Succinyl coenzyme formation

The formation of succinyl coenzyme A from methylmalonyl coenzyme A, part of the metabolism of odd-chain fatty acids, cholesterol, and the amino acids valine, isoleucine, threonine, and methionine... 

In addition to succinate, malonate, fumarate, and phosphate, it has been reported in recent years that succinate dehydrogenase is activated by ATP, ITP, IDP (195), reduced ubiquinone-10 (195-197), succinyl coenzyme-A (198), formate, ClOr, I", Br-, C1 , NOa, SO4 ", acid pH... 

Vitamin B12 (2 a) participates in the aqueous-phase biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine bases, the reduction of ribonucleotide triphosphates, the conversion of methylmalonyl-coenzyme A to succinyl-coenzyme A, the biosynthesis of methionine from homocysteine, and the formation of myelin sheath in the nervous systems. 

A more complex case was described % Nandi (1978). -Aminolevulinic acid synthase from Rhodopseudomonas spheroides is a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the formation of -aminolevulinic acid from glycine and succinyl coenzyme A in this case, the release of products is random and more than one product can exchange back into substrate. 

Major vitamin Bi2-dependent metabolic processes include the formation of methionine from homocysteine, and the formation of succinyl coenzyme A from methylmalonyl coenzyme A. Thus, apart from directly determining vitamin B12 concentration in serum, elevated levels of both methylmalonic acid and homocysteine may indicate a vitamin B12 deficiency. Serum cobalamine concentration is often determined by automated immunoassays using an intrinsic factor as binding agent. These assays have mainly replaced the microbiological methods. Literature data about vitamin B12 concentration in serum varies. Values <110-150pmoll are considered to reflect deficiency, whereas values >150-200pmoll represents an adequate status. 

Evidence for the formation of an activated succinate arising from a-keto-glutarate oxidation, which may be represented by a succinyl-coenzyme A complex, has also been presented by Sanadi and Littlefield working in Green s laboratory. These workers have found that sulfanilamide may be succinylated by a CoA-requiring mechanism, which appears to be essentially analogous to the acetylation of sulfanilamide by activated acetate. ... 

Subsequent metabolism of m,cw-muconic acid by Pseudomonas results in the formation of j3-ketoadipic acid, which is further degraded as its coenzyme A-thioester to acetyl coenzyme A and succinyl coenzyme A (Katagiri and Hayaishi, 1957). Sistrom and Stanier (1954) have identified the two enzymes that together produce ]8-ketoadipic acid. The first, lactonizing, enzyme equilibrates w,w-muconic acid with (-f)-y-carbo-xymethyl-zl -butenolide this product is irreversibly converted to jS-keto-adipic acid by the second, delactonizing, enzyme. 

D. Coenzyme A.—Succinyl phosphate (42) reacts rapidly and non-enzymatically with CoA in the pH range 3—8 to yield succinyl CoA (43). This reaction is dependent on the presence of a suitably situated free carboxy-group as such nucleophilic attack at carbon is not known with other acyl phosphates. Moreover, maleyl phosphate reacts rapidly with CoA while fumaryl phosphate fails to react under the same conditions. Hence the formation of a cyclic intermediate (44) from succinyl phosphate is... 

In animal metabolism, derivatives of cobalamine are mainly involved in rearrangement reactions. For example, they act as coenzymes in the conversion of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA (see p. 166), and in the formation of methionine from homocysteine (see p. 418). In prokaryotes, cobalamine derivatives also play a part in the reduction of ribonucleotides. 

Propionyl-CoA is first carboxylated to form the d stereoisomer of methylmalonyl-CoA (Pig. 17—11) by propionyl-CoA carboxylase, which contains the cofactor biotin. In this enzymatic reaction, as in the pyruvate carboxylase reaction (see Pig. 16-16), C02 (or its hydrated ion, HCO ) is activated by attachment to biotin before its transfer to the substrate, in this case the propionate moiety. Formation of the carboxybiotin intermediate requires energy, which is provided by the cleavage of ATP to ADP and Pi- The D-methylmalonyl-CoA thus formed is enzymatically epimerized to its l stereoisomer by methylmalonyl-CoA epimerase (Pig. 17-11). The L-methylmal onyl -CoA then undergoes an intramolecular rearrangement to form succinyl-CoA, which can enter the citric acid cycle. This rearrangement is catalyzed by methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, which requires as its coenzyme 5 -deoxyadenosyl-cobalamin, or coenzyme Bi2, which is derived from vitamin B12 (cobalamin). Box 17—2 describes the role of coenzyme B12 in this remarkable exchange reaction. 

Formation of S-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) All the carbon and nitrogen atoms of the porphyrin molecule are provided by two simple building blocks glycine (a nonessential amino acid) and succinyl CoA (an intermediate in the citric acid cycle). Glycine and succinyl CoA condense to form ALA in a reaction catalyzed by ALA synthase (Figure 21.3) This reaction requires pyridoxal phosphate as a coenzyme, and is the rate-controlling step in hepatic porphyrin biosynthesis. 

ALA synthase is a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme and promotes Schiff-base formation between its coenzyme and glycine (67 in Fig. 37). Nucleophilicity at C-2 of the glycine could be generated either by decarboxylation or by abstraction of a proton. In the first case 5-aminolaevulinic acid would retain both methylene protons of glycine, in the second, one of the protons would be lost to the medium (Fig. 37). Acylation of the pyridoxal-bound intermediate (68 or 69) by succinyl-CoA would constitute the next step and this could be followed either by direct hydrolysis of the Schiff-base or by decarboxylation with subsequent hydrolysis depending on which course was chosen in the first stage of the reaction. 

This enzyme s role in humans is to assist the detoxification of propionate derived from the degradation of the amino acids methionine, threonine, valine, and isoleucine. Propionyl-CoA is carboxylated to (5 )-methylmalonyl-CoA, which is epimerized to the (i )-isomer. Coenzyme Bi2-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase isomerizes the latter to succinyl-CoA (Fig. 2), which enters the Krebs cycle. Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase was the first coenzyme B -dependent enzyme to be characterized crystallographically (by Philip Evans and Peter Leadlay). A mechanism for the catalytic reaction based on ab initio molecular orbital calculations invoked a partial protonation of the oxygen atom of the substrate thioester carbonyl group that facilitated formation of an oxycyclopropyl intermediate, which connects the substrate-derived and product-related radicals (14). The partial protonation was supposed to be provided by the hydrogen bonding of this carbonyl to His 244, which was inferred from the crystal structure of the protein. The ability of the substrate and product radicals to interconvert even in the absence of the enzyme was demonstrated by model studies (15). 

Cobalamin enzymes, which are present in most organisms, catalyze three types of reactions (1) intramolecular rearrangements (2) methylations, as in the synthesis of methionine (Section 24.2.7) and (3) reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides (Section 25.3). In mammals, the conversion of 1-methylmalonyl CoA into succinyl CoA and the formation of methionine by methylation of homocysteine are the only reactions that are known to require coenzyme Bj2. The latter reaction is especially important because methionine is required for the generation of coenzymes that participate in the synthesis of purines and thymine, which are needed for nucleic acid synthesis. 

There is reason to conclude that vitamin deficiency might contribute to arteriosclerosis. There is a correlation between elevated homocysteine levels and incidence of cardiovascular disease (59). There is debate as to whether homocysteine contributesto the dam e of cells on the interior of blood vessel or whether homocysteine is a marker of intensive cell repair and formation of replacement cells. Nevertheless, administration of pyridoxine, folic acid, and (yanocobalamin are being recommended along with the two antioxidant vitamins, a-tocopherol and ascorbic acid for arteriosclerosis. Vitamin Bg is required for two of the steps in the catabolism of homocysteine to succinyl CoA (Fig. 8.52). Note in Fig. 8.52 (bottom) that biotin and a coenzyme form of cobalamin also are required for... 

One form of methionine synthase common in bacteria uses lV -methyltetrahydrofolate as a methyl donor. Another form of the enzyme present in some bacteria and mammals uses A/ -methyltetrahydro-folate, but the methyl group is first transferred to cobalamin, derived from coenzyme B12, to form methylcobalamin as the methyl donor in methionine formation. This reaction and the rearrangement of L-methyl-malonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA (see Box 17-2, Fig. la) are the only known coenzyme Bi2-dependent reactions in mammals. In cases of vitamin B12 deficiency, some symptoms can be alleviated by administering not only vitamin B12 but folate. As noted above, the methyl group of methylcobalamin is derived from W -methyltetrahy-drofolate. Because the reaction converting the methylene form to the 7V -methyl form of tetrahydrofo-... 

Coenzyme A has recently been implicated in the activation and transfer of acyl groups other than acetate. For example, CoA is required for the oxidative decarboxylation of a-ketoglutarate to form succinate (Kaufman, 1951 Sanadi and Littlefield, 1951). Succinyl-CoA was proposed as an intermediate in this reaction. Hippuric acid synthesis also requires CoA (Chantrenne, 1951). The postulated intermediate in this case was benzoyl-CoA. The formation of acyl-CoA complexes from acetyl-CoA and free fatty acids may also occur (Stadtman, 1950, 1951). 

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