Pyridoxine Schiff base

Lactobacillus delbrueckii. In 1953, Rodwell suggested that the histidine decarboxylase of Lactobacillus 30a was not dependent upon pyridoxal phosphate (11). Rodwell based his suggestion upon the fact that the organism lost its ability to decarboxylate ornithine but retained high histidine decarboxylase activity when grown in media deficient in pyridoxine. It was not until 1965 that E. E. Snell and coworkers (12) isolated the enzyme and showed that it was, indeed, free of pyridoxal phosphate. Further advances in characterization of the enzyme were made by Riley and Snell (13) and Recsei and Snell (14) who demonstrated the existence of a pyruvoyl residue and the participation of the pyruvoyl residue in histidine catalysis by forming a Schiff base intermediate in a manner similar to pyridoxal phosphate dependent enzymes. Recent studies by Hackert et al. (15) established the subunit structure of the enzyme which is similar to the subunit structure of a pyruvoyl decarboxylase of a Micrococcus species (16). 

Pyridoxine is rapidly converted to pyridoxal phosphate in the liver and other tissues. Pyridoxal phosphate does not cross cell membranes, and efflux of the vitamin from most tissues is as pyridoxal. Pyridoxal phosphate is exported from the liver bound to albumin by formation of a Schiff base to lysine (Zhang et al., 1999). Much of the free pyridoxal phosphate in the liver (i.e., that which is not protein bound) is hydrolyzed to pyridoxal, which is also exported, and circulates bound to both albumin and hemoglobin in erythrocytes. 

A second clue to the catalytic mechanism of phosphorylase is its requirement for pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), a derivative of pyridoxine (vitamin B5, Section 8.6.1). The aldehyde group of this coenzyme forms a Schiff base with a specific lysine side chain of the enzyme (Figure 21.7). The results of structural studies indicate that the reacting... 

Fig. 1. (continued) (h) Pantothenate, (i) Pyridoxine, (j) Pyridoxal 5 -phosphate, (k) pyridoamine 5 -phosphate, (I) Schiff base between PLP and lysine in the active site forming the internal aldimine, (m) Thiamine pyrophosphate, (n) Iron-porphirin, (o) Protoporphirin IX,... 

The conversion of levodopa to dopamine within the body requires the presence of pyridoxal-5-phosphate (derived from pyridoxine) as a co-factor. When dietary amounts of pyridoxine are high, the peripheral metabolism of levodopa by dopa-decarboxylase is increased so that less is available for entry into the CNS, and its effects are reduced accordingly. Pyridoxine may also alter levodopa metabolism by Schiff-base formation. However, in the presence of dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors such as carbidopa or benserazide, this peripheral metabolism of levodopa is reduced and much larger amounts are available for entry into the CNS, even if quite small doses are given. So even in the presence of large amounts of pyridoxine, the peripheral metabolism remains unaffected and the serum levels of levodopa are virtually unaltered. 

Identification of pyridoxal phosphate as coenzyme suggested the aldehyde group on pyridoxine might form an intermediate Schiff s base with the donor amino acid. Pyridoxamine phosphate thus formed would in turn donate its NH2 group to the accepting a-ketonic acid, a scheme proposed by Schlenk and Fisher. 15N-labeling experiments and, later, the detection of the Schiff s base by its absorption in UV, confirmed the overall mechanism. Free pyridoxamine phosphate however does not participate in the reaction as originally proposed. Pyridoxal phosphate is invariably the coenzyme form of pyridoxine. 

The coenzyme form of pyridoxine is known as pyridoxal phosphate (PP) The most common type of reaction requiring PP as a coenz5mie is transamination. Enzymes catalysing such reactions are known as transaminases or aminotransferases. The coenzyme binds to its apoenzyme via Schiff s base between its aldehyde group and the epsilon amino group of a lysine in the... 

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