Pyridoxal transamination reactions

Most amino acids lose their nitrogen atom by a transamination reaction in which the -NH2 group of the amino acid changes places with the keto group of ct-ketoglutarate. The products are a new a-keto acid plus glutamate. The overall process occurs in two parts, is catalyzed by aminotransferase enzymes, and involves participation of the coenzyme pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), a derivative of pyridoxine (vitamin UJ. Different aminotransferases differ in their specificity for amino acids, but the mechanism remains the same. 

Another interesting example is SHMT. This enzyme catalyzes decarboxylation of a-amino-a-methylmalonate with the aid of pyridoxal-5 -phosphate (PLP). This is an unique enzyme in that it promotes various types of reactions of a-amino acids. It promotes aldol/retro-aldol type reactions and transamination reaction in addition to decarboxylation reaction. Although the types of apparent reactions are different, the common point of these reactions is the formation of a complex with PLP. In addition, the initial step of each reaction is the decomposition of the Schiff base formed between the substrate and pyridoxal coenzyme (Fig. 7-3). 

Mechanistically, transamination by the free coenzyme proceeds through a number of discrete steps as illustrated in Fig. 3. The first step of the process, aldi-mine formation (Fig. 3, Step I), is common to all pyridoxal-dependent reactions. The rate and extent of this reaction are influenced by factors including reactant concentrations, the nature of the amino acid, pH, and solvent. However, it is important to realize that the coenzyme itself facilitates Schiff base formation in... 

We have just noted the role that pyridoxal phosphate plays as a coenzyme (cofactor) in transamination reactions (see section 15.6). Pyridoxal 5 -phosphate (PLP) is crucial to a number of biochemical reactions. PLP, together with a number of closely related materials that are readily converted into PLP, e.g. pyridoxal, pyridoxine and pyridoxamine, are collectively known as vitamin Bg, which is essential for good health. 

Pyridoxal phosphate (4) is the most important coenzyme in amino acid metabolism. Its role in transamination reactions is discussed in detail on p. 178. Pyridoxal phosphate is also involved in other reactions involving amino acids, such as decarboxylations and dehydrations. The aldehyde form of pyridoxal phosphate shown here (left) is not generally found in free form. In the absence of substrates, the aldehyde group is covalently bound to the e-amino group of a lysine residue as aldimine ( Schiffs base ). Pyridoxamine phosphate (right) is an intermediate of transamination reactions. It reverts to the aldehyde form by reacting with 2-oxoacids (see p. 178). 

In a number of nonenzymatic reactions catalyzed by pyridoxal, a metal ion complex is formed—a combination of a multivalent metal ion such as cupric oi aluminum ion with the Schiff base formed from the combination of an amino acid and pyridoxal (I). The electrostatic effect of the metal ion, as well as the electron sink of the pyridinium ion, facilitates the removal of an a -hydrogen atom to form the tautomeric Schiff base, II. Schiff base II is capable of a number of reactions characteristic of pyridoxal systems. Since the former asymmetric center of the amino acid has lost its asymmetry, donation of a proton to that center followed by hydrolytic cleavage of the system will result in racemic amino acid. On the other hand, donation of a proton to the benzylic carbon atom followed by hydrolytic cleavage of the system will result in a transamination reaction—that is, the amino acid will be converted to a keto acid and pyridoxal will be converted to pyridoxamine. Decarboxylation of the original amino acid can occur instead of the initial loss of a proton. In either case, a pair of electrons must be absorbed by the pyridoxal system, and in each case, the electrostatic effect of the metal ion facilitates this electron movement, as well as the subsequent hydrolytic cleavage (40, 43). 

Isoniazid reacts with pyridoxal phosphate to form a hydrazone (Fig. 7.42), which is a very potent inhibitor of pyridoxal phosphate kinase. The hydrazone has a much greater affinity for the enzyme (100—lOOOx) than the normal substratepyridoxal. The result of this is a depletion of tissue pyridoxal phosphate. This cofactor is of importance particularly in nervous tissue for reactions involving decarboxylation and transamination. The decarboxylation reactions are principally affected however, with the result that transamination reactions assume a greater importance. 

An early step in the catabolism of amino acids is the separation of the amino group from the carbon skeleton. In most cases, the amino group is transferred to a-ketoglutarate to form glutamate. This transamination reaction requires the coenzyme pyridoxal phosphate. 

The amino acid and nucleotide biosynthetic pathways make repeated use of the biological cofactors pyridoxal phosphate, tetrahydrofolate, and A-adenosylmethionine. Pyridoxal phosphate is required for transamination reactions involving glutamate and for other amino acid transformations. One-carbon transfers require S-adenosyhnethionine and tetrahydrofolate. Glutamine amidotransferases catalyze reactions that incorporate nitrogen derived from glutamine. 

The phosphate ester of the aldehyde form of vitamin B6, pyridoxal phosphate (pyridoxal-P or PLP), is required by many enzymes catalyzing reactions of amino acids and amines. The reactions are numerous, and pyridoxal phosphate is surely one of nature s most versatile catalysts. The story begins with biochemical transamination, a process of central importance in nitrogen metabolism. In 1937, Alexander Braunstein and Maria Kritzmann, in Moscow, described the transamination reaction by which amino groups can be transferred from one carbon skeleton to another.139 140 For example, the amino group of glutamate can be transferred to the carbon skeleton of oxaloacetate to form aspartate and 2-oxoglutarate (Eq. 14-24). 

Acetamidodeoxyhexoses. A further modification of the 4-keto-inter-mediate has been independently shown by Ashwell and by Strominger and associates (Table I, References 20, 21, 22, 23). Transamination reactions with L-glutamate as the amino donor and pyridoxal phosphate as coenzyme led to formation of 3-amino 3,6-dideoxy- and 4-amino 4,6-dideoxyhexoses, respectively. Acetylation with acetyl coenzyme A yields the naturally-occurring N-acetyl amino sugar derivatives. 

Pyndoxal phosphate is also a cofactor for transamination reactions, In these reactions, an amino group is transferred from an amino acid to an or-keto acid, thus founing a new amino acid and a new or-keto acid, Transamination reactions are important for the synthesis of amino acids from non-protein metabolites and for the degradation of amino acids for energy production. Since pyridoxal phosphate is intimately involved ill amino add metabolism, the dietary requirement for vitamin B6 increases as the protein content of the diet increases. 

The full series of intermediates in a transamination is shown in figure 10.5a. After protonation at the aldimine carbon of pyridoxal-5 -phosphate (step 3), hydrolysis (step 4) forms an a-keto acid and pyridoxamine-5 -phosphate. The reverse of this sequence with a second a-keto acid (steps 5 through 8) completes the transamination reaction. 

The amino acid is then hydrolyzed to form an a-keto acid and pyridoxamine phosphate, the a-amino group having been temporarily transferred from the amino acid substrate on to pyridoxal phosphate (Fig. 5). These steps constitute one half of the overall transamination reaction. The second half occurs by a reversal of the above reactions with a second a-keto acid reacting with the pyridoxamine phosphate to yield a second amino acid and regenerate the enzyme-pyridoxal phosphate complex (Fig. 5). 

The reactions catalyzed by transaminases are anergonic as they do not require an input of metabolic energy. They are also freely reversible, the direction of the reaction being determined by the relative concentrations of the amino acid-keto acid pairs. Pyridoxal phosphate is not just used as the coenzyme in transamination reactions, but is also the coenzyme for several other reactions involving amino acids including decarboxylations, deaminations, racemizations and aldol cleavages. 

Murakami et al. also found that the transamination reaction between hydrophobic pyridoxals (36 and 37) and a-amino acids, to produce a-keto acids, was extremely slow for neutral pyridoxals even in the presence of Cu(n) ions [24]. Detailed kinetic analysis of the reactions carried out in the vesicular system indicated that the transformation of the Cu(n) -quinonoid chelate into the Cu(n) -ketimine chelate was kinetically unfavorable compared with the competing formation of the Cu(n)-aldimine chelate from the same quinonoid species. This problem was solved to a certain extent by quaternization of the pyridyl nitrogen in pyridoxal, as Murakami et al. successfully accomplished transamination between catalyst 36 and L-phenylalanine to produce phenylpyruvic acid. 

Murakami et al. also examined the enantioselectivity of the catalyzed transamination reaction in a bilayer membrane [26]. They contrasted a system composed of a peptide lipid bearing an L-lysine residue (34), a hydrophobic pyridoxal derivative quaternized at the pyridyl nitrogen (37), and Cu(ii) ions. This system exhibited turnover behavior for... 

Thus, to attain the racemase reactivity it is important to learn how to block the transamination process. Our idea was to place a catalytic group that can protonate only the a-carbon of the amino acid unit but not the C4 of the pyridoxal moiety in the quinonoid intermediate (Scheme 2.5). Thus we synthesized catalyst 38, which carries a rigid pyridine side chain [39]. Catalyst 39, which lacks the double bond, was also synthesized as a less rigid control. Both catalysts catalyzed loss of optical activity from the aldimine equally well - about twice as fast as simple pyridoxal. However, 39 could catalyze the transamination reaction 2.5 times faster than 38. Therefore, 38 showed a small preference for racemization over the transamination reaction as compared with 39 by a... 

Figure 5.10 Abbreviated mechanism for transamination reactions promoted by pyridoxal-based catalysts.

The ring nitrogen of pyridoxal phosphate exerts a strong electron withdrawing effect on the aldimine, and this leads to weakening of all three bonds about the a-carbon of the substrate. In nonenzymic reactions, all the possible pyridoxal-catalyzed reactions are observed - a-decarboxylation, aminotrans-fer, racemization and side-chain elimination, and replacement reactions. By contrast, enzymes show specificity for the reaction pathway followed which bond is cleaved will depend on the orientation of the Schiff base relative to reactive groups of the catalytic site. As discussed in Section 9.3.1.5, reaction specificity is not complete, and a number of decarboxylases also undergo transamination. 

Transamination Reactions of Other Pyridoxal Phosphate Enzymes Inaddition to theirmainreactions, anumberofpyridoxalphosphate-dependent enzymes also catalyze the half-reaction of transamination. Such enzymes include serine hydroxymethyltransferase (Section 10.3.1.1), several decarboxylases, and kynureninase (Section 8.3.3.2). 

This reaction is crucial because it establishes the stereochemistry of the a-carbon atom (S absolute configuration) in glutamate. The enzyme binds the a-ketoglutarate substrate in such a way that hydride transferred from NAD(P)H is added to form the 1 isomer of glutamate (Figure 24,6). As we shall see, this stereochemistry is established for other amino acids by transamination reactions that rely on pyridoxal phosphate. 

The required coenzymes are pyridoxal phosphate in the transamination reaction and NAD+/NADH in the redox reactions. 

Pyridoxal phosphate functions as a co actor in enzymes involved in transamination reactions required for the S5mthesis and catabolism of the amino acids. 

The reactions catalyzed by aminotransferases are called transamination reactions. It might be not that in these reactions the amino group being transferred initially is transferred to the cofactor pyridoxal phosphate, resulting in its conversion to pyridoxamine phosphate. In Ae second half of the reaction, the amino group residing on the cofactor is transferred to the keto acid cosubstrate, thus regenerating the cofactor in the p)nidoxal phosphate form. As stated earlier, the cofactor remains botmd to the enzyme when it occurs as the pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate forms. 

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