Tryptophan function

The appearance of the 2-(indol-3yl)ethylamine (tryptamine) unit in both tryptophan-derived natural products and in synthetic materials having potential pharmacological activity has generated a great deal of interest in the synthesis of such compounds. Several procedures which involve either direct 3-alkylation or tandem 3-functionalization/modification have been developed. Similarly, methodology applicable to preparation of tryptophan analogues has been widely explored. 

Naturally Occurring Compounds. Many derivatives of iadole are found ia plants and animals where they are derived from the amino acid tryptophan. Several of these have important biological function or activity. Serotonin [50-67-9] (12) functions as a neurotransmitter and vasoconstrictor (35). Melatonin [73-31-4] (13) production is controlled daily by the circadian cycle and its physiological level iafluences, and seasonal rhythms ia humans and other species (36). Indole-3-acetic acid [87-51-4] (14) is a plant growth stimulant used ia several horticultural appHcations (37). 

The RDA for niacin is based on the concept that niacin coen2ymes participate in respiratory en2yme function and 6.6 niacin equivalents (NE) are needed per intake of 239 kj (1000 kcal). One NE is equivalent to 1 mg of niacin. Signs of niacin deficiency have been observed when less than 4.9 NE/239 kj or less than 8.8 NE per day were consumed. Dietary tryptophan is a rich source of niacin and the average diet in the United States contains 500—1000 mg of tryptophan. In addition, the average diet contains approximately 8—17 mg of niacin. In total, these two quantities total 16—34 NE daily. Table 5 Hsts the RDA and U.S. RDA for niacin (69). 

The Dim ester was developed for the protection of the carboxyl function during peptide synthesis. It is prepared by transesterification of amino acid methyl esters with 2-(hydroxymethyl)-l,3-dithiane and Al(/-PrO)3 (reflux, 4 h, 75°, 12 torr, 75% yield). It is removed by oxidation [H2O2, (NH4)2Mo04 pH 8, H2O, 60 min, 83% yield]. Since it must be removed by oxidation it is not compatible with.sulfur-containing amino acids such as cysteine and methionine. Its suitability for other, easily oxidized amino acids (e.g., tyrosine and tryptophan) must also be questioned. It is stable to CF3CO2H and HCl/ether. - ... 

Certain amino acids and their derivatives, although not found in proteins, nonetheless are biochemically important. A few of the more notable examples are shown in Figure 4.5. y-Aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is produced by the decarboxylation of glutamic acid and is a potent neurotransmitter. Histamine, which is synthesized by decarboxylation of histidine, and serotonin, which is derived from tryptophan, similarly function as neurotransmitters and regulators. /3-Alanine is found in nature in the peptides carnosine and anserine and is a component of pantothenic acid (a vitamin), which is a part of coenzyme A. Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), derived from tyrosine, is an important hormone. Penicillamine is a constituent of the penicillin antibiotics. Ornithine, betaine, homocysteine, and homoserine are important metabolic intermediates. Citrulline is the immediate precursor of arginine. 

Niacin was discovered as a nutrient during studies of pellagra. It is not strictly a vitamin since it can be synthesized in the body from the essential amino acid tryptophan. Two compounds, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, have the biologic activity of niacin its metabolic function is as the nicotinamide ring of the coenzymes NAD and NADP in oxidation-reduction reactions (Figure 45-11). About 60 mg of tryptophan is equivalent to 1 mg of dietary niacin. The niacin content of foods is expressed as mg niacin equivalents = mg preformed niacin + 1/60 X mg tryptophan. Because most of the niacin in cereals is biologically unavailable, this is discounted. 

Another important function of albumin is its ability to bind various ligands. These include free fatty acids (FFA), calcium, certain steroid hormones, bilirubin, and some of the plasma tryptophan. In addition, albumin appears to play an important role in transport of copper in the human body (see below). A vatiety of drugs, including sulfonamides, penicilhn G, dicumarol, and aspirin, are bound to albumin this finding has important pharmacologic implications. 

Neurotoxins present in sea snake venoms are summarized. All sea snake venoms are extremely toxic, with low LD5Q values. Most sea snake neurotoxins consist of only 60-62 amino acid residues with 4 disulOde bonds, while some consist of 70 amino acids with 5 disulfide bonds. The origin of toxicity is due to the attachment of 2 neurotoxin molecules to 2 a subunits of an acetylcholine receptor that is composed of a2 6 subunits. The complete structure of several of the sea snake neurotoxins have been worked out. Through chemical modification studies the invariant tryptophan and tyrosine residues of post-synaptic neurotoxins were shown to be of a critical nature to the toxicity function of the molecule. Lysine and arginine are also believed to be important. Other marine vertebrate venoms are not well known. 

Salomon, RM, Miller, HL, Delgado, PL and Charney, D (1993) The use of tryptophan depletion to evaluate central serotonin function in depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Int. J. Clin. Psychopharmacol. 8 41-46. 

Phenoxazines — The microbial phenoxazines like actinomycins are well-known antibiotics. Actinomycin D produced by Streptomyces anibioticus is an effective antineoplastic agent that inhibits nucleic acid synthesis. The main function of ommochromes is to act as screening pigments in the eyes of insects and other arthropods, as pattern pigments in the integument, and as excretion products of excess tryptophan. ... 

Conversion of methanol into formaldehyde by methanol dehydrogenase. A complex array of genes is involved in this oxidation and the dehydrogenase contains pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) as a cofactor (references in Ramamoorthi and Lidstrom 1995). Details of its function must, however, differ from that of methylamine dehydrogenase that also contains a quinoprotein—tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ). 

In the same area, a (5)-tryptophan-derived oxazaborolidine including a p-tolylsulfonylamide function has been used by Corey et al. to catalyse the enantioselective Diels-Alder reaction between 2-bromoacrolein and cyclo-pentadiene to form the corresponding chiral product with an unprecedented high (> 99% ee) enantioselectivity (Scheme 5.27)." This highly efficient methodology was extended to various 2-substituted acroleins and dienes such as isoprene and furan. In addition, it was applied to develop a highly efficient total synthesis of the potent antiulcer substance, cassiol, as depicted in Scheme 5.21... 

Heninger, G. Chamey, D.S. and Sternberg, D.E. Serotonergic function in depression Prolactin response to intravenous tryptophan in depressed patients and healthy subjects. Arch Gen Psychiatry 41 398-402. 1984. 

Fluorescent probes are divided in two categories, i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic probes. Tryptophan is the most widely used intrinsic probe. The absorption spectrum, centered at 280 nm, displays two overlapping absorbance transitions. In contrast, the fluorescence emission spectrum is broad and is characterized by a large Stokes shift, which varies with the polarity of the environment. The fluorescence emission peak is at about 350 nm in water but the peak shifts to about 315 nm in nonpolar media, such as within the hydrophobic core of folded proteins. Vitamin A, located in milk fat globules, may be used as an intrinsic probe to follow, for example, the changes of triglyceride physical state as a function of temperature [20]. Extrinsic probes are used to characterize molecular events when intrinsic fluorophores are absent or are so numerous that the interpretation of the data becomes ambiguous. Extrinsic probes may also be used to obtain additional or complementary information from a specific macromolecular domain or from an oil water interface. 

However, diffusion of the reactive QM out of the enzyme active site is a major concern. For instance, a 2-acyloxy-5-nitrobenzylchloride does not modify any nucleophilic residue located within the enzyme active site but becomes attached to a tryptophan residue proximal to the active site of chymotrypsin or papain.23,24 The lack of inactivation could also be due to other factors the unmasked QM being poorly electrophilic, active site residues not being nucleophilic enough, or the covalent adduct being unstable. Cyclized acyloxybenzyl molecules of type a could well overcome the diffusion problem. They will retain both the electrophilic hydroxybenzyl species b, and then the tethered QM, in the active site throughout the lifetime of the acyl-enzyme (Scheme 11.1). This reasoning led us to synthesize functionalized... 

Fluorescence detectors, discussed in Chapter 1, are extremely sensitive picogram quantities of sample can sometimes be detected. However, most polymers (with the exception of certain proteins) are not fluorescent and thus these detectors are rarely used in GPC. Proteins, particularly those containing tryptophan, fluoresce intensely and are readily detected. Because both the IR and the fluorimetric detector are selective for certain functional groups, rather than being sensitive to analyte mass, there are many pitfalls in quantitation. These and other detectors have been reviewed.177178... 

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