[Importance of biotin metabolism]

Biotin is a water soluble enzyme cofactor that belongs to the vitamin B complex. In humans, biotin is involved in important metabolic pathways such as gluconeogenesis, fatty acid synthesis, and amino acid catabolism by acting a as prosthetic group for pyruvate carboxylase, propionyl-CoA carboxylase, beta-methylcrotinyl-CoA carboxylase, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Carboxylases are synthesized as apo-carboxylases without biotin and the active form is produced by their covalent binding of biotin to the epsilon-amino group of a lysine residue of the apocarboxylases. This reaction is catalyzed by the holo-carboxylase synthetase. The last step in the degradation of carboxylases, the cleavage of the biotinyl moiety from the epsilon-amino group lysine residues, is catalyzed by biotinidase and results in the release of free biotin, which can be recycled. Biotin regulates the catabolic enzyme propionyl-CoA carboxylase at the posttranscriptional level whereas the holo-carboxylase synthetase is regulated at the transcriptional level. Aside from its role in the regulation of gene expression of carboxylases, biotin has been implicated in the induction of the receptor for the asialoglycoprotein, glycolytic enzymes and of egg yolk biotin binding proteins. Biotin deficiency in humans is extremely rare and is generally associated with prolonged parenteral nutrition, the consumption of large quantities of avidin, usually in the form of raw eggs, severe malnutrition and, inherited metabolic disorders. In humans, there are autosomal recessive disorders of biotin metabolism that result from the disruption of the activity of biotinidase or holo-carboxylase synthetase.