Hydroxylation of proline

Biochemical Functions. Ascorbic acid has various biochemical functions, involving, for example, coUagen synthesis, immune function, dmg metabohsm, folate metaboHsm, cholesterol cataboHsm, iron metaboHsm, and carnitine biosynthesis. Clear-cut evidence for its biochemical role is available only with respect to coUagen biosynthesis (hydroxylation of prolin and lysine). In addition, ascorbic acid can act as a reducing agent and as an effective antioxidant. Ascorbic acid also interferes with nitrosamine formation by reacting direcdy with nitrites, and consequently may potentially reduce cancer risk. 

C Ascorbic acid Coenzyme in hydroxylation of proline and lysine in collagen synthesis antioxidant enhances absorption of iron Scurvy—impaired wound healing, loss of dental cement, subcutaneous hemorrhage... 

Rather scanty evidence exists for the participation of free radicals in Alzheimer s disease and Down s syndrome. However, more recendy, reports have appeared that suggest possible free-radical involvement in the pathogenesis of these two conditions. Zemlan et al. (1989) repotted that the activity of the free-radical scavenging enzyme, SOD, was significantly increased in fibroblast cell lines derived from familial Alzheimer s and Down s patients. They hypothesized that the elevation in SOD activity observed in the Alzheimer patients supports the theory that paired helical filaments are formed by free-radical hydroxylation of proline residues. They further su ested that SOD levels might also be increased in the brains of Alzheimer s and Down s patients, and that the increase in SOD may reflect an enhanced generation of free radicals. 

Hydroxylation of proline Iron proline hydroxylase (animals)... 

Prolyl 4-hydroxylation is the most abundant posttranslational modification of collagens. 4-Hydroxylation of proline residues increases the stability of the triple helix and is a key element in the folding of the collagen triple helix. " In vertebrates, almost all the Yaa position prolines of the Gly-Xaa-Yaa repeat are modified to 4(I( )-hydroxylproline by the enzyme P4H (EC 1.14.11.2), a member of Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases. This enzyme is an 0 2/ b2-type heterotetramer in which the / subunit is PDI (EC 5.3.4.1), which is a ubiquitous disulfide bond catalyst. The P4H a subunit needs the 13 subunit for solubility however, the 13 subunit, PDI, is soluble by itself and is present in excess in the ER. Three isoforms of the a subunit have been identified and shown to combine with PDI to form [a(I)]2/ 2) [< (II)]2/32> or [a(III)]2/32 tetramers, called the type... 

Some special features of proteins are elaborated by secondary transformations that are not part of the translation process. The A-formylmethionine initiator may be hydrolysed to methionine, or, as we have already indicated, the methionine unit may be removed altogether. Other post-translational changes to individual amino acids may be seen, e.g. the hydroxylation of proline to hydroxyproline (see Section 13.1) or the generation of disulfide bridges between cysteine residues (see Section 13.3). 

Ascorbic acid Tight Ascorbic acid (C) Maintains reduced state of iron atom in enzymes involved in hydroxylation of proline and lysine in collagen... 

FIGURE 4 The reactions catalyzed by prolyl 4-hydroxylase, (a) The normal reaction, coupled to proline hydroxylation, which does not require ascorbate. The fate of the two oxygen atoms from 02 is shown in red. (b) The uncoupled reaction, in which a-ketoglutarate is oxidatively decarboxylated without hydroxylation of proline. Ascorbate is consumed stoichiometrically in this process as it is converted to dehydroascorbate. 

Vitamin C Cosubstrate in the hydroxylation of proline in collagen. Deficiency leads to... 

Table VI. Stimulation of Hydroxylation of Proline 4>y Ascorbic Acid-Deficient Granuloma by in Vitro Addition of Ascorbic Acid...

The striking increases in the formation of tritiated water and tritiated hydroxyproline on in vitro addition of ascorbate are consistent with a function of this vitamin in hydroxylation—probably at step 3. The present results do not support a systemic ascorbic acid-mediated effect, the belief that ascorbic acid functions in the maintenance of collagen, or acts by stimulating maturation of the fibroblasts in the system under study here. The present data do not support the possibility that intermediates containing hydroxyproline accumulate in scurvy. The proposal that ascorbic acid is involved in the hydroxylation reaction itself is consistent with studies on the nonenzymatic hydroxylation of proline (4) and on enzymatic hydroxylation of other compounds (5, 20, 21, 44, 51). 

Ascorbic acid is a vitamin in primates. In most other animals, it can be synthesized by a branch of the glucoronic acid pathway (Chapter 18). It is apparently not changed into any coenzyme in the human being and participates as a vitamin in a reducing capacity in several biochemical reactions. These include the post-translational hydroxylation of proline in collagen biosynthesis (Chapter 8) and in tyrosine metabolism (Chapter 20). Ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid, a diketo derivative of ascorbate. Scurvy is a deficiency disease caused by a shortage of dietary ascorbic acid. In children, this results in defective bone formation in adults, extensive bleeding occurs in a number of locations. Scurvy is to be suspected if serum ascorbic acid levels fall below 1 jug/mL. 

Figure 8.5 Hydroxylation of proline by proline hydroxylase to produce 4-hydroxyproline residues. (Reproduced by permission from Bezkorovainy A. Biochemistry of Nonheme Iron. New York Plenum, 1980, p. 409.)...

In scurvy, vitamin C deficiency disease, hydroxylation of proline is defective, and the smaller hydroxyproline content of the collagen helix results in weaker hydrogen bonding. 

The enzyme prolylhydroxylase catalyzes the hydroxylation of proline residues, which lie immediately before the repetitive glycine residues in the pro-a-chains ... 

The other major protein in the extracellular matrix is elastin, which is the main component of elastic fibers found in ligaments, large arteries, and lungs. After synthesis and partial hydroxylation of proline residues, a 72 kDa molecule of tropoelastin is secreted into the matrix. This protein is rich in nonpolar amino acids and contains repeating sequences, such as (Val-Pro-Gly-Val-Gly). These sections form an amorphous, random-coiled structure with frequent reverse turns. Other recurrent sequences are rich in alanine with paired lysine residues, e.g., -Ala-Ala-Ala-Ala-Lys-Ala-Ala-Lys-... 

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