Glycerol 3-phosphate biosynthesis

Figure 4.6 The bifunctional enzyme PRA-isomerase (PRAI) IGP-synthase (IGPS) catalyzes two sequential reactions in the biosynthesis of tryptophan. In the first reaction (top half), which is catalyzed by the C-terminal PRAI domain of the enzyme, the substrate N-(5 -phosphoribosyl) anthranilate (PRA) is converted to l-(o-carboxyphenylamino)-l-deoxyribulose 5-phosphate (CdRP) by a rearrangement reaction. The succeeding step (bottom half), a ring closure reaction from CdRP to indole-3-glycerol phosphate (IGP), is catalyzed by the N-terminal IGPS domain.

Figure 24-2. Biosynthesis of triaq/lglycerol and phospholipids. ( , Monoacylglycerol pathway (D, glycerol phosphate pathway.) Phosphatidylethanolamine may be formed from ethanolamine by a pathway similar to that shown for the formation of phosphatidylcholine from choline.

This enzyme [EC 2.4.2.18], also referred to as phospho-ribosyl-anthranilate pyrophosphorylase, catalyzes the reaction of anthranilate with phosphoribosylpyrophos-phate to produce A-5 -phosphoribosylanthranilate and pyrophosphate. In certain species, this enzyme is part of a multifunctional protein, together with one or more other components of the system for the biosynthesis of tryptophan (i.e., indole-3-glycerol-phosphate synthase, anthranilate synthase, tryptophan synthase, and phos-phoribosylanthranilate isomerase). 

The poly (ribitol phosphate) synthetase and poly (glycerol phosphate) synthetase are inhibited by vancomycin, novobiocin, and Crystal Violet. Other antibiotic substances which interfere with cell-wall synthesis (such as bacitracin, ristocetin, and streptomycin) are almost without effect on the isolated synthetases, and penicillin is inhibitory at high concentrations only. Moreover, penicillin, vancomycin, and bacitracin do not markedly inhibit synthesis of cell-wall glycosaminopeptide in vitro, although the synthetical activity of extracts of cells which have been pretreated with these antibiotics is lowered.Convincing evidence that the primary site of inhibition by antibiotics is the biosynthesis of cell-wall material has been obtained only for the penicillins and cycloserine, and it appears that the action of even those antibiotics may be more complex than was originally supposed. 

Kunst, L., Browse, J., Somerville, C. 1988. Altered regulation of lipid biosynthesis in a mutant of Arabidopsis deficient in chloroplast glycerol phosphate acyltransferase activity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. as.A. 85 4143- 147. 

Standard microbial methods for investigating tryptophan biosynthesis were applied to plants in order to study auxin biosynthesis [6,212,218]. A series of Arabidopsis mutants with lesions in four sites in the pathway from chorismate to tryptophan has been obtained, but so far no comparable array of mutations exists for any other plant species [18]. Normanly et al. [44] used these Arabidopsis mutants to dissect lAA biosynthesis and showed that the non-tryptophan pathway to lAA branches from tryptophan biosynthesis at the point of indole or indole-3-glycerol phosphate. 

Glaser and Burger studied the biosynthesis of teichoic acids with particulate preparations from Bacillus licheniformis (ATGC 9945) and B. subtilis (NCTG 3610). They found that these preparations catalyze the synthesis of poly(glycerol phosphate) according to the reaction... 

Tryptophan synthase (TS) catalyzes the ultimate step in tryptophan biosynthesis (details see Fig. 4.2). Indole and benzoxazinoid secondary metabolite formation branches from this pathway. The two lyases IGL and BXl cleave indole-3-glycerol phosphate into indole (and glycerolaldehyde-3-phosphate, not shown) and serve as committing enzymes for indole derived secondary metabolites. Indole produced by IGL directly functions as volatile signal. Indole produced by BXl is converted by other enzymes (BX2-BX9) to benzoxazinoids that have an important function in the chemical defense of grasses. 

Biosynthesis Like other aromatic amino acids, e.g., Phe and Tyr, Trp is formed on the shikimic acid pathway. There is a branching point at chorismic acid one branch leads to Phe and Tyr, the other to Trp choris-mic acid - anthranilic acid (anthranilic acid synthase, EC 4.1.3.27)- A-(5 -0-phosphoribosyl)-anthranilic acid (anthranilic acid phosphoribosyl transferase, EC 2.4.2.18)- 1 -o-carboxyphenylamino-1 -deoxyribu-lose 5-phosphate [A-(5 -phosphoribosyl)anthranilic acid isomerase]- indole-3-glycerol phosphate (in-dole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase, EC 4.1.1.48) - indole (tryptophan synthase, EC 4.2.1,20)+serine - Trp. Many biologically active indole compounds are derived from Trp, e. g., 5-hydroxytryptophan, 5-hydroxy-tryptamine ( serotonin), and melatonin as well as many indole alkaloids. 

Early in fermentation when yeast is growing, removal of pyruvate for biosynthesis might be expected to lead to a build up of NADH and thus to a halt in catabolism. To avoid this, cells reduce dihydroxyacetone phosphate to glycerol phosphate. This, in turn, is dephosphorylated to produce glycerol which is excreted. 

Figure 5.41 Early steps of the proposed indole acetic acid biosynthesis pathways for Ara-bidopsis. CHO, chorismate ANA, anthranilate PANA, 5-phosphoribosylanthranilate CADP, l-(o-carboxyphenylamino)-l-deoxyribulose-5-phosphate IGP, indole-3-glycerol phosphate TRP, tryptophan. Enzymes ASA, anthranilate synthetase, suhunit a ASB, anthranilate synthetase, suhunit P PAT, phosphorihosylanthranUate transferase PAI, phosphoiibosylanthrani-late isomerase IGS, indole-3-glycerol-phosphate synthase TSA, tryptophan synthase, subunit a and TSB, tryptophan synthase, suhunit p.

Figure 5.82 Biosynthesis of histidine. PRPP, 5-phosphoribosyl-a-l-pyrophosphate PRATP, AT-5 -phosphoribosyl-ATP PRAMP, M-S -phosphoribosyl-AMP 5 -ProFAR, yV -[(5. phosphoribosyl)-formimino]-5-aminoiinidazole-4-carboxamide-ribonucleotide 5 -PRFAR, A/ -[(5 -phosphoribulosyl)-formimino]-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxainide-ribonuc leotide IMGP, imidazole glycerol-phosphate AICAR, 5 -phosphoribosyl-4-carboxamide-5-aminoimidazole lAP, imidazoleacetol-phosphate HOL-P, L-histidinol-phosphate HOL, L-histidinol HAL, L-histidinal.

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