P-hydroxyphenylpyruvate

Hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid has been prepared by alkaline hydrolysis of the azlactone of a-benzoylamino- -acetoxycin-namic acid 7 and by a two-step hydrolysis of the azlactone of a-acetamino- -acetoxycinnamic acid.8 p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid has also been prepared by alkaline hydrolysis of 5-( -hy-droxybenzal)-3-phenylhydantoin.9 The procedure described here is adapted from published directions for the preparation of -hydroxyphenylpyruvic-3-C14 acid.5 5-( -Hydroxybenzal)hy-dantoin is prepared according to the method of Boyd and Robson.10... 

Other enzymes exhibiting this migration include cytochrome P450 and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase... 

Deutsch, J.C., Determination of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, p-hydroxyphenyllactate and tyrosine in normal human plasma by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry isotope-dilution assay, J. Chromatogr. B, 690, 1, 1997. 

The enzyme p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase is involved in the conversion of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate into homogentisate, a key step in plastoquinone biosynthesis. Inhibition of this enzyme has an indirect effect on carotenoid biosynthesis as plastoquinone is a co-factor of the enzyme phytoene desaturase. The new maize herbicide isoxaflutole and the triketone herbicides such as sulcotrione (Figure 2.7), inhibit p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase and this leads to the onset of bleaching in susceptible weeds and ultimately plant death.4... 

In E. coli and many other bacteria a second bifunctional enzyme, chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydrogenase causes the isomerization of chorismate and the oxidative decarboxylation of prephenate to p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (steps h and /c, Fig. 25-l).39 The latter can be converted by transamination to tyrosine.40-42... 

The major route of degradation of tyrosine in animals begins with transamination (Fig. 25-5, reaction c) to p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. The enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase94 is induced in the liver in response to the action of glucorticoid hormones (Chapter 22). The synthesis of the enzyme is also controlled at the translational level, release of the newly formed protein from liver ribosomes being stimulated by cyclic AMP. The enzyme is subject to posttranscriptional... 

The 2-oxoacid p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate is decar-boxylated by the action of a dioxygenase (Eq. 18-49). The product homogentisate is acted on by a second dioxygenase, as indicated in Fig. 25-5, with eventual conversion to fumarate and acetoacetate. A rare metabolic defect in formation of homogentisate leads to tyrosinemia and excretion of hawkinsin97 a compound postulated to arise from an epoxide (arene oxide) intermediate (see Eq. 18-47) which is detoxified by a glutathione transferase (Box 11-B). 

Romagni, J.G., Meazza, G, Nanayakkara, N.P.D., Dayan, F.E. The phytotoxic lichen metabolite, usnic acid, is a potent inhibitor of plant p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. FEBS Letters 2000 480 301-305. 

The metabolism of phenylalanine will now be considered in some detail, as two inborn errors of metabolism are known that affect this pathway. Phenylalanine is first hydroxylated by phenylalanine hydroxylase to form another aromatic amino acid tyrosine (Fig. 8). The coenzyme for this reaction is the reductant tetrahydrobiopterin which is oxidized to dihydrobiopterin. Phenylalanine hydroxylase is classified as a monooxygenase as one of the atoms of 02 appears in the product and the other in HzO. The tyrosine is then trans-aminated to p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, which is in turn converted into homogentisate by p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate hydroxylase. This hydroxylase is an example of a dioxygenase, as both atoms of 02 become incorporated into the product (Fig. 8). The homogentisate is then cleaved by homogentisate oxidase, another dioxygenase, before fumarate and acetoacetate are produced... 

Determination of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) activity in vitro... 

Romagni, J. G., Meazza, G., Nanayakkara, and D., Dayan, F. E., 2000. The Phytotoxic Lichen Metabolite, Usnic Acid, is a Potent Inhibitor of Plant p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase. FEBS Letters 480 (2-3), 301-305. 

Figure 20.22 Catabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine. A indicates the lesion in classic phenylketonuria B indicates a tyrosinemia caused by tyrosine transaminase deficiency C indicates a tyrosinemia caused by p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate oxidase deficiency and the lesion in neonatal tyrosinemia D indicates alcaptonuria.

Additional errors of phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism include tyrosinosis, or hereditary tyrosinemia, neonatal tyrosinemia, and alcaptonuria. In the first case, there is a probable defect in p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate oxidase. In neonatal tyrosinemia, the problem is transient and may be solved by the administration of ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is apparently a cofactor for p-hydroxy-phenylpyruvate oxidase. Alcaptonuria is a benign disorder in which homogen-tisic acid oxidase is inoperative and homogentisic acid is excreted in the urine. Air oxidizes the homogentisic acid to a pigment, giving urine a black color. This pigment also accumulates in the patient s tissues. 

Prephenic acid has also been shown to be converted (by a partly purified enzyme preparation) to p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid. Diphosphop3rridine nucleotide was required for this reaction, suggesting oxidation of C4, followed by decarboxylation. This -prephenic dehydrogenase was missing in... 

Figure 3. Effect of the p-triketone (-)-usnic acid (circles), the benzoquinone sorgoleone (triangles) and the commercial herbicide sulcotrione (squares) on the activity of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. The dotted line represents 50% inhibition of enzyme activity.

The pathway bifurcates at chorismate. Let us first follow the prephenate branch (Figure 24,17). A mutase converts chorismate into prephenate, the immediate precursor of the aromatic ring of phenylalanine and tyrosine. This fascinating conversion is a rare example of an electrocyclic reaction in biochemistry, mechanistically similar to the well-known Diels-Alder reaction from organic chemistry. Dehydration and decarboxylation yield phenylpyruvate. Alternatively, prephenate can be oxidatively decarboxylated to p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. These a-ketoacids are then transaminated to form phenylalanine and tyrosine. 

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