Lysine transaminase

In the absence of substrates, the aldehyde group of pyridoxal phosphate is covalently bound to a lysine residue of the transaminase (1). This type of compound is known as an aldimine or Schiffs base. During the reaction, amino acid 1 (A, la) displaces the lysine residue, and a new aldimine is formed (2). The double bond is then shifted by isomerization. 

The fermentation methods used to prepare L-phenylalanine, threonine, lysine, and cysteine are discussed in detail in Chapter 3. The adaptation of these methods to prepare unnatural amino acids, such as the use of transaminases, is also discussed in that chapter. One of the large-scale amino acids, L-glumatic acid, which is often sold as its monosodium salt, is not covered because its preparation by fermentation is long established.3... 

A transaminase patented by Celgene Corporation (Warren, NJ), called an co-aminotransferase [(co-AT)E.C. 2.6.1.18] does not require an a-amino acid as amino donor instead it requires a primary amine and hence has the ability to produce chiral amines.125 126 A similar co-AT from Vibrio fluvialis has been described for the production of chiral amines along with chiral alcohols when coupled with AdH or chiral amino acids when coupled with an a-amino acid aminotransferase.127130 Another co-AT, ornithine (lysine) aminotransferase (E.C. 2.6.1.68), has been described for the preparation of a chiral pharmaceutical intermediate used in the synthesis of Omapatrilat, a vasopep-tidase inhibitor developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as the UAA A1 -piperidinc-6-carboxylic acid.131-132... 

The alanine racemization catalyzed by alanine racemase is considered to be initiated by the transaldimination (Fig. 8.5).26) In this step, PLP bound to the active-site lysine residue forms the external Schiff base with a substrate alanine (Fig. 8.5, 1). The following a-proton abstraction produces the resonance-stabilized carbanion intermediates (Fig. 8.5, 2). If the reprotonation occurs on the opposite face of the substrate-PLP complex on which the proton-abstraction proceeds, the antipodal aldimine is formed (Fig. 8.5,3). The subsequent hydrolysis of the aldimine complex gives the isomerized alanine and PLP-form racemase. The random return of hydrogen to the carbanion intermediate is the distinguishing feature that differentiates racemization from reactions catalyzed by other pyridoxal enzymes such as transaminases. Transaminases catalyze the transfer of amino group between amino acid and keto acid, and the reaction is initiated by the transaldimination, followed by the a-proton abstraction from the substrate-PLP aldimine to form a resonance-stabilized carbanion. This step is common to racemases and transaminases. However, in the transamination the abstracted proton is then tranferred to C4 carbon of PLP in a highly stereospecific manner The re-protonation occurs on the same face of the PLP-substrate aldimine on which the a-proton is abstracted. With only a few exceptions,27,28) each step of pyridoxal enzymes-catalyzed reaction proceeds on only one side of the planar PLP-substrate complex. However, in the amino acid racemase... 

Morino and Snell32 ascribed the 420-nm species to a protonated internal pyridoxal-P-lysine aldimine and the 337-nm species to either a dipolar ionic form of the aldimine or to a substituted aldamine (an adduct at C-4 ). However, the dipolar ionic form absorbs at about 360 nm in aspartate transaminase and in the model systems containing Schiff bases of A-methylated PLP.34 It was suggested that the 337-nm species may be the enolimine tautomer.35,36 ... 

Quinolizidine Alkaloids.—Important new information (cf. Vol. 11, p. 4) has been obtained on the biosynthesis of quinolizidine alkaloids such as lupanine (27) in experiments with enzyme preparations from Lupinus polyphyllus cell suspension cultures26 and with chloroplasts.27 These alkaloids are formed from three molecules of lysine by way of cadaverine (25),1,2 and the enzymic evidence26,27 is that conversion of cadaverine into these alkaloids occurs without release of intermediates until 17-oxosparteine (26) is generated the enzyme is a transaminase and not a diamine oxidase. 

Aspartate aminotransferase is the prototype of a large family of PLP-dependent enzymes. Comparisons of amino acid sequences as well as several three-dimensional structures reveal that almost all transaminases having roles in amino acid biosynthesis are related to aspartate aminotransferase by divergent evolution. An examination of the aligned amino acid sequences reveals that two residues are completely conserved. These residues are the lysine residue that forms the Schiff base with the pyridoxal phosphate cofactor (lysine 258 in aspartate aminotransferase) and an arginine residue that interacts with the a-carboxylate group of the ketoacid (see Figure 23.11). 

Figure 24.10. Stereochemistry of Proton Addition. In a transaminase active site, the addition of a proton from the lysine residue to the bottom face of the quinonoid intermediate determines the 1 configuration of the amino acid product. The conserved arginine residue interacts with the a-carboxylate group and helps establish the appropriate geometry of the quinonoid intermediate.

The coenzyme form of pyridoxine is known as pyridoxal phosphate (PP) The most common type of reaction requiring PP as a coenz5mie is transamination. Enzymes catalysing such reactions are known as transaminases or aminotransferases. The coenzyme binds to its apoenzyme via Schiff s base between its aldehyde group and the epsilon amino group of a lysine in the... 

Transaminases exist for all amino acids except threonine and lysine. 

L-Amino acid transaminases are ubiquitous in nature and are involved, be it directly or indirectly, in the biosynthesis of most natural amino acids. All three common types of the enzyme, aspartate, aromatic, and branched chain transaminases require pyridoxal 5 -phosphate as cofactor, covalently bound to the enzyme through the formation of a Schiff base with the e-amino group of a lysine side chain. The reaction mechanism is well understood, with the enzyme shuttling between pyridoxal and pyridoxamine forms [39]. With broad substrate specificity and no requirement for external cofactor regeneration, transaminases have appropriate characteristics to function as commercial biocatalysts. The overall transformation is comprised of the transfer of an amino group from a donor, usually aspartic or glutamic acids, to an a-keto acid (Scheme 15). In most cases, the equilibrium constant is approximately 1. 

All of the amino acids except lysine, threonine, proline, and hydroxyproline participate in transamination reactions. Transaminases exist for histidine, serine, phenylalanine, and methionine, but the major pathways of their metabolism do not involve transamination. Transamination of an amino group not at the a-position can also occur. Thus, transfer of 3-amino group of ornithine to a-ketoglutarate converts ornithine to glutamate-y-semialdehyde. 

We shall review the transaminase mechanism (p. 657) as it applies to amino acid biosynthesis (see Figure 23.11). The reaction pathway begins with pyyi-doxal phosphate in a Schiff-base linkage with lysine at the transaminase active site, forming an internal aldimine (Figure 24.7). An amino group is... 

Factor XIII will slowly form c-N- (y-glutamyl) lysine cross-linkages in fibrinogen, in itself and in other proteins (37). Transaminases from other sources will also cross-link fibrin, as well as other proteins. In addition, they will covalently attach amino-containing substrates to the y-carboxyl group of glutamic acid residues in proteins (38). 

Enzymes involved are lysine decarboxylase, a cadaverine transaminase or diamine oxidase and additional enzymes. 

All amino acids except lysine and threonine undergo transamination reactions. The enzymes catalyzing these reactions are known as transaminases or aminotransferases. For most of these reactions, a-ketoglutarate and glutamate serve as one of the a-keto acid-amino acid pairs. Pyridoxal phosphate is the cofactor, and the mechanism of the reaction is indicated in Figure 38.4. 

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