Pyridoxamine cofactor

Liu L, Zhou W, Chruma JJ, Breslow R. Transamination reactions with multiple turnovers catalyzed by hydrophobic pyridoxamine cofactors in the presence of polyethylenimine polymers. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004 126 8136-8137. 

Scheme 12.5 Transamination with a cyclodextrin and pyridoxamine cofactor.

In nature, aminotransferases participate in a number of metabolic pathways [4[. They catalyze the transfer of an amino group originating from an amino acid donor to a 2-ketoacid acceptor by a simple mechanism. First, an amino group from the donor is transferred to the cofactor pyridoxal phosphate with formation of a 2-keto add and an enzyme-bound pyridoxamine phosphate intermediate. Second, this intermediate transfers the amino group to the 2-keto add acceptor. The readion is reversible, shows ping-pong kinetics, and has been used industrially in the production ofamino acids [69]. It can be driven in one direction by the appropriate choice of conditions (e.g. substrate concentration). Some of the aminotransferases accept simple amines instead of amino acids as amine donors, and highly enantioselective cases have been reported [70]. 

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... 

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. 

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxal) has the active form, pyridoxal phosphate. It functions as a cofactor for enzymes, particularly in amino acid metabolism. Deficiency of this vitamin is rare, but causes glossitis and neuropathy. The deficiency can be induced by isoniazid, which causes sensory neuropathy at high doses. 

The conversion includes at least three enzymic reactions.169-171 In the first stage, which requires pyridoxamine 5 -phosphate as a cofactor,171,172 dehydration of 7b occurs through intermediate formation of the Schiff base.173 Reduction of the resulting, unsaturated derivative with NADPH, the mechanism of which is not completely clear,174 leads to CDP-3,6-dideoxy-D-eryf/iro-hexos-4-ulose,169 and, in the third stage, further reduction of the latter at C-4 of the hexosyl group produces the derivatives of paratose or abequose the stereochemistry of the reaction is determined by the source of the enzyme.168 The tyvelose derivative is formed as a result of enzymic epimerization at C-2 of the hexosyl group in CDP-paratose.175... 

Amino acid racemases are important for bacteria because they need D-alanine in the biosynthesis of cell walls. These enzymes require pyridoxal as the active cofactor. A racemization reaction starts with the aldimine complex between pyridoxal and an a-amino acid (Scheme 2.4). Deprotonation occurs at the a-carbon of amino acid, due to the electron-sink effect of pyridoxal. Reprotonation of the quinonoid intermediate at the opposite side provides the desired product (pathway a in Scheme 2.4). However, reprotonation may also take place at the C4 of pyridoxal (pathway b in Scheme 2.4). This kills the catalyst because one of its product, pyridoxamine, can no longer racemize an amino acid. 

For two transaminases the remaining unknown stereochemical parameter was determined by demonstrating an internal transfer of tritium (dialkyl amino acid transaminase) [28] or deuterium (pyridoxamine-pyruvate transaminase) [27] from the a-position of the substrate L-alanine to C-4 of the cofactor. Internal hydrogen transfer from the a-position of the substrate amino acid to C-4 of PLP has also been demonstrated for two of the abortive transamination reactions, those catalyzed by tryptophan synthase fi2 protein [32] and by aspartate-/8-decarboxylase [31]. In addition, the same phenomenon must occur in alanine transaminase, as deduced from the observation that the enzyme catalyzes exchange of the /8-hydrogens of... 

CO factors, such as NAD, bind only momentarity to the enzyme others, such as vitamin remain bound to the enzyme before, after, and during the event of catalysis. In the caste of vitamin B -iequiring enzymes, the cofactor occurs in the forms pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate. 

The reactions catalyzed by aminotransferases arc called transaminahon reactions. It might he 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 the second half of the reaction, the amino group residing on the cofactor is transferred to the keto acid cosubslrate, thus regenerating the cofactor in the pyridoxal phosphate form. As stated earlier, the cofactor remains bo Lind to the enzyme when it occurs as the pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate forms. 

PLP is the cofactor for a large number of enzymes used in the metabolism of amino acids and related compounds. Some of these enzymes are listed in Table 9.3. In the aminotransferases, the cofaefor form shifts between PLP and PME In glutamate-oxaloacetate aminotransferase, for example, glutamate reacts with the enzyme bound cofactor and is converted to ot-ketoglutarate. Its amino group remains bound to the cofactor, which is changed to the pyridoxamine phosphate form ... 

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