least for PAH, the prereductive activation, which appears to produce dihydrobiopterin quinonoid (g-BH2) directly (20). After the PAH catalytic cycle an oxygen atom is incorporated into the cofactor, providing 4a-OH-BH4 which dissociates from the active site. In order to regenerate the functional tetrahydro form of BH4 pterin carbinolamine dehydratase catalyzes the dehydration of 4-OH-BH4 to g-BH2, which is reduced back to by dihydropteridine reductase (Scheme 2). g-BH2 can also be converted to 7,8-dihydropterin (BH2) which can be regenerated to BH4 by dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). 

Hyland K, Heales SJ. (1993) Tetrahydrobiopterin and quinonoid dihydrobiopterin concentrations in CSF from patients with dihydropteridine reductase deficiency. J Inherit Metab Dis 16 608-610... 

NADPH Dihydrobiopterine reductase Biopterine-NHI Phenylalanine hydroxylase 24-27)... 

Tyrosine is formed from phenylalanine by phenylalanine hydroxylase. The reaction requires molecular oxygen and the coen zyme tetrahydrobiopterin, which can be synthesized by the body. One atom of molecular oxygen becomes the hydroxyl group of tyro sine, and the other atom is reduced to water. During the reaction, tetrahydrobiopterin is oxidized to dihydrobiopterin. Tetrahydro biopterin is regenerated from dihydrobiopterin in a separate reaction requiring NADPH. Tyrosine, like cysteine, is formed from an essen tial amino acid and, is therefore, nonessential only in the presence of adequate dietary phenylalanine. 

A deficiency in dihydrobiopterin reductase or dihydrobioptenn synthetase leads to hyperphenylalaninemia, and decreased synthesis of catecholamines and serotonin. 

The two oxidation states of (17) that are relevant in biopterin-dependent redox reactions are the four-electron and two-electron reduced forms, tetrahydrobiopterin (19) and p-quinonoid dihydrobiopterin (20), respectively. The oxidation state between these two, i.e. a radical, may also be relevant though it has not been detected as an intermediate in enzymatic reactions. Structurally, pteridines and flavins are rather similar and hence show similar chemical behavior in many respects. As a redox coenzyme, (19) is not encountered nearly as frequently as nicotinamides or flavins. It is, however, the cofactor of three very... 

Of the three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, the reaction catalyzed by L-phenylalanine hydroxylase has been subjected to mechanistic scrutiny most often (B-71MI11003, B-74MH1005, B-76MI11006). Of a number of isomeric dihydrobiopterins that are possible, it is the p-quinonoid dihydrobiopterin (20) that is the coenzyme-derived product in the reaction catalyzed by this enzyme (Scheme 7) (B-71MIH003). (20) is reduced back to (19) by an... 

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