Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
α-Ketoisocaproic acid (α-KIC), also known as 4-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, and its conjugate base and carboxylate, α-ketoisocaproate, are metabolic intermediates in the metabolic pathway for L-leucine. [2] Leucine is an essential amino acid, and its degradation is critical for many biological duties.
[2] [3] [4] Kojic acid is a by-product in the fermentation process of malting rice, for use in the manufacturing of sake, the Japanese rice wine. [2] It is a mild inhibitor of the formation of pigment in plant and animal tissues, and is used in food and cosmetics to preserve or change colors of substances. [5]
The formation of a peptide bond requires an input of energy. The two reacting molecules are the alpha amino group of one amino acid and the alpha carboxyl group of the other amino acids. A by-product of this bond formation is the release of water (the amino group donates a proton while the carboxyl group donates a hydroxyl). [2]
The third step is the NAD +-dependent oxidation of β-isopropylmalate catalyzed by a dehydrogenase. The final step is the transamination of the α-ketoisocaproate by the action of a glutamate-leucine transaminase. Leucine, like valine, regulates the first step of its pathway by inhibiting the action of the α-Isopropylmalate synthase. [18]
Depending on whether this step is short or long will influence the rest of the metabolic process. One key component in determining the protein half-life is based on the N-end rule. This states that the amino acid present at the N-terminus of a protein helps determine the protein's half-life. [9]
Protein synthesis is a very similar process for both prokaryotes and eukaryotes but there are some distinct differences. [1] Protein synthesis can be divided broadly into two phases: transcription and translation. During transcription, a section of DNA encoding a protein, known as a gene, is converted into a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA).
The biosynthetic pathway to produce vinblastine, including 30 enzymatic steps, has been transferred into yeast cells which is a convenient system to grow in large amounts. With these genetic modifications yeast can use its own metabolites geranyl pyrophosphate and tryptophan to produce the precursors of catharanthine and vindoline.
Several protein residues can be methylated, most notably the positive groups of lysine and arginine. Arginine residues interact with the nucleic acid phosphate backbone and commonly form hydrogen bonds with the base residues, particularly guanine, in protein–DNA complexes. Lysine residues can be singly, doubly and even triply methylated.