Transaminases coupled enzyme systems

The electrochemical detection utilized the re-oxidation of hexacyano-ferrate(II) on a platinum electrode. For pyruvate determination this assay was extended to a 3-enzyme system by the addition of glutamate p5u-uvate transaminase, which produces alanine from pyruvate. All enz5unes were used in solution in a reaction chamber of approximately 2 pi directly in front of the electrode. The cofactor NAD" " was coupled to dextran with a molecular weight of 40,000 to avoid its replacement for each assay. As the sensor responded to L-alanine and pyruvate again a differential measurement was required when a sample contained both compounds. It was applied to off-line monitoring of a cultivation of S. cerevisiae and data showed good correlation to the photometric assays. 

Another example of a coupled enzyme reaction demonstrates the versatility of the transaminase system in biocatalysis. Using a racemic d,L-amino acid mixture as the starting material, the enzyme D-amino acid oxidase from Trigonopsis mriabilis will convert the D-amino acid in the mixture selectively into the corresponding 2-keto acid. The L-amino acid of the d,l- pair is neither a substrate nor an inhibitor of d-amino acid oxidase. If a transaminase is present in the same reaction mixture, the 2-keto acid can be transaminated in the presence of L-aspartate to the corresponding L-amino acid. The entire reaction can be driven to completion as described previously by decarboxylation of the oxaloacetate. Thus, in a single pot, racemic d,l-amino acids can be convened directly into optically active L-amino acids (Fig. 12.7-11). 

Most laboratories measure the enzyme in a kinetic manner by a coupled enzyme reaction system. The pyruvate formed by alanine transaminase is converted to lactate by including lactate dehydrogenase in the reaction mixture. This is accompanied by the oxidation of NADH to NAD which can be followed spectrophotometrically at 340 nm. 

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