Protein, amino acid turnover

AMINO ACID RACEMASE Amino adds, peptides proteins, BIOCHEMICAL NOMENCLATURE AMINO ACID TURNOVER KINETICS AMINOACYLASE AMINOACYL-tRNA HYDROLASE Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase,... 

The body contains approx. 14,000 g protein in total. There is a 24-hour turnover of 600-700 g of the amino acid pool. The musculature has the highest absolute rate of protein synthesis. The protein synthesized here is retained for exclusive use in the muscles. In relation to its weight, the liver generates more protein than the musculature. The synthesis rate in the liver amounts to 120 g/ day, whereby 70-80% of these proteins are released by the hepatocytes, so that only 20-30% remain available for their own use. Plasma protein turnover is 25 g/day, that of the total tissue protein approx. 150 g/day. Amino acid turnover and protein synthesis proceed rapidly and continuously. 

Silverman and Zieske have rationalized how a protein nucleophile other than flavin is involved in MAO inactivation reactions, and why different inactivator compounds specifically react with flavin, protein amino acids, or both (100). Hydrogen atom donation from a cysteine residue to the flavin semiquinone radical would produce a thiyl radical, which could then capture the primary or secondary alkyl radical generated on cyclopropyl ring opening from the amine radical cation of the inactivator. The hydrogen atom abstraction reaction between the flavin and active site amino acid may be an equilibrium process such that either species could be present at any turnover. Hence, a combination of steric constraints and proximity to either the flavin semiquinone radical or the thiol radical will determine the site of adduct formation for a particular inactivator structure. A two-dimensional representation is shown in Scheme 23 (compounds 40-42), which illustrates the proposed equilibrium between the flavin semiquinone radical and amino acid as well as the proposed intermediates for the inactivation of MAO by A-(l-methylcyclopropyl)benzylamine 40 (104), rrradical center relative to the particular protein radical is consistent with proposed site of attachment of inactivator to protein 40 is near the flavin radical, such that exclusive flavin attachment occurs, 41 is positioned closer to the amino... 

Rennie MJ, Edwards RHT, Davies CTM, Krywawych S, Halliday D, Waterlow JC, Millward DJ (1980) Protein and amino acid turnover during the after exercise. Biochem Soc Trans 8 499-502... 

In one of their first papers on amino acid turnover in proteins in vivo Schoenheimer et recognized that labeled amino acid incorporation may occur by two different mechanisms ... 

Nair (1981) observed a significant increase in serum protein in rats injected with the scorpion venom, Heterometrus scaber, and related this increase to the possible increase in antibody formation. The highly significant increase in the serum urea level (GrII 60 min. p.i.. Table 3) may be due to increased free amino acid turnover or protein catabolism which goes with Varley et al. (1980) observations who stated that increased protein breakdown, which occurs in fevers, cardiac failure and other toxic conditions may cause a moderate increase in serum urea level. 

Fohc acid is a precursor of several important enzyme cofactors required for the synthesis of nucleic acids (qv) and the metaboHsm of certain amino acids. Fohc acid deficiency results in an inabiUty to produce deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), and certain proteins (qv). Megaloblastic anemia is a common symptom of folate deficiency owing to rapid red blood cell turnover and the high metaboHc requirement of hematopoietic tissue. One of the clinical signs of acute folate deficiency includes a red and painhil tongue. Vitamin B 2 folate share a common metaboHc pathway, the methionine synthase reaction. Therefore a differential diagnosis is required to measure foHc acid deficiency because both foHc acid and vitamin B 2 deficiency cause... 

Enzymes are excellent catalysts for two reasons great specificity and high turnover rates. With but few exceptions, all reac tions in biological systems are catalyzed by enzymes, and each enzyme usually catalyzes only one reaction. For most of the important enzymes and other proteins, the amino-acid sequences and three-dimensional structures have been determined. When the molecular struc ture of an enzyme is known, a precise molecular weight could be used to state concentration in molar units. However, the amount is usually expressed in terms of catalytic activity because some of the enzyme may be denatured or otherwise inactive. An international unit (lU) of an enzyme is defined as the amount capable of producing one micromole of its reaction product in one minute under its optimal (or some defined) reaction conditions. Specific activity, the activity per unit mass, is an index of enzyme purity. 

Besides water, the diet must provide metabolic fuels (mainly carbohydrates and lipids), protein (for growth and turnover of tissue proteins), fiber (for roughage), minerals (elements with specific metabolic functions), and vitamins and essential fatty acids (organic compounds needed in small amounts for essential metabolic and physiologic functions). The polysaccharides, tri-acylglycerols, and proteins that make up the bulk of the diet must be hydrolyzed to their constituent monosaccharides, fatty acids, and amino acids, respectively, before absorption and utilization. Minerals and vitamins must be released from the complex matrix of food before they can be absorbed and utifized. 

Protein ALBP-PX was the first pyridoxamine-conjugated protein to be synthesized and structurally characterized. Under single-turnover conditions, this protein demonstrated amino acid production rates of only 56% of the free cofactor. However, depending on the nature of the a-keto acid, ALBP-PX did show a range of optical inductions for the amino acid product. Notably, enantiomeric excesses in the order of 94% were observed for the production of valine. Additionally, several trends were noted. All amino acid products that showed optical induction favored the 1-enantiomer, except alanine, which favored the d-enantiomer. Furthermore, a-keto acids with branched side chains... 

There are at least two answers to question (i). First, abnormal proteins can arise in cells due to spontaneous denaturation, errors in protein synthesis, errors in post-translational processing, failure of the correct folding of the protein or damage by free radicals. They are then degraded and replaced by newly synthesised proteins. Secondly, turnover helps to maintain concentrations of free amino acids both within cells and in the blood. This is important to satisfy the requirements for synthesis of essential proteins and peptides (e.g. hormones) and some small nitrogen-containing compounds that play key roles in metabolism (see Table 8.4). 

The biosynthetic incorporation of amino acids into proteins makes these metabolites valuable endogenous tracers for the characterization of protein turnover. Of the naturally occurring amino acids, administration of a bolus dose of pH]leucine is widely used as a tracer in kinetic investigations of protein synthesis and secretion. 

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