Opine dehydrogenases catalyze the reductive condensation of pyruvate with L-amino acids. Biochemical characterization of alanopine dehydrogenase from Arenicola marina revealed that this enzyme is highly specific for L-alanine. Unbiased molecular dynamics simulations with a homology model of alanopine dehydrogenase captured the binding of L-alanine diffusing from solvent to a putative binding re...

Background Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic error, characterized by Branched Chain α-Keto-acid Dehydrogenase Complex (BCKDC) deficiency. Mutations in 3 genes can lead to abnormal metabolism and accumulation of leucine, isoleucine, valine and corresponding keto-acids. MSUD affects 1 in 185,000 infants globally. Seizure is a common presentation among neonat...

Nicotiana tabacum cDNA encoding a bifunctional protein having catalytic domains for dehydroquinase and shikimate dehydrogenase was cloned and sequenced. Complementation of Escherichia coli aroD and aroE auxotrophs was successful. Amino acid sequencing located the N-terminus of the mature protein. The two catalytic domains exhibited greater amino acid identity with prokaryote homologues than wit...

The amino-acid sequences of human alcohol dehydrogenase alpha-chain (ADH1) were analysed according to two-, three- and four-amino-acid sequences. The measured frequencies and probabilities were compared with the predicted frequencies and probabilities. Of 373 two-amino-acid sequences in the ADH1, 92 (24.665%) and 32 (8.579%) sequences can be explained by the predicted frequencies and probabilit...

Inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in the regulation of guanine nucleotide biosynthesis, was purified to homogeneity; and a polyclonal antibody directed against the purified protein was used to isolate human and Chinese hamster IMP dehydrogenase cDNA clones. These clones were sequenced and found to contain an open reading frame of a protein containing 514 amino acids. A sequen...

Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.4.4) similar to that found in mammalian cells. The activity is readily detected in cells which have been cultured in a minimal medium containing a branched-chain amino acid. Mutants defective in lipoamide dehydrogenase also lack 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase and are thus unable to catabolize branched-chain amino acids: 2-oxoacids accu...

Lipoamide dehydrogenase (LPD) is an essential component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes, both playing a crucial role within the central metabolism of aerobic organisms. Using oligonucleotides designed according to conserved regions of LPD amino acid sequences from several organisms, the lpd gene from Corynebacterium glutamicum was identified and subseque...

Rates of transamination and decarboxylation of [1-14C]leucine at a physiological concentration (0.1 mM) were measured in the perfused rat heart. In hearts from fasted rats, metabolic flux through the branched-chain 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase reaction was low initially, but increased gradually during the perfusion period. The increase in 14CO2 production was accompanied by an increase in the amoun...