In vitro synthesis of arachidonoyl amino acids by cytochrome c

Arachidonoyl amino acids are a class of endogenous lipid messengers that are expressed in the mammalian central nervous system and peripherally. While several of their prominent pharmacologic effects have been documented, the mechanism by which arachidonoyl amino acids are biosynthesized has not been defined. We have previously observed that the mitochondrial protein, cytochrome c, is capable of catalyzing the formation of the prototypic arachidonoyl amino acid, arachidonoyl glycine, utilizing arachidonoyl CoA and glycine as substrates, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Here we report that cytochrome c is similarly able to catalyze the formation of N-arachidonoyl serine, N-arachidonoyl alanine, and N-arachidonoyl gamma aminobutyric acid from arachidonoyl CoA and the respective amino acids. The identities of the arachidonoyl amino acid products were verified by mass spectral fragmentation pattern analysis. The synthetic reactions exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics and continued favorably at physiologic temperature and pH. Spectral data indicate that both cytochrome c protein structure and a +3 heme iron oxidation state are required for the reaction mechanism to proceed optimally. Reactions designed to catalyze the formation of N-arachidonoyl dopamine were not efficient due to the rapid oxidation of dopamine substrate by hydrogen peroxide, consuming both reactants. Finally, under standard assay conditions, arachidonoyl CoA and ethanolamine were found to react spontaneously to form anandamide, independent of cytochrome c and hydrogen peroxide. Accordingly, it was not possible to demonstrate a potential role for cytochrome c in the biosynthetic mechanism for either arachidonoyl dopamine or anandamide. However, the ability of cytochrome c to effectively catalyze the formation of N-arachidonoyl serine, N-arachidonoyl alanine, and N-arachidonoyl gamma aminobutyric acid in vitro highlights its potential role for the generation of these lipid messengers in vivo.