Histidine precursor

Phan, L. D Perentesis, J. P Bodley, J. W. (1993). Saccharomyces cerevisiae elongation factor 2. Mutagenesis of the histidine precursor of diphthamide yields a functional protein that is resistant to diphtheria toxin. J. Biol. Chem. 268, 8665-8668. 

Certain amino acids and their derivatives, although not found in proteins, nonetheless are biochemically important. A few of the more notable examples are shown in Figure 4.5. y-Aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is produced by the decarboxylation of glutamic acid and is a potent neurotransmitter. Histamine, which is synthesized by decarboxylation of histidine, and serotonin, which is derived from tryptophan, similarly function as neurotransmitters and regulators. /3-Alanine is found in nature in the peptides carnosine and anserine and is a component of pantothenic acid (a vitamin), which is a part of coenzyme A. Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), derived from tyrosine, is an important hormone. Penicillamine is a constituent of the penicillin antibiotics. Ornithine, betaine, homocysteine, and homoserine are important metabolic intermediates. Citrulline is the immediate precursor of arginine. 

The classical cadherins are translated as precursor because they are N-terminally cleaved to reveal the mature proteins. This processing is required to activate the cell adhesion function of cadherins. Cadherins interact in trans (i.e., from opposite cells) via the most N-terminal cadherin rqDeats. A short amino acid sequence within this repeat, histidine-alanine-valine (HAV), has been implicated in mediating cell-cell contacts as HAV peptides can disrupt cadherin-dependent cell adhesion. Besides the trans-interactions of cadherins, the extracellular domains are also capable of forming cis-dimers through lateral amino acid contacts between cadherin molecules on one cell. This dimerization again mainly involves the first cadherin repeat. A zipper model based on the pattern of alternating cis- and trans-dimers [1] for the adhesive interactions has been proposed. 

Much less is known about the participation of sugars in the biosynthesis of pyramine in yeasts, and although it has been proven that sugars can provide some carbon atoms, the exact nature of the more advanced intermediates of sugar origin is not yet clear. Some features of the biosynthesis in S. cerevisiae are summarized in Scheme 33. Two l5N atoms from DL-(l,3-,5N2)histidine were incorporated into the N-3 and amino nitrogen atoms of pyramine. The nitrogen atom of (,5N)aspartate, a known precursor of N-l of histidine, was incorporated into pyramine without dilution.58-70 It was also found that N-l and C-2 of pyramine came respectively from N-l and C-2 of pyridoxol.71-73... 

Histamine is synthesised by decarboxylation of histidine, its amino-acid precursor, by the specific enzyme histidine decarboxylase, which like glutaminic acid decarboxylase requires pyridoxal phosphate as co-factor. Histidine is a poor substrate for the L-amino-acid decarboxylase responsible for DA and NA synthesis. The synthesis of histamine in the brain can be increased by the administration of histidine, so its decarboxylase is presumably not saturated normally, but it can be inhibited by a fluoromethylhistidine. No high-affinity neuronal uptake has been demonstrated for histamine although after initial metabolism by histamine A-methyl transferase to 3-methylhistamine, it is deaminated by intraneuronal MAOb to 3-methylimidazole acetic acid (Fig. 13.4). A Ca +-dependent KCl-induced release of histamine has been demonstrated by microdialysis in the rat hypothalamus (Russell et al. 1990) but its overflow in some areas, such as the striatum, is neither increased by KCl nor reduced by tetradotoxin and probably comes from mast cells. 

The amino acid histidine has important functions in the active centres of several enzymes. Its biosynthesis involves intermediates which are possibly related to a precursor molecule (purine base) of a ribozyme. 

The normal cellular form of prion protein (PrPc) can exist as a Cu-metalloprotein in vivo (492). This PrPc is a precursor of the pathogenic protease-resistant form PrPsc, which is thought to cause scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and Creutzfeldt—Jakob disease. Two octa-repeats of PHGGGWGQ have been proposed as Cu(II) binding sites centered on histidine (493). They lack secondary and tertiary structure in the absence of Cu(II). Neurons may therefore have special mechanisms to regulate the distribution of copper. 

This test will also demonstrate excess growth, which may indicate the presence of histidine or tryptophan or their precursors in the test material, which could make testing for mutagenicity impracticable by this method. 

Histidine is characterized by a heterocyclic side chain known as imidazole. The imidazole group will bear a positive charge under physiological conditions. Histidine is the metabolic precursor to histamine, a potent inflammatory molecule. Antihistamines work by antagonizing the action of histamine. 

Histidine is the amino acid precursor of the neurotransmitter histamine. 

The common motif shared by non-heme iron oxygenases contains an active site, where two histidines and one carboxylate occupy one face of the Fe(ll) coordination sphere. These enzymes catalyze a variety of oxidative modification of natural products. For example, in the biosynthesis of clavulanic acid, clavaminic acid synthase demonstrates remarkable versatility by catalyzing hydroxylation, oxidative ring formation and desaturation in the presence of a-ketoglutarate (eq. 1 in Scheme 7.22) [80]. The same theme was seen in the biosynthesis of isopenicillin, the key precursor to penicillin G and cephalosporin, from a linear tripeptide proceeded from a NRPS, where non-heme iron oxygenases catalyze radical cyclization and ring expansion (eq. 2 in Scheme 7.22) [81, 82]. 

True alkaloids derive from amino acid and they share a heterocyclic ring with nitrogen. These alkaloids are highly reactive substances with biological activity even in low doses. All true alkaloids have a bitter taste and appear as a white solid, with the exception of nicotine which has a brown liquid. True alkaloids form water-soluble salts. Moreover, most of them are well-defined crystalline substances which unite with acids to form salts. True alkaloids may occur in plants (1) in the free state, (2) as salts and (3) as N-oxides. These alkaloids occur in a limited number of species and families, and are those compounds in which decarboxylated amino acids are condensed with a non-nitrogenous structural moiety. The primary precursors of true alkaloids are such amino acids as L-ornithine, L-lysine, L-phenylalanine/L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan and L-histidine . Examples of true alkaloids include such biologically active alkaloids as cocaine, quinine, dopamine, morphine and usambarensine (Figure 4). A fuller list of examples appears in Table 1. 

Although L-phenylalanine is a protein amino acid, and is known as a protein acid type of alkaloid precursor, its real role in biosynthesis (providing C and N atoms) only relates to carbon atoms. L-phenylalanine is a part of magic 20 (a term deployed by Crick in his discussion of the genetic code) and just for this reason should also be listed as a protein amino acid type of alkaloid precursor, although its duty in alkaloid synthesis is not the same as other protein amino acids. However, in relation to magic 20 it is necessary to observe that only part of these amino acids are well-known alkaloid precursors. They are formed from only two amino acid families Histidine and Aromatic and the Aspartate family . 

This group of alkaloids is an exception in the transformation process of structures, because the imidazole nucleus is already made at the stage of the precursor. The a of these alkaloids is L-histidine, and the first A is developed in a decarboxylation process by histidine decarboxylase (HDC). The histamine is a product of... 

The most important applications of the in situ photochemical fluorodediazoniation start from heterocyclic amines for which the diazonium tetrafluoroborates are impossible to isolate. In this way, fluorinated imidazoles,123-253,254-257 261 benzimidazoles,262 pyrazoles,254-256,262 indazoles,158 thiazoles,259 and triazoles259-262 have been prepared (Table 4). Some of these are the precursors of biologically active compounds such as fluoro-substituted histidines or histamines,123,253-257,258 or 5-fluoro-l/ -D-ribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide.261... 

Histidine Biosynthesis Uses Precursors of Purine Biosynthesis... 

Among the essential amino acids, the aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) form by a pathway in which chorismate occupies a key branch point. Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate is a precursor of tryptophan and histidine. The pathway to histidine is interconnected with the purine synthetic pathway Tyrosine can also be formed by hydroxylation of phenylalanine (and thus is considered conditionally essential). The pathways for the other essential amino acids are complex. 

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) is important in both, and in these pathways the structure of ribose is retained in the product nucleotide, in contrast to its fate in the tryptophan and histidine biosynthetic pathways discussed earlier. An amino acid is an important precursor in each type of pathway glycine for purines and aspartate for pyrimidines. Glutamine again is the most important source of amino groups—in five different steps in the de novo pathways. Aspartate is also used as the source of an amino group in the purine pathways, in two steps. 

The most potent precursors of mutagenicity were methionine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and the group of heterocyclic amino acids. Tryptophan, histidine, proline, and hydroxyproline were subsequently chlorinated individually. Of these four, tryptophan and proline were the most significant precursors of mutagenic activity, although some activity was also observed in the extract of chlorinated histidine. 

When 14C-labeled serine was fed to organisms producing histidine decarboxylase, 14C was incorporated into the bound pyruvoyl group (Fig. 14-11). Thus, serine is a precursor of the bound pyruvate. The enzyme is manufactured in the cell as a longer 307-residue proenzyme which associates as hexamers (designated n6). The active enzyme was found to be formed by cleavage of the n chains between Ser 81 and Ser 82 to form 226-residue a chains and 81-residue (3 chains which associate as (aP)6.270/271 The a chains... 

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