Malonyl-coenzyme sources

Fatty acids derived from animal and vegetable sources generally contain an even number of carbon atoms siace they are biochemically derived by condensation of two carbon units through acetyl or malonyl coenzyme A. However, odd-numbered and branched fatty acid chains are observed ia small concentrations ia natural triglycerides, particularly mminant animal fats through propionyl and methylmalonyl coenzyme respectively. The glycerol backbone is derived by biospeciftc reduction of dihydroxyacetone. 

Serine hydroxymethyl transferase catalyzes the decarboxylation reaction of a-amino-a-methylmalonic acid to give (J )-a-aminopropionic acid with retention of configuration [1]. The reaction of methylmalonyl-CoA catalyzed by malonyl-coenzyme A decarboxylase also proceeds with perfect retention of configuration, but the notation of the absolute configuration is reversed in accordance with the CIP-priority rule [2]. Of course, water is a good proton source and, if it comes in contact with these reactants, the product of decarboxylation should be a one-to-one mixture of the two enantiomers. Thus, the stereoselectivity of the reaction indicates that the reaction environment is highly hydro-phobic, so that no free water molecule attacks the intermediate. Even if some water molecules are present in the active site of the enzyme, they are entirely under the control of the enzyme. If this type of reaction can be realized using synthetic substrates, a new method will be developed for the preparation of optically active carboxylic acids that have a chiral center at the a-position. 

The system is active in Uver, kidney, brain, lung, mammary gland and adipose tissue. The requirements of the system are reduced NADP, ATP, HC03 as a source of carbon dioxide, and manganese ions. The first stage is the transformation of acetyl-coenzyme A to malonyl-coenzyme A ... 

Claisen reactions involving acetyl-CoA are made even more favourable by first converting acetyl-CoA into malonyl-CoA by a carboxylation reaction with CO2 using ATP and the coenzyme biotin (Figure 2.9). ATP and CO2 (as bicarbonate, HC03-) form the mixed anhydride, which car-boxy lates the coenzyme in a biotin-enzyme complex. Fixation of carbon dioxide by biotin-enzyme complexes is not unique to acetyl-CoA, and another important example occurs in the generation of oxaloacetate from pyruvate in the synthesis of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources... 

Like the related fatty acid synthases (FASs), polyketide synthases (PKSs) are multifunctional enzymes that catalyze the decarboxylative (Claisen) condensation of simple carboxylic acids, activated as their coenzyme A (CoA) thioesters. While FASs typically use acetyl-CoA as the starter unit and malonyl-CoA as the extender unit, PKSs often employ acetyl- or propionyl-CoA to initiate biosynthesis, and malonyl-, methylmalonyl-, and occasionally ethylmalonyl-CoA or pro-pylmalonyl-CoA as a source of chain-extension units. After each condensation, FASs catalyze the full reduction of the P-ketothioester to a methylene by way of ketoreduction, dehydration, and enoyl reduction (Fig. 3). In contrast, PKSs shortcut the FAS pathway in one of two ways (Fig. 4). The aromatic PKSs (Fig. 4a) leave the P-keto groups substantially intact to produce aromatic products, while the modular PKSs (Fig. 4b) catalyze a variable extent of reduction to yield the so-called complex polyketides. In the latter case, reduction may not occur, or there may be formation of a P-hydroxy, double-bond, or fully saturated methylene additionally, the outcome may vary between different cycles of chain extension (Fig. 4b). This inherent variability in keto reduction, the greater variety of... 

Biotin is the coenzyme required by enzymes that catalyze carboxylation of a carbon adjacent to a carbonyl group. For example, pymvate carboxylase converts pyruvate—the end product of carbohydrate metabolism—to oxaloacetate, a citric acid cycle intermediate (Figure 25.2). Acetyl-CoA carboxylase converts acetyl-CoA into malonyl-CoA, one of the reactions in the anabolic pathway that converts acetyl-CoA into fatty acids (Section 19.21). Biotin-requiring enzymes use bicarbonate (HCOs ) for the source of the carboxyl group that becomes attached to the substrate. 

The homolytic cleavage of the Co - C bond of the protein-boimd organo-metallic cofactor AdoCbl (2) is the initial step of the coenzyme Bi2-catalyzed enzymatic reactions. Halpern quoted that adenosyl cobamides can be considered as reversibly functioning sources for organic radicals [119]. A neutral aqueous solution of 2 is remarkably stable with a half-Ufe of 10 s (in the dark at room temperature), but decomposes, mainly with the homolysis of the Co-C bond, at higher temperatures [119,123]. The coenzyme B12-catalyzed enzyme reactions occur with maximal rates of approximately 100 s [173,239]. Rapid formation of Co(ll)corrins occurs only with addition of substrate to a solution of holoenzyme (or of apoenzymes and 2), as demonstrated in most of the known coenzyme Bi2-dependent enzymes, e.g., in methyl-malonyl-CoA mutase [121], glutamate mutase [202] and ribonucleotide reductase [239]. 

It is well known that the two-carbon units for condensation in de novo fatty acid synthesis are provided as malonate. A specific transacylase transfers the malonate from coenzyme A to ACP. Malonyl-CoA ACP transacyl-ases have been purified from a number of sources including leaf and seed tissues as well as the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis. The enzymes usually have masses of about 40 kDa and appear to use a random sequence mechanism. Tissue-specific isoforms have been reported in some instances though their significance is not known. 

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