Pterin-dependent enzymes

The aromatic amino add hydroxylases (AAHs) are a family of pterin-dependent enzymes comprising phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH, with two gene products TPH1 and TPH2). The AAHs perform the hydroxylation of aromatic amino adds and play an important role in mammalian metabolism and in the biosynthesis of... 

Dioxygen reduction (oxidase activity) and activation for incorporation into organic substrates are catalysed by a number of mononuclear non-haem iron enzymes. We will first consider the intramolecular dioxygenases, in which both atoms of oxygen are introduced into the substrate, then the monoxygenases (in which we choose to include the pterin-dependent hydroxylases), the large family of a-hetoacid-dependent enzymes, and finally isopenicillin N-synthase. 

Among the mononuclear non-haem iron enzymes catalysing hydroxylation reactions (Table 2.3) we can distinguish between intramolecular dioxygenases and external mononoxygenases. The former can be divided into those which are pterin-dependent and those which use a-ketoacids such as a-keto glutarate as obligatory... 

Figure 13.21 Mononuclear non-haem iron enzymes from each of the five families in structures which are poised for attack by 02. (a) The extradiol-cleaving catechol dioxygenase, 2,3-dihydroxy-biphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (b) the Rieske dioxygenase, naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase (c) isopenicillin N-synthase (d) the ot-ketoglutarate dependent enzyme clavaminate synthase and (e) the pterin-dependent phenylalanine hydroxylase. (From Koehntop et al., 2005. With kind permission of Springer Science and Business Media.)...

The cofactor appears to include a novel pterin.996-998 The properties of the pterin depend upon the nature of the side-chain in the 6-position. The structure shown in Figure 39 has been proposed997 on the basis that molybdopterin is related to urothione, oxidized to pterin-6-carboxylic acid, and contains in the side-chain two sulfur groups, a double bond, a hydroxyl function and a terminal phosphate group. Two stable fluorescent derivatives of molybdopterin have been characterized,999 which may be of value in view of the extreme instability of the native molybdoprotein when released from the enzyme. 

The pterin-dependent oxygenases, typified by the aryl amino acid hydroxylases, are a small family of closely related enzymes, which are essential to mammalian physiology. This class of metalloenzymes employs tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) as a two-electron donating cofactor for the activation of O2. Members of this class include phenylalanine (PheH), tyrosine (TyrH) and tryptophan (TrpH) hydroxylases, which effect regiospecific aromatic hydroxylations of the namesake amino acids. 

Another subgroup of the 2His-lcarboxylate family is dependent on a reduced pterin cofactor (5). They catalyze hydrox-ylations at the aromatic positions of amino acids in phenylalanine catabolism and hormone biosynthesis (Fig. 2). Unlike the a-KG-dependent enzymes, the pterin co-substrate does not ligate to the iron directly. In the reaction cycle, the pterin cosubstrate supplies two electrons for the heteiolysis of O2 to give a yet to be characterized iron-oxygen hydroxylating species. 

Many mononuclear nonheme iron oxygenases require a reducing cofactor (pterin or alpha-keto acid) for dioxygen activation.23,128 These enzymes utilize Fe(I V) > Fe (II) reduction by two-electron substrates. A simplified catalytic cycle for 2-keto-glutarate-dependent enzymes is shown in Figure 4.34. Keto-glutarate cofactors assist... 

The first enzyme in the archaeal pterin pathway is a new type of GTP cyclohydrolase, MptA, coded by the MJ0775 gene in M. jannaschii Unlike the analogous GTP cyclohydrolase I enzymes found in bacteria that produce 7,8-dihydroneopterin 3 -triphosphate, the product of the M. jannaschii enzyme is H2neopterin-cP. This was consistent with the previous implication of this intermediate in archaeal pterin biosynthesis. MptA was also found to be unique among the known GTP cyclohydrolases in its requirement for Fe(II) for activity. The other GTP cyclohydrolases have all been characterized as Zn(II)-dependent enzymes. 

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BPH4) is the natural cofactor required for the mammalian aromatic amino acid monooxygenases phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylase [4,89]. During the course of the reaction catalyzed by these enzymes, a molecule of oxygen is cleaved in order to hydroxylate the respective amino acid substrate. The remaining atom of oxygen is reduced to water at the expense of the cofactor, which is oxidized to the quinonoid form. Despite the many studies on the pterin-dependent hydroxylases, their precise mechanism of action is not well understood. This discussion will focus on mammalian phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), which has been favored for investigation due to its relative stability and ease of... 

The pterin-dependent oxygenases, typified by the aryl amino acid hydroxylases, are a small family of closely related enzymes, which are essential to mammalian physiology. 

The pterin-dependent amino acid hydroxylases (AAH) are a group of mononuclear, nonheme monooxygenases that catalyze the oxidation of aromatic amino acids necessary for the biosynthesis of a variety of neurotransmitters. " The three primary enzymes that have been... 

Tryptophan hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.4) is the rate-limiting enzyme that catalyses the pterin-dependent hydroxylation of tryptophan to form 5-hydroxytryptophan. Northern analysis of human pineal gland revealed the presence of two mRNA species (Austin and O Donnell 1999). The cellular concentration of tryptophan hydroxylase in pinealocytes was extremely high throughout the pineal gland. 

In summary, we may add that bacterial utilization of quinoline and its derivatives as a rule depends on the availability of traces of molybdate in the culture medium [363], In contrast, growth of the bacterial strains on the first intermediate of each catabolic pathway, namely, the lH-2-oxo or 1 II-4-oxo derivatives of the quinoline compound was not affected by the availability of molybdate. This observation indicated a possible role of the trace element molybdenum in the initial hydroxylation at C2. In enzymes, Mo occurs as part of the redox-active co-factor, and all the Mo-enzymes involved in N-heteroatomic compound metabolism, contain a pterin Mo co-factor. The catalyzed reaction involves the transfer of an oxygen atom to or from a substrate molecule in a two-electron redox reaction. The oxygen is supplied by the aqueous solvent. Certainly, the Mo-enzymes play an important role in the initial steps of N-containing heterocycles degradation. 

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