Nitrogen biotransformation reactions

Medium As discussed in Subheading 2., the most important factor m this respect is probably the medium. There are numerous reports of the way in which the nutrient source affects the secondary metabolism. Such factors include carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen source, levels, and ratios inorganics present m medium levels of aeration/oxygenation the physical state of the medium (liquid or solid). The diversity of metabolism elicited by a range of media should be considered insofar as the biotransformation reactions are a product of secondary metabolism. 

Oxidative biotransformation provides a commonly reported means of removing alkyl groups from substituted oxygen and nitrogen atoms. These reactions are believed to proceed via monooxygenase-mediated a-hydroxylation of the alkyl group to an unstable hemiacetal or hemiaminal, as outlined in Fig. 4 for an 0-alkyl substituted compound. 

The methyl transferases (MTs) catalyze the methyl conjugation of a number of small molecules, such as drugs, hormones, and neurotransmitters, but they are also responsible for the methylation of such macromolecules as proteins, RNA, and DNA. A representative reaction of this type is shown in Figure 4.1. Most of the MTs use S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as the methyl donor, and this compound is now being used as a dietary supplement for the treatment of various conditions. Methylations typically occur at oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur atoms on a molecule. For example, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is responsible for the biotransformation of catecholamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine. A-methylation is a well established pathway for the metabolism of neurotransmitters, such as conversion of norepinephrine to epinephrine and methylation of nicotinamide and histamine. Possibly the most clinically relevant example of MT activity involves 5-methylation by the enzyme thiopurine me thy Itransf erase (TPMT). Patients who are low or lacking in TPMT (i.e., are polymorphic) are at... 

Oxidative reactions at carbon predominate in the biotransformation of cyclic amiiies, and an important consequence of this is often the cleavage of the carbon-nitrogen bond. For example, A-dealkylation of N- alkyl substituted pyrrolidine (or piperidine, morpholine, etc.) involves an initial oxidative attack at the a- alkyl carbon atom to yield an N hydroxyalkyl derivative (carbinolamine), which is then metabolized to a secondary amine and the corresponding aldehyde. The metabolic conversion of nicotine to nornicotine (30 see Scheme 3) probably involves this mechanism, although the iminium ion (31) has also been suggested as an intermediate in the biotransformation (76JMC1168). Carbinolamines are unstable intermediates and have been identified only in a few cases, e.g. A-hydroxymethylcarbazole... 

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